This article was first published on Recharged. All images, courtesy of Nafisa Akabor.

On Sunday, 6 October 2024, the streets of Sandton rang out with the roar of V8 engines and screeching tyres as 25 000 people were entertained by various Red Bull Athletes and their friends.

Before taking to the streets, Aras Gibieza (Red Bull KTM Factory stunt rider, David Coulthard (former Formula One driver with Red Bull), Elias Hountondji (part of Red Bull Drift Brothers), and Samkeliso “Sam Sam” Thubane (the world’s first Red Bull spinning athlete), shared the importance of events like the Red Bull Showrun, not just for F1 fans, but all motorsport enthusiasts.

Elias and Sam Sam chatted about the