Last Sunday, the Killarney Motor Show brought petrolkoppe from across the Cape together for a motoring extravaganza.
From Brian Capper thrilling spectators with his impossible motorcycle stunts, to static displays to make the jaw drop and a behemoth trucks Cansa run, the crowds were lekker entertained.
The big news of the day, however, has to be the resolution of what has been a decades-long battle for recognition by the Cape Spinning community, as they have campaigned for a dedicated pitch.
That’s right, Mayco member for safety and security JP Smith, a long-time supporter of safe motorsport, opened the raceway’s new concrete spinning pitch at the show, which is 75m x 50m, with legend Eddie Rasta cutting the ribbon.
There have been spinning events at Killarney for years, but on a section of the existing circuit, and there have been requests from all sides for years for a dedicated pitch.
As part of efforts to move dangerous and illegal motorsport off the roads into a safe and controlled environment, specifically allowing spectators to watch from safety, this launch is a culmination of years of discussions with various bodies in the spinning community and the WPMC.
Smith said on Facebook: “Today was a watershed moment in the spinning community.
“The City receives continuous complaints from communities over illegal spinning events, not only from the excessive noise but of the damage caused to the roadway and open grounds or parking lots. Worse than this, numerous accidents have occurred and have claimed the lives of drivers and spectators alike.
“Killarney now has a world-class spinning pitch, available to everyone. Let’s lift the image of spinning and help put Cape Town’s spinners on the international stage.”
WPMC spinning representative Renzo Quickfall opened the Spinning. Renzo, in conjunction with Raziek Rajah of Spin Outlaws, has been campaigning on the Sportscom board to have the voice of Cape Spin community heard. The end result is this legal training spin pitch. Of course, there have been many other voices from the community calling for a dedicated pitch for years, too many to name here, and hats off to all who had a say.
Once all the procedures are in place, the pitch will be open to all spinning groups. They will be able to book time on the pitch through the WPMC, just as other users of Killarney do.
The booking protocols will ensure that all Cape Town’s spinning groups are afforded equal opportunity.
dailyvoice@inl.co.za