Petrolheads who love wheel-spinning, drifting and “popping” can now burn rubber legally at the Tygerberg Raceway.
On Sunday March 10 more than 300 people gathered at the track, in Maroela Road, Kraaifontein, despite the cold weather. They piled onto the stands, pulling out beer from their cooler boxes and snacks for their children while spinning cars smoked on the track.
Lizette van Rooyen and her husband, Ricardo, are the founders of the Tygerberg Raceway Spinners group. They had been part of a group that had held spinning sessions on a gravel pitch opposite Scottsdene High School, in Koopmans Avenue, for many years.
She said people had enjoyed going to the old pitch on Sundays after lunch, sitting on crates and pavements while children sat on their fathers’ shoulders. But it had not been safe, she conceded.
Also some residents had complained about the wheel-spinning being illegal and noisy. And they also hadn’t been happy about spinners leaving their burst tyres behind.
Ms Van Rooyen said she had wanted to find a safer, bigger venue to accommodate the growing numbers of spinning enthusiasts.
The opening event at the track at the weekend had been a great success, she said.
The BMW Society Club is one of the wheel-spinning groups now doing stunts legally at the track.
The club’s Leane Leibrandt said their dream for a legal space had come true.
However, she said, some residents were unhappy that they had to go all the way to the track and pay for entry.
“It is only R20 to enter, and it is safe and legal. Residents would always like the vibe the old pitch had, but we cannot do it that way anymore.”
Wheel-spinning events kept the youth occupied and away from the ills in the community, she said.
The owner of the Tygerberg Raceway track, Chris Liebenbergch, welcomed the spinners and said he hoped the community would see the benefits of the move.
City traffic spokeswoman Maxine Bezuidenhout said the spinners had been using the pitch in Scottsdene illegally and it had been an accident waiting to happen.
“This pitch is on the doorstep of a local supermarket. Wheel spinning is a dangerous sport and can injure a bystander.”
Law enforcement spokesperson Wayne Dyason said they had not had any recent complaints about illegal spinning on the pitch.
“We are hoping that it will stay that way.”