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| Paolo de Gouveia |
THE thousands of sideways fans in Msunduzi stand a chance of not seeing themselves on Ignition TV as the KZN capital
hosts a Drifting and Spinning Festival at Mason’s Mill near Edendale on Sunday,
December 6.
Top KZN sideways driver, Reece Williamson, will use the Nissan GT-R
engine in his Beemer to show national SA drifting champion Paolo de Gouveia a
trick or two.
Local drift king from Pietermaritzburg, Garth Harwood, will also
join the line-up among many other
contenders for the most points on the day.
contenders for the most points on the day.
Andre Karrim from Thrill Seekers has confirmed to Wheels he will be filming the day’s
activities and fans for Ignition TV, which across Africa on Multichoice on
Channel 189.
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| Reece Williamsson |
“Maritzburg’s drifting fans are unique in all of KZN and I look
forward to meeting as many of them as possible again,” he said. The last time
Mason’s Mill featured on Ignition TV was when Thrill Seeker exposed the huge
need for a safe drifting and spinning venue in KZN’s capital in February, when
what was supposed to be a bit of tyre-burning fun between a few fellow drifters
turned into an impromptu mass event, at which two independent head counts
tallied more than 3 200 spectators on the banks of the old bus depot.
Even the crew of Bradley Turbo Racing came from Durban to challenge
the local drivers, bringing 150 fans with them.
While the Msunduzi Municipality deserve a pat on the back for
renting out a safe space where the city’s petrolheads can let off steam next
Sunday, drivers still await the municipality’s long-term agreement to lease the
unused municipal land at Mason’s Mill to the drifters.
One of the drivers at the February event, Kurt Volmink, told Wheels it was not just the stunt drivers
and drifters who would use the old bus depot, but also the extreme 4x4 drivers,
drag racers and rally drivers, as well as driver trainers.
“Msunduzi needs a
venue where petrolheads can build a safe mecca for motorsport and advanced
driver training in KZN. It will be a coup for the city, but at times we think
the city officials forget the promises they are quick to make after each tragic
crash in which young drivers died after using public roads to race,” said
Volmink.
• In Howick, meanwhile, the local business
chamber’s dream to turn land adjacent to the grass landing strip at Midmar Dam
into a race track is progressing steadily.
The man with the vision, Manu Naidoo, said he will be using next
week’s event at Mason’s Mill to demonstrate to councillors the numbers of fans
attracted to; and the money involved with drifting and spinning.
Naidoo said the local economic development that motorsport events
can catalise is “mind boggling” and Howick wants to be the first to
benefit.
