Pre-Youth Day Spinning Bash

A crowd witnesses sideways action by Soshanguve spinner  Thabo "Ben 10" during the previous Battle of Spinners event, held at the Soshanguve Spinning Palace

@ROBERT_MABUSELA

Throughout the years various complaints of how Youth Day is celebrated instead of commemorated have been voiced out by people. This year Youth Day falls on a Sunday, giving less hype about the day as opposed to previous years. If there is one way that the youth can enjoy their “Youth Weekend” is by starting it off at the Pre Youth Day Spin Bash, which is set to be attended by more than just the youth.

The Soshanguve Spinning Kings will host their third Spin City which is set to warm up the weather on the 15^th of June. The line-up of Spinners includes a mixture of local and guest spinners.

Their previous event, Battle of Spinners which took place in May was filled with spinners from Gauteng, Hammanskraal, Polokwane, Rustenburg, and Mpumalanga who came to battle it out against Soshanguve spinners.

During the Battle, Soweto spinner Jeff James and stuntman Bobo performed crowd capturing stunts. James`s performance came at a time when most of the spinners who performed were local spinners. He broke a trend amongst Soshanguve spinners who play things safe and are hardly seen doing stunts outside their vehicles.

The Soshanguve Spinning Palace will be the venue that host the Pre Youth Day Spin bash, SSK have decided give spectators more action by starting the event at noon opposed to the usual 14:00 due to the cold winter weather.

Spinners who will be performing at the event include, hosts Soshanguve Spin Kingz, Speed and Sound Spinner Sunesh, Magiya Brothers, Mamelodi Spinners, Box Boys Spinners, Ferrari Boyz and various other guest spinners. The spinners will go head to head in the Pretoria vs East Rand spinners competition.

The passion for spinning is growing amongst Spin fanatics, petrol heads as well as spinners, who are meeting the demand for more action by show casing their spinning talent through a variety of vehicles and stunts. If you`re  interested in this form of Motorsport be sure to head to the Soshanguve Spinning Palace on the 15^th of June to experience the thrill that is enjoyed by hundreds of spin fanatics.

Gauteng Motor Show

Gauteng Motor Show SupaDrift champion Jason Webb drifting during the SupaDrift Top 16, at the Zwartkops Raceway in Pretoria West 

@ROBERT_MABUSELA

The annual Gauteng Motor Show took place at the Zwarkops Raceway during the first weekend of June. With the choice between attending on a Saturday or missing church on Sunday for a motoring filled day, petrol heads and motor fanatics came out in their numbers in attendance. Various events took place on and off the track, including Mazda`s Aerobic team and their zooming display in the sky.

On the track German brands BMW and Mercedes Benz entertained spectators, the BMW CCG Club Racing Series raced it out during the day with two race heats. Mercedes Benz`s Dynamic Driving team played things safer with their hot laps, displaying the on track capabilities of their high performance vehicles. The AMG baritone sounds of the SLS AMG accompanied and amplified by two E63 AMG`s, which looked like they were there to protect and escort their prestigious public figure, rounded the track in sports mode.

A different scent filled the pit area of Zwarkops as opposed to the addictive scent of race fuel and various oils that petrol heads are usually custom to during events. Performance was not only displayed on the track, RG Motorosport exhibited their supercharged Toyota`s, featured at the exhibition where South Africa`s first Supercharged 220kW Toyota FT-86 and 330kW FJ Cruiser

 The two models featured performance upgrades which turned both models into serious performance cars, compared to their stock versions from the manufacturer. The FT-86 has been upgraded from a 147kW poor man’s sports car to a proper performance 86, while the FJ moved from a 200kW Sandton SUV to a not so humble SUV. The rest of the pit area was turned into stalls for different motor brands to exhibit their products.

The Superdrift Series Top 16 was the last event to take place on the day, spectators witnessed plenty of sideways action as the top 16 battled it out to be crowned the Gauteng Motor Show Superdrift champion.  Yet again it was an all Nissan final as Jason Webb, drifting in his Monster Energy Drink 240sx was the champion of the day after battling it out with runner up Jim McFlarlane in his Alcohol Killer 350z.

