Photos: Sparks and adrenaline fly in South Africa car 'spinning'

The motor sport was born when gangsters would spin stolen cars to show off their booty

Last updated: September 25, 2021 | 11:17

2 MIN READ

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Alberton: The testosterone tang of aftershave and burnt tyres wafts over an asphalt track outside Johannesburg, where hundreds gather to watch cars skid into circles at dizzying speed, stunt performers hanging perilously out of windows.

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White plumes of smoke billow into the air as drivers take turns spinning round and round in circles.

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The biggest daredevils let go of the steering wheel or hang themselves upside down out of open car doors as the vehicle keeps going.

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Now recognised as a motor sport, "spinning" was born in South African townships during the late 1980s, when gangsters would spin stolen cars to show off their booty.

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"They would also spin at their fallen heroes' funerals," said Stacey-Lee May, one of South Africa's rare female spinners. Aged 25, May has become a professional and competed in England, New York and Pakistan.

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In the industrial town of Alberton, southeast of Johannesburg, 34-year-old spinner Ibrahim Toffie diligently checked his tyres before hitting the track.

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"Spinners" spend hours in garages vamping up their racing cars. Most of are old BMW carcasses with pimped engines, suspensions and exhaust pipes.

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"Why do I do that? For the nervousness you get each time. We are all after that adrenaline rush," Toffie told AFP.

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Born in the South African townships during the Apartheid era as a ritual to honour fallen gangsters, spinning - stunts performed with heavy modified cars - is now a vibrant motorsport with a large underground following.

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