The 17-year-old spent a day at Volkswagen Motorsport in Uitenhage, to learn what being a car designer entails.
Johan Smit, chief designer, Volkswagen South Africa Motorsport, took Lonwabo through a theory and practical session, which included the process of designing a Volkswagen, computer simulations and the different design components of the car.
After a tour of the facilities, Lonwabo headed over to the Auto Pavilion where he put to practical use what he had learnt from Motorsport’s chief designer.
A hobby - which started off with innocent drawings of cartoon characters - blossomed into a detailed sketchbook with various drawings of cars and now, Lonwabo plans to study design, once he completes high school next year, with hopes of one day being a professional car designer.
Lonwabo also had the opportunity to be test-driven in the Engen Audi S4 Production race car when the racing driver, Simon Moss, took him for a few speedy laps at the Aldo Scribante Race Track in Port Elizabeth.
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