Drag racing to be revived
Around 30 people took part at the weekend, entertaining a crowd of about 2 500 spectators.
Drag-racing enthusiasts got together at the airstrip west of Okahandja this weekend to revive their passion and entertain spectators with their high-performance vehicles.
Since it is a costly activity due to the technical aspect and sponsors are hard to obtain, most of the participants took part at their own cost. Some came from as far as the Erongo Region, all in preparation for bigger local events planned from next month.
The vice-chairperson of the Okahandja Motor Club, Otto Heyman, told Nampa they were hard at work to make this a good year for the motorsport genre.
He said he was optimistic that the activity would be revived and that motorsport lovers can look forward to a few good events, as drag racers from South Africa have also indicated their interest in showing off their skills on local tracks.
“It feels good today to see the growth, as 2015 and 2016 were bad. All the spectators and participants today are a good sign,” Heyman said.
Warren Thomas, who also organises and promotes motorsport events in Namibia, told this news agency the Okahandja event was aimed at reviving drag racing locally.
“We had a few small races but this one is more focused on growing Team Namibia and giving back to the fans and racers of this country,” Thomas said.
He said their plans were at an advanced stage for bigger events with an international flavour, especially from South Africa.
Saturday's event was open to anyone who wanted to test their skill under controlled supervision and away from other road users.
Heyman said their desire to give drivers a platform to match their skills against others in a safe environment was what compelled them to host such events.
It took place under the watchful eyes of the Namibian Motor Sport Federation (NMSF) and all safety precautions were in place for riders, the pit crews and spectators.
Besides standard entries - mostly Volkswagen Golf owners - there were a few specialised and custom-made cars like Bennie Booysen's orange Supra, the ZX Nissan of Devin Farmer and the Nissan Skyline GTR of Demaschio Wagner, all of which kept the spectators on their feet.
The next event is scheduled for 3 June. The bigger event, for which a date is still to be set, will also take place at the Okahandja airstrip.
NAMPA
Since it is a costly activity due to the technical aspect and sponsors are hard to obtain, most of the participants took part at their own cost. Some came from as far as the Erongo Region, all in preparation for bigger local events planned from next month.
The vice-chairperson of the Okahandja Motor Club, Otto Heyman, told Nampa they were hard at work to make this a good year for the motorsport genre.
He said he was optimistic that the activity would be revived and that motorsport lovers can look forward to a few good events, as drag racers from South Africa have also indicated their interest in showing off their skills on local tracks.
“It feels good today to see the growth, as 2015 and 2016 were bad. All the spectators and participants today are a good sign,” Heyman said.
Warren Thomas, who also organises and promotes motorsport events in Namibia, told this news agency the Okahandja event was aimed at reviving drag racing locally.
“We had a few small races but this one is more focused on growing Team Namibia and giving back to the fans and racers of this country,” Thomas said.
He said their plans were at an advanced stage for bigger events with an international flavour, especially from South Africa.
Saturday's event was open to anyone who wanted to test their skill under controlled supervision and away from other road users.
Heyman said their desire to give drivers a platform to match their skills against others in a safe environment was what compelled them to host such events.
It took place under the watchful eyes of the Namibian Motor Sport Federation (NMSF) and all safety precautions were in place for riders, the pit crews and spectators.
Besides standard entries - mostly Volkswagen Golf owners - there were a few specialised and custom-made cars like Bennie Booysen's orange Supra, the ZX Nissan of Devin Farmer and the Nissan Skyline GTR of Demaschio Wagner, all of which kept the spectators on their feet.
The next event is scheduled for 3 June. The bigger event, for which a date is still to be set, will also take place at the Okahandja airstrip.
NAMPA
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