Useful national racer, in single-seaters, touring cars and GT's, in which he raced initially. Amongst his single-seater highlights were winning the 1961 Rhodesian Grand Prix and 1962 South African F1 Champion. He died in 2017, but remained interested in the sport. He later founded his logistics and taxi business in Johannesburg, where Ernie became one of the initial drivers before going into the office. He allegedly started racing when he was overheard having a go at a driver whilst watching a race and took up the challenge. He often raced an Alfa Romeo Giulietta TI with brother Andre. After a few years in sportscars, Pieterse switched to single-seaters and made his South African F1 debut at the end of 1961. As well as the aforementioned titles, he finished as runner-up in the 1963 F1 series but retired soon after failing to qualify for the 1965 South African Grand Prix. Sometimes listed as Ernst, he also appears as Ernest on some entry lists.

Biography last updated 14 Oct 2018