Cape Town - It’s all about the power and pure adrenalin; but unlike other popular subcultures involving cars, it’s not at all about speed.
Spinning is all about exercising control over your car as the rev counter climbs into the red, your engine breathing fire and brimstone, and your tyres screeching like bats out of hell.
A relatively new form of organised motorsport, spinning, at authorised venues with proper safety and emergency personnel, has become hugely popular.
But like all organised sport, there will always be a dark underbelly lurking in the shadows.
Pop-up spinning events, like the one featured by the Cape Argus, spring up seemingly at random, often in public spaces where safety is the least of the concerns.
With just a thin strip of white and red plastic chevron tape between themselves and a ton of metal spinning almost uncontrollably, a large crowd cheers as the drivers create plumes of white tyre smoke.
It’s a risk they’re willing to take – seemingly without knowing the full extent of the consequences.
Even the slightest mistake on the part of the driver could send the vehicle careening into the gathered crowd, resulting in serious injury and even death.
There are marshals armed with high-visibility bibs and flags.
Beyond that, there is no other safety equipment or barrier.
This impromptu spinning exhibition took place at a train station parking lot in Belhar, and it’s believed participants are notified of the hook-ups via social media and instant messages.
Cape Argus