MASERU — Tyre bursting. Open bonnets.
Whistles and cheering from spectators filled Masianokeng’s famous Lerakong which was full of tyre smoke on Saturday as four drag racers from Bloemfontein pulled shocking and interesting stunts with their Matchbox BMWs.
One of the Spinners, Beans, as he is called told Weekender it was his first time in Lesotho and he loved the crowd.
“I have been a drag racer for over two years and this is the first time I am experiencing a genuine crowd like this.
“It thrilled me to see the hosts wanting to be passengers while I pull my spinning stunts and those whom I carried were not scared at all,” he said.
The spinner, who revealed there are no legal spinning spots in Bloemfontein, said they would love to be regulars in the country because “Lerakong is just the perfect spot for practise and I bet the guys who are left behind would love to come here regularly”.
Lithebe Tlali who organised the revelry told the Weekender he wanted to popularise drag racing in the country.
“I am a fan of drag racing and have realised there are fans of the hobby here too. This is the first racing show I have organised this year. It is a follow-up to last year’s inaugural race I hosted.
“I am looking to make this a popular hobby which could built-up into a sport,” Tlali said.
The spinning junky disclosed last year he had three local racers taking part in the stunt pulling game but this year only South African entertainers participated.
“Local spinners were not available to take part today but I promise to ensure the next show would entail both South African and local racers,” Tlali said.
With 50 tyres on standby, the race continued until six in the evening. Revellers found themselves carousing to house music by local aspiring disc jockeys.
For safety measures the organiser had an ambulance on standby.
Tlali told the Weekender the show was held during the day to accommodate all age groups.
“The event does not only cater for drag racing fans but music fans as well. We have a set-up for DJs to showcase their deck-spinning skills. “The entertainment comes from all extreme areas for all ages hence the show is during the day.
“The next race is going to be much bigger to cater for the warm weather. I am going to make sure all catchy aspects of a drag race are included,” Tlali said.
