Mbalula said he recognises that spinning has become the preferred
automotive sport for black youth in South Africa and that these fans will go
spinning and drifting with or without official sanction, which is why he wants
regulations to make the sport safer.
Reece Williams in his GTR-powered BMW is a favourite at driftkhana events. |
Venues the main problem
A government policy for
safer spinning needs to start with venues that put a solid barrier between the
fans and the cars. The best way for the Sport Department to achieve this is to
just sanction municipalities around South Africa to dedicate a wide enough
section of parking to host spinning events as well as drag racing — and then to
back off.
The municipality, in turn, must just delegate a paramedic crew to
park on one end of the track to cover medical emergencies, and a metro police
officer on the other to ensure no drunk driving, and then also back off, so that
the town’s entrepreneurs can arrange the show. KZN already has a lot of
expertise in this matter, with three spinning and drifting venues that set the
standard in safety for the rest of South Africa.
The first is the purpose-built Mpelankani Stadium in Msinga, the
second is Dezzi’s Raceway outside Port Shepstone, and the third is the Mkondeni
Fresh Produce Market in Pietermaritzburg, where the Sidewayz Club hosts spinning
events between the high walls of the loading docks, which give fans a bird’s-eye
view of the action. Very few other events can boast such safety measures.
This ain’t drag racing, boet
Spinning should not be
confused with drag racing, which is a pastime for good mechanics who cannot be
bothered with all that steering stuff.
Spinning, drifting — and the relatively new combination,
driftkhana — are all about precision control of powerful cars held in a fast,
lateral slide. While not yet at the level of Tokyo Drift, local spinning has
over the past five years grown rapidly into a high-stakes game, with all the
trimmings that once made F1 great.
Drivers who want to impress in a spinning or drifting event need a
lot of talent with the spanners; a modicum of stupid fearlessness behind the
wheel; and stacks of cash to literally send up in smoke.
Combine these three elements behind the wheel of a souped-up
eighties Beemer on slick tyres in the narrow spaces between the loading docks of
the Mkondeni market, or the purpose-built Mpelankani Stadium at Msinga, and you
have all the makings of a wildly popular show.
It is all about showmanship
Drivers who compete in a
spinning event get points for being spectacular. The judges award the points
both for precision control and the audience’s reaction to stunts.
This means that drivers constantly push the boundaries of what is
considered possible. The rules may require someone to be inside the car to hit
the kill switch, but do not stipulate which body part, or for that someone has
to be the driver. Which is why you have crews diving in and out of windows of
spinning cars, drivers dancing on bonnets, or an attractive passenger doing the
simplest but most dangerous stunt — standing in the centre of several cars as
they make doughnuts, aiming to touch the bonnets at all times.
As Mbalula has recognised, these shows will go on, but unless some
rules are laid down, people will get hurt, again.
Mbalula said he recognises that spinning has become the preferred
automotive sport for black youth in South Africa and that these fans will go
spinning and dritting with or without official sanction, which is why he wants
regulations to make the sport safer.
To prevent this bit of sanity from our sports minister from being
buried in red tape, I want to place his directive on the shoulders of KZN’s
municipalities, who owe it to their citizens and infrastructure to corral the
enthusiasm at venues with the least risk.