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The
early days
Danny is a
very competitive sportsman and while living in
South Africa competed at State and National
level in many sports including track,
cross country, biathlon, windsurfing, and
motocross. He has held state and/or national
titles in each of these sports.
 In
his Motocross and Enduro days, Danny was
part of the wonderfully talented Blue Stratos
Kawasaki Team that was the dominant force in
motocross in South Africa in the 1980's. This
team produced some well respected winners
including Greg Albertyn who won the World
Motocross Championship title three times in
1992, '93 and'94, as well as the AMA 250cc title
in 1999. The team also included Colin Dugmore
and Robbie Herring
(Multiple UK Champion) and who was on the 1994
UK Motocross Des Nations team that ended the 13
year US winning streak. Rob became the manager the UK Motocross Des Nations
Team.
In 1983 Danny won his State Championship in the
200cc class, with 13 first place finishes in 14
races.
Danny also competed in the famous Roof of Africa
Rally in 1984 and 1985.
Danny started his racing career late, at the age
of 21, and made up for his lack of experience
with enthusiasm and embraced the theory that if
you're not crashing you're not going fast
enough, and you will never find your limits.
This attitude combined with large gonads and a
small brain resulted in way too many trips to
the hospital during his racing career.
One race
announcer commentated at a Kings Park Supercross
event ... "there goes Danny Steyn. He's really
fast between crashes." Unfortunately a really
bad motocross accident in a race at Eshowe Kwazulu in 1987 hospitalized Danny. During
surgery he lapsed into a coma that lasted
several weeks. Despite being administered his
last rites, he made a full recovery, and went
back racing 6-months later. Unfortunately he
never got back to full speed and retired from
motocross in 1988.
Danny then
took up competitive windsurfing, and true to his
nature, won the South African Masters
Championship in 1992.
In
1993 Danny emigrated to the USA, and
after living in a van for a year, started his
life all over again. Danny became a US citizen
in 2004.
Danny Steyn Motor Racing Career
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17
years after retiring from motocross, in
2005
Danny attended an
AMG Driving
Academy at Homestead Raceway and his instructors
Jeff Andretti and Linda Pobst both recognized he had
some talent and Linda specifically encouraged him to take
up the sport and see what he could do. Danny
attended several more AMG Challenges and was
presented the
prestigious AMG IWC Ingenieure watch for fastest
autocross time at
Homestead in November 2006 by Tommy Kendall. |
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With this success, in
2006
Danny signed up
for the
Panoz Driving School and went on to run
two race series with Panoz, culminating in a 3rd
Place in the Final Series in 2007.
This
coincided with 3rd place finish in the Final
Panoz race at the 2007 Petite LeMans Road
Atlanta. |
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In
2007 Danny rented a Spec Miata from Tom
Fowler at OPM
Autosports and tried his hand at two SCCA events. He
was immediately hooked
and commissioned OPM
Autosports to build him his own Spec Miata for
the 2008 season. |
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2008
was Danny's first full year of racing in Spec
Miata. With a new car
prepped by Tom Fowler of OPM Autosports, Danny
had a very successful rookie year winning the
South East Division Enduro Championships with 5
wins and one second place finish. He also won
several SARRC's and ended up with a very
respectable record, winning 38% of all races
entered.
2008
SCCA Championship Titles won
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2008 Club Racing Summary - SCCA
and NASA |
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Races |
37 |
Percentage |
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Poles |
8 |
22% |
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Firsts |
13 |
38% |
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Podiums |
22 |
59% |
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2009
SCCA Spec Miata Season
In
2009
Danny competed in Spec Miata in Regional and National SCCA events in the SE Division comprising 11
states. Danny chased both the SARRC and the ECR
championships and was successful in winning both
titles. He won the Florida enduro championship
along the way.
2009
SCCA Championship Titles won
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2009 SARRC Champion (Southern
Atlantic Road Racing Championship)
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2009 South East Division Enduro
Champion (2nd consecutive year)
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2009 Florida Enduro Champion
Danny also
finished 2nd in the Pro IT Championship and 3rd
in the SEDiv National Championship, winning
the Road Atlanta National event.
In
2009 Danny was
supported by
OPM Racing
and
Rossini Racing Products
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2009 SCCA Racing Summary - Spec
Miata |
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Races |
31 |
Percentage |
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Poles |
7 |
23% |
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Firsts |
15 |
48% |
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Podiums |
25 |
81% |
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2010
SCCA Spec Miata Season
For the 2010 season,
OPM Motorsports
built Danny a new Spec Miata to move up to the
National race series.
Rossini Racing Products
again
supplied the engines,
Traqmate supplied
the Data Acquisition. Danny competed mainly in
the National races but also did a few ECR's,
Pro-IT and Regional events as well.
Danny had 10 race wins as well as 5 poles and
ended the year 3rd in the National Points for
the SE Division
The highlights of the year was winning both the
prestigious June Sprints title, as well as the
ARRC title
2010
SCCA Results
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2010
June Sprints Champion (SM)
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2010 ARRC Champion (SM-X)
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3rd in 2010 SEDiv National Championship
points
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2010 SCCA Racing Summary - Spec
Miata |
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Races |
24 |
Percentage |
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Poles |
5 |
21% |
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Firsts |
10 |
42% |
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Podiums |
14 |
58% |
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2011
SCCA Spec Miata Season
The 2011 season was a very successful season for
Danny.
Still supported by
OPM Motorsports,
Rossini Racing Products
and
Traqmate,
Danny made a successful bid to win the SEDiv
National Championship. Not only did he win the
National title but he also clinched the SEDiv
ECR Championship for the third time.
At
the Runoffs Danny led, and was a top three
contender until he got punted with two laps to
go.
Danny also won the prestigious ARRC Championship
in Spec Miata, and finished 2nd at the June
Sprints.
And to make the season even more memorable,
Danny was presented with the SCCA SEDiv Driver
of the Year trophy!
2011
SCCA Championship Titles won
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2011 SCCA SEDiv Driver of the Year
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2011 SEDiv National Champion
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2011 South East Division Enduro
Champion (3rd ECR championship)
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2011 Florida Winter Tour Champion
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2011 ARRC Champion Spec Miata
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2nd at 2011 June Sprints
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2011 SCCA Racing Summary - Spec
Miata |
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Races |
23 |
Percentage |
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Poles |
5 |
22% |
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Firsts |
6 |
26% |
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Podiums |
17 |
74% |
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