By: Robin Henney, pictures by David Ritchie and Jack Lestrade
Cape Town - Thousands of eager petrolheads braved the heat on Sunday to watch some of the best drifting the city has seen, at the first DriftCity exhibition.
Held on the Grand Parade, the event hosted some of the best local drifters as they showcased their skills – much to the crowd’s delight.
Local drivers went head-to-head in a contest that combined two of motorsports’ most visually appealing disciplnes - drifting and gymkhana – in a timed run around an obstacle course.
The judges – who included national drifting judge Brenton Gregory, Ernest Page and European drift champion Steve Biagioni – looked for style, smoke and angle as the 32 competitors took to the track.
DJ Ready D’s Drift Squad exhibited in a separate, smaller arena, showcasing stunts that included side-by-side drifts. Ready’s wife, Malika Daniels surprised many sp[ectatirs with her finesse behind the wheel.
Drift Squad’s Aqeelah Sasman, 19, has been active in the drifting scene since she was 14.
“It’s a family thing,” she said. “I got into it as a young girl, watching my uncle drift. I asked my dad whether I could try it out and he agreed.
“I don’t compete in competitions, I just do it for fun really. I love the excitement and thrill, but I do still get nervous sometimes,” she admitted.
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Organiser Gary Stockenstroom said this was the first of many DriftCity events to come.
“It’s been a dream that we’ve had for years now. This event was two years in the making, and having local and international drifters makes it even more exciting,” he said.
The main attraction featured two drifters going head to head in the qualifying rounds as they aimed to impress the judges.
The spectators did not have a shortage of entertainment with Cape Stance’s drivers hosting a park-off, Good Hope FM DJs playing music and food trucks keeping hunger at bay.
The crowd favourites included SA Supadrift champion Jason Webb and drifting couple Firdous and Noer Asmodien.
Cape Argus