It barely caused a flutter on Twitter.

The news that Wayne Taylor Racing had won the Daytona 24-hour road race last weekend was never going to rustle your average South African sports fan, but those with memories stretching as far back as the 1980s will well remember Wayne Taylor.

He was a famously competitive driver from Port Elizabeth who once came fourth at Le Mans and was SA National Drivers champion in 1986. This was a time, remember, when local circuits thrived and the action was hot and heavy.

Taylor was ambitious, so he packed his suitcase for the US to compete in the World Sports Car Challenge. He raced until 10 years ago, his best result winning the 24-hour Daytona race in 2005. The Americans loved him, and he loved America. So he stayed.

In 2007 he formed his own racing team to compete in the Sports Car Championship. After four second places, his crew finally won the big one last weekend. It was a family affair, too, with sons Ricky and Jordan among the drivers.

The triumph struck a chord for a number of reasons. Apart from the thrill of seeing a South African win, it was yet another reminder of how so many of our sportsmen punch above their weight internationally.

It also provided a welcome counter-point to the generally glum mood around local sport. The doom merchants are having a grand time.

We know all about our cricket and rugby exports, who turn up in every country where their sport is played, but our exports go far wider. We’ve had SA-born athletes in the NBA and NHL and our golfers have long flown the flag internationally. The great Bobby Locke opened that door.

Not forgetting Brad Binder, who grew up on the hard streets of Joburg’s western side and reigns as the Moto3 world champion. Local is lekker indeed.

If social media brought the news of Taylor, it also shone a light on little-known tennis player Siphosothando Montsi. The 17-year-old played in the junior section of the recent Australian Open. He lost in the first round, but made such an impression that Judy Murray, the mum of world number one Andy and a top coach, tweeted “Today I watched the most naturally gifted young player Siphosothando Montsi from South Africa”.

As endorsements go, the 108^th-ranked youngster from Pretoria could hardly have done better. There is an urgent rush to raise cash for him to attend an academy in the US; you suspect Murray’s support will have helped a whole lot. The local tennis well has run dry in recent years, but Montsi is being heralded as a member of a coming “Golden Generation”. We can but hope.

Montsi wasn’t the only South African junior who made an impression. Wild card Zoe Kruger battled gamely, but lost a tough outing to the 14^th seed. Kruger and her sister Isabella are prodigies based at the IMG Academy in Florida in the US. In a curious twist, they are the daughters of late Springbok rugby star Ruben Kruger.

Zoe is just 14, but she and her sister regularly work out with the likes of Garbine Mugurudza and Genie Bouchard. The reviews are in and suggest they are the real deal.

The next big breakout star may well be Louis Meintjies. The SA cyclist shot to prominence at last year’s Tour de France – he finished eighth – and then earned a top 10 spot in the road race at the Rio Olympics. He had a nasty bust-up with his SA team in 2015 and now rides for UAE Abu Dhabi where his sights are firmly on making a bigger impression on the Tour de France.

Remember the name. Of all the tyros racing, he may be the best young rider of them all. He’s done his apprenticeship and is well set to challenge the big names, among them Chris Froome, who spent the holidays training on his old Joburg haunts, having been schooled in the city.

These high points offer ample proof of South Africans’ pioneering spirit. Fuelled by the ambition that drives elite sportsmen, they are part of a wider world, making their way emphatically and exceptionally. – © Sunday Tribune