Rosslyn, South Africa – Jason Von Berg has found #NissanMagic on the outskirts of town.
Driving a 4WD Nissan X-TRAIL 1.6 dCi LE, this avid triathlete, cyclist and digital content producer, has found a talented young cycling partner at the Muldersdrift Mountain Biking Academy. Together they are preparing to compete in the Nissan Trailseeker Lionman race outside Bela Bela on 11 July as part of Jason's turn as #NissanMagic ambassador for the month of July.
Created by Nissan to combine its national reach, wide range of cars, bakkies and SUVs and its network of supporters, #NissanMagic will give 12 different well-known South Africans the opportunity to make a lasting positive change in an area of their choice.
The campaign was kick-started in June by the "Good News Guy" Brent Lindeque, whose Random Acts of Kindness (#RAK) sparked an international movement. Lindeque chose a Nissan NV200 for his work in collecting winter warming donations for less fortunate people, while Von Berg opted for the X-TRAIL as support and crew vehicle during his and Bongani's preparation for the Nissan Trailseeker race.
"Bongani Moyo has all the talent and drive to become a professional mountain biker. Every time I ride with him, I am astounded by his single-minded focus on his goals and his skill on a bike. I hope that I can use my turn as #NissanMagic ambassador to tell the world about this young cyclist and help him on his journey to become a professional," says Von Berg.
The 18-year-old Moyo is one of the cycling team leaders at the Muldersdrift MTB Academy. The Academy was created by fellow rider Vincent Mgidi last year to give children from the surrounding community an opportunity to participate in this growing sport and to develop a healthy self-image and hope for the future.
"We have already seen the power of #NissanMagic at work. Nissan staff members from across the company's national network have joined in to collect funds, which put Bongani in the saddle of a brand-new mountain bike. Now there is nothing stopping him from achieving his goal or participating in the ABSA Cape Epic in the next two years," says Von Berg.
Jason von Berg is a multimedia content producer and lifestyle journalist who has travelled the world as a reporter for several media groups. He signed on as ambassador for the #NissanMagic goodwill campaign for the month of July.
"As a lifestyle journalist, I realised that I needed something to balance the many events and functions that I attend. I started running and competing in triathlons, which in turn has allowed me to cover many adventure sporting events as a journalist and to come across inspiring people like Bongani," says Von Berg.
This is not Von Berg's first attempt at combining sport and good deeds, but it is one of his most ambitious. As a runner, he has raised R12 000 for Put Foot Foundation during the Two Oceans Marathon and on a bike he rides for the Smile Foundation. He collected over R20 000 for the foundation during last year's 94.7 cycle challenge race.
"Bongani and I have been training together well before our month of #NissanMagic. While I have been strategising ways of telling the world about this young talent, he has been coaching me on some of the finer points and tricks of mountain bike racing. Despite my training, I might need to swap my bike for the X-TRAIL during the Lionman race to keep up with him!" says Von Berg.
Follow Jason and Bongani's adventure by searching for #NissanMagic on your favourite social platform. Jason is active on Twitter at @jasonvonberg, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/JVBOfficial, on LinkedIn and his personal blog site jasonvonberg.me. He is a regular on CliffCentral.com where he produces and presents the popular #TheBuzz show.
Nissan South Africa will support them for their month of #NissanMagic on Twitter at @nissanza, Facebook.com/NissanSouthAfrica and on YouTube at Nissan South Africa.
# # #