The nostalgic atmosphere around the Zwartkops Raceway during the Gauteng Motor Show proved that the event was a success, largely due to the amount of different events and various exhibitions taking place simultaneously.    

Photos from the event

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Spin Kingz descend upon township streets

Convoy of the Soshanguve Spinning Kingz during their Road Show, driving around the township of Soshanguve.

@ROBERT_MABUSELA

The Soshanguve Spin Kings road show took place on Workers Day, where spinners worked their vehicle`s differential systems in an effort to attract people ahead of their event which is to be held on the 4<sup>th</sup> of May. Deep sounds of the unique sounding BMW E30 325i, fitted with a customised exhaust system called upon residents of the township to gather at street corners and witness the boxed shaped “Gushshe`s” spinning from corner to corner.

Without barricades, worn out tyre barriers and a constructed spinning area, spinners had an opportunity to show off their skills whilst making a name for themselves at unmarked territories. The road show departed at the Transfer Total garage which is a usually assembly point. Instead of a U turn heading down the Mabopane M39 road, SSk member Bongani Makhubo lead the way with a drift leading the convoy to the north eastern parts Soshanguve. Motorist and pedestrian glanced at the convoy of beemers amongst other vehicles, which increased in numbers as the road show took place.

With the spinning game being different on the streets opposed to at the spinning pitch; spinners took advantage of spinning in an unconfined area by performing crowd pulling stunts. Spinning around traffic circles, pulling hand break turns within the narrow township streets and going back and forth by executing the reverse and one “Rn1” stunt, was the order of the day. Local spinner Thabo Gorowa displayed outstanding spinning skills throughout the road show. Besides spinning which is common to the wheels of the gusheshe, Gorowa pulled several impressive hand break turn manoeuvres.

Business seemed not to be as usual on Workers Day, as what was most surprising during the road show was seeing a Toyota Venture in the convoy, which are used as local taxis. After spotting the Venture in the convoy of spinners and spinning fanatics who joined in support of the Spin Kings, a question that came to mind was, is spinning worth loosing half of your daily income? Because the taxi had spent that time in the convoy, instead of doing business as usual.   

The road show attracted hundreds of residents in groups, at different intersections and street corners within the township. The support drawn from the road show is set to show the result of taking the action to the streets this weekend at the “Battle of Spinners” event. The event will take place at the Soshanguve Spinning Palce in Block F`s industrial site on the 4^th of May.

BMW X4 Concept

BMW`s new addition to the X range : Photo Source Auto Express

@B_Mbingeleli

Bavarian Motor Works are set to fill in the gap in their X range with the production of the BMW X4. The vehicle which will hit the markets in 2014, is set to be a smaller version of the X6.

The BMW X4 which will fill in the gap between the X3 and X5 models is a new compact crossover Sport Utility Vehicle (SUV), a production ready concept of the SUV which will share the same powertrains with the X3, including a variety of four cylinder and six cylinder engines in both petrol and diesel format. 

Under the hood, the X4 will most likely feature past BMW engine options, such as a 176kW 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine and a 220kW 3.0-liter turbocharged straight-six. In America, it will be featured as an all-wheel drive with less powertrains in petrol and turbocharged engines for overseas consumers.

  

A distinctive fastback roofline is a key exterior feature which shapes the rear end of the cross over vehicle, while a large kidney grill and twin circular headlines represent it at the front. The connection between the front LED headlights and the grill are linked by silver elements which are within the headlights. 

When it comes to the exterior, it has that unique fierce look the headlights have a glimmers’ of silver and the front view has been added with a bit of glittering silver to compliment the embossed logo of the X4. Nothing much has changed when it comes to styling, as it has identical exterior features as the the recent X models and also taking a few features from the F30 3 series.

The vehicle measures 4.648mm in length, 1,915mm in width and 1,622mm in height. It bears the same length and wheelbase as the X3, but its 53mm lower and 34mm wider than the X3. 

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German rides dominate at German vs Jap event

 Santoz Adoni`s Nissan Sabre 200sti, one of the best custome rides that we out at the German vs Jap 2013.

@ROBERT_MABUSELA

Hundreds of custom vehicles made it down to the German vs Jap event that took place at the Nasrec Expo Centre on Saturday the 6^th of April. At the event German and Japanese manufactured vehicles were set to compete to see which of the two country`s vehicle are best represented in South Africa.

The various competitions that were held include a Show n shine, Sound off competition and Dyno runs where only the best customised and modified rides would win in the different categories of each competition. In the German corner Audi`s, Wolkswagen`s, BMW`s and Mercedez Benze`s rivaled Japan manufactured Nissan, Honda and Toyota vehicles.

Out in the show n shine competition German rides outnumbered the Japanese, from Wolkswagen MK1`s, Polo`s, VW Caddy`s, Sciroccos, Seat Leon`s, various BMW E generation models and the presence of the South Side crew`s old school Mercs. Even though German rides were out in their numbers one could not miss one of the best Japanese customsed ride, a Pretoria based Maroon Nissan Sabre 200sti. The show stopper   feature of this particular Nissan is its “Scissor doors”, which caught peoples eye`s from a distance. Its doors open to a fully customised interior that features a custom dash board with a built in DVD player, bucket seats and a 142 db sound system. Exterior customs include a 40 mm drop, 5 star chrome 18” rims, a custom boot and remote controlled rear doors with shaved door handles.  Santoz Adoni`s Nissan doesn’t only have show stopping looks but also has the performance to make it a fully customised ride.

IASCA South Africa hosted the sound off competition and dyno run parallel to the show n shine. On the dyno different vehicles tested their performance, as the Germans dominated the show n shine it was clear that the Japanese manufactured vehicle we all about performance. Having the most kilowatts on the dyno was the main objective, but what was most impressive was seeing a supercharged Toyota Tazz pushing 279 kW and 418 nm of torque, which was least expected from the model.  

 At the sound competition the overall winners were Meshack Narainsamy 165.3 db, Irfaan Mahomed 157.6 db and Kogilan Maistry 154.2. The German vs Jap event was a well organized show which attracted some if the country`s best custom and performance cars.

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Photos from the event



Tarmac Tearing Performance

McLarens latest MP4-12c Spider, produces a total of 460kw @7500rpm and 600nm of torque @3000 -7000rpm. Picture source: (Convertible Car Magazine)

@ROBERT_MABUSELA

If there is a supercar that is to rival the likes of the Ferrari 458 spider, it has to be able to do so with more than one aspect. Performance, aesthetic aggressive looks, and the overall built of the supercar has to be of an exceptional quality. Engineers of McLaren might have built a car to match up supercars, with the McLaren MP4 12 C and now the MP4 12 C spider takes them on hats off in the drop top supercar league. Chopping off the roof of a supercar is a move that in the past had more downs than ups for manufacturers, as by doing so the looks of the car may have improved whist hindering its performance.

The spider is capable of carrying its extra added weight to a top speed of 329 km/h, depending on the tires fitted on your spider. Achieving tarmac tearing performance means that you will have to order the spider with the optional Corsa tyres which are together with the launch control essential in helping you reach the 0-100 km/h mark in 3.1 seconds. Powering the McLaren is a 3.8 liter twin-turbo engine which is similar to the one used in the coupe, the spider has been mapped to produce a total of 460kw @7500rpm, while 600nm of torque peaks @3000 -7000 rpm. All the power and torque are channeled to the rear wheels through a seven speed dual clutch transmission.

McLaren have set a benchmark with their MP4-12c Spider's performance which as compared to its coupe sibling has only lost a second in reaching the 0-100 km/h mark. Even with its added roof folding mechanisms, it still manages to live up to supercar performance figures.  The two piece folding roof which has put on an added weight of 40kg to the spider gives you the best of both worlds, with the convertible airy feel or that of being "cockpitiezed" (hypnosis in the cockpit of a fast travelling supercar). A commonly-seen retractable rear windscreen which is situated behind the passenger compartment is a feature that invites the sound of the twin-turbocharged V8 into the cockpit even when the roof is up. Switching in between both worlds can be done in 17 seconds, even while travelling at traffic speeds of up to 30 km/h, of which going from coupe to roadster hasn’t been this easy.

Inside the carbon monocell cockpit, the interior is detailed with carbon fiber which surrounds the centre console and other interior parts. The sight of buttons and knobs is still a feature to many functions of the spider which has had minimal changes made to its interior and exterior. Apart from the roof being folded down one would not notice any difference from the coupe, but as you start looking with 8 eyes (spider) you will then notice the not so obvious changes. Starting with the door handle, of which unless painted in a distinctive color one would mistaken the sweet spot which gives motion to the suicide doors.

Internationally buyers have various colour options as it is available in 12 exterior colours which will blend in well across the different trims of its range. Different trim levels include the two new executive trims, semi perforated leather and the Alacantra trim. South African buyers will appreciate the new Vehicle Lift System which gives a better ground clearance making it much simpler to go over speed humps.

From the production of the MP4-12c McLaren have show that they have got what it takes to produce a full road car and now with the spider they have added some style to a well built supercar without having to worry about losing its strongest point, being performance.  

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Legends only Spin City

leepile Sexton The General spinning in his BMW E39, Spinning Utility Vehicle during the Only the Legends spinning event

@ROBERT_MABUSELA

An estimated crowd of between 650-700 people gathered at the Soshanguve Spinning Palace in attendance of the first Spin City event hosted by the Spinning Kingz of the North Western Township of Soshanguve.

The event's title "Only the Legends" was capturing enough on posters, flyers and Facebook invitations to convince one to spend the afternoon and part of the evening if not early hours of the next day listening to the sound of the German branded BMW E30 325i and other models which have been modified for spinning. Besides the strong presence of the box shaped E30 there were three other modified vehicles, two BMW Spinning Utility Vehicles "SUV" one 3 Series E30 and an E39 5 Series all the way from Botswana. Lastly was a modified Toyota Hilux driven by a 15 year old spinner.

Having a minor spinning amongst legends was something that made me question the presence and contribution of adrenalin fuelled Samkeliso "Sam-Sam" Thubane in the spinning industry. Followed by questions like, if he is spinning amongst legends, is he a legend? If so what will he be in the next 10 years to come? Well let's leave that for the spinning industry's "record" books.

The weather on the day was as confusing as the questions above, moving from a sunny day to a partly cloudy and rainy day. As the rain started pouring down, spinners took advantage of the wet and slippery conditions of the track which made it a mission for them to spin until they popped a tyre or two.

Spinning in the rain provided an opportunity for spinners to show off their skills by displaying what they can do in wet conditions, especially with the second hand tyres used for spinning. This rear wheel drive fun in the rain ended up with one of the spinners being the victim of a front smash into a pole. Thanks to the tyres placed in front of various poles and barricades as protection, the spinner got away with only minor damage to the bottom left section of the front bumper. They say sticks and stones won't break my bones, but spinner Lebojwa found himself saying, having no slicks won't break my Beemer...

After the rain had stopped, spectators started pouring out of the pits and tents where they had sought shelter while spinners braved the unfavourable conditions. The atmosphere improved as more of the legends, including Soweto based Magiya Brothers, Zwikhodo "Ziko" Nembambula from Westside Connect Spinning crew and Speed and Sound spinner Sunesh Pursad ascended to the track to join the line-up of legends. One by one spinners took turns to impress the crowd with their performances and unique crowd capturing stunts. One of the most captivating moments at the event had to be when Samkelo "Sam Sam" started spinning around one of the spinning vehicles that had broken down inside the spinning area. He performed 360° spinning around the vehicle and 180° turns that usually ended up with him coming within inches of the stationary vehicle.

The only downfall of the event was the absence of well-known spinner and legend Bongani "RBM" Makhubo who was set to make his debut in a new vehicle after he was involved in an accident.

Overall the event turned out to be the best event, that SSK spinner Tshepang Mkhnonza, has hosted thus far, after the previous two shows he has hosted, saw disappointingly low turnouts. Upcoming events will take place on the 9th of March at Peter's Truck Stop in Vosloorus on the Eastrand, while the Soshanguve Spinning Kingz will host shows on the 4th of May and the 15th of June.