Motorsport has lost a legend with the death of André de Kock.

The Citizen’s former Motorsport Editor died yesterday after a short but intense battle with cancer at the age of 72.

Andre de Kock poses for a picture at The Citizen offices in Johannesburg, March 2021. Picture: Michel Bega

A life lived at full throttle

André will officially go down in the annals for being a motorsport scribe who reported for The Citizen for over four decades, earning a Life Time Achievement award from Motorsport South Africa in the process.

But those close to him had the privilege to know a kind man with a warm heart and a sharp wit. And while his hard-charging maverick days of old were long gone at the time of his death, his unshackled spirit remained larger than life.

Apart from racing anything that mankind has unleashed on a race track, including hearses, sidecar motorbikes and three-wheel cars, his wild ways saw him perform dozens of death-defying stunts.

Whether it was being strapped to the top of a rocket car with a self-confessed flimsy seat belt cut from a scrap car or jumping over an untested ramp through a flaming steel ring, André lived life to full.

Two of his most cherished achievements was the Guinness World Records he earned for riding through the longest fire tunnel on a motorcycle with sidecar and on a quad bike.

He remained hell-bent on bettering the “paltry” quad bike record of 36.59m with his partner in crime Enrico Schoeman.

Veteran stuntmen Andre de Kock, left, and Enrico Schoeman celebrate after successfully completing two stunts that saw Schoeman ride a Harley-Davidson through a tunnel of fire and De Kock crash a car through a pyramid of flaming cars, 1 July 2017. Picture: Michel Bega

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Yet André still found wonderful ways of being entertaining even when there were no flames involved.

Between reading his computer the riot act or persuading you to watch the MotoGP race instead of the cricket or rugby on the big screen at the office, there was never a dull moment with him around.

Without even trying, he constantly had us in stitches. It could be a frantic call from the highway saying his test car’s cruise control is stuck on 30km/h and he doesn’t know how to change it.

And the next day that his pet pig Pumba has chomped through the charge cable of the electric car he was sampling at his house.

He said the mishaps are clear signs that he is being punished for his “sins from the past”, with the conversation incomplete with reference to his three ex-wives.

A legacy measured in stories, not possessions

André’s colourful storytelling was his trump card. In describing how he got involved in motorsport in the first place, he could have easily just said that he fell in love with the Adrenaline Game at a 9-hour race at Kyalami shortly after matriculating.

But he cranked up the revs to deliver another colourful masterpiece for the ages.

“For the first time, I got drunk. For the first time, I got laid. For the first time, I knew exactly what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. I wanted to get laid some more,” he wrote.

“I also decided that I would, somehow, find a way to spend the rest of my life around motorsport and the people who partake in this cruel, crazy, beautiful game.

“I’m going to die poor, but I collect experiences instead of possessions.”

Exceptions included an impressive collection of motorsport books, pictures and other memrobilia he proudly collected during his career.

The last of the great motorsport characters

Right until the bitter end, André never strayed from his chosen path.

When he couldn’t go to his beloved Zwartkops Raceway last month due to the same medical reasons that took his life, he was more worried about who was going to report on the racing than he was about his own health.

He insisted on covering motorsport events for us even without pay for years after retiring.

ALSO SEE: On the fiery pursuit of Guinness glory

It was that kind of unwavering commitment that saw him call his dear mother from the office at exactly the same time every Sunday afternoon.

And take a cake to his AA meeting on the anniversary of his sobriety for over 20 years.

He loved saying they don’t make racing greats like James Hunt anymore.

What he didn’t realise is that he was cut from the same cloth as those irrepressible characters that inspired him.

Rest in peace, dear André, we miss you already. André is survived by his long-time partner Muriel.

See André de Kock picture gallery here:

In the late 1980s De Kock lay on the back of Johnny Pieters’ Westinghouse Jet Car dragster on four separate occasions, with their quickest run through the standing start quarter mile 6.68 sec, with a top speed of 396 km/h. Picture: Ken Oosterbroek

Tough training – both De Kock and Schoeman hailed from the hard world of oval track sidecar racing. Picture: Mack van der Walt

André de Kock and Enrico Schoeman are not done attempting to break world records.

South African motorsport legend Willie Hepburn and The Citizen’s Motorsport Editor Andre de Kock.

Stuntmen Enrico Schoeman, right, and The Citizen’s Andre de Kock pose for a photograph ahead of attempting to set a new world record, this time for the longest ride through a tunnel of fire on a quad bike, 25 April 2018, at Carnival City in Brakpan. Picture: Michel Bega

The fire tunnel quadbike, with project Safety Engineer Martin Barnard, plus riders Enrico Schoeman and Andre de Kock.

Stuntmen Enrico Schoeman and The Citizen’s Andre de Kock come crashing out of the tunnel of fire while attempting to set a new world record for the longest ride through a tunnel of fire on a quad bike, 25 April 2018, at Carnival City in Brakpan. The pair suffered minor injuries. Picture: Michel Bega

Member of the Indian Army Jawans (soldiers) Captain Shivam Singh (L) belonging to the ‘ASC Tornadoes’ daredevil bike team comes out from the fire after his bike skidded during a world record attempt for the ‘Longest ride through tunnel of fire’ held at ASC centre & College in Bangalore, India, 10 November 2020. According to the report, the record was achieved by Shivam Singh through tunnel fire recording 127 meters and the existing record was 120.40 meter by Enrico Schoeman and Andre de Kock both from South Africa on 05 September 2014. Picture: EPA-EFE/JAGADEESH NV

Veteran stuntman Andre de Kock crashes a car through a pyramid of flaming cars, 1 July 2017, at Carnival City in Brakpan. Earlier Enrico Schoeman rode a Harley-Davidson through a tunnel of fire. Picture: Michel Bega

Veteran stuntman Enrico Schoeman crashes a Harley-Davidson through a billboard after riding through a tunnel of fire, 1 July 2017, at Carnival City in Brakpan. The event also saw Andre de Kock crash a car through a pyramid of flaming cars. Picture: Michel Bega

Veteran stuntman Enrico Schoeman rides a Harley-Davidson through a tunnel of fire, 1 July 2017, at Carnival City in Brakpan. The event also saw Andre de Kock crash a car through a pyramid of flaming cars. Picture: Michel Bega

Andre De Kock poses for a picture with Tschops Sipuka and Stuart White.

André de Kock pilots a GSM Dart around Zwartkops Raceway. Picture: Dave Ledbitter

Veteran stuntmen and Motorsport journalist André de Kock. Picture: Dave Ledbitter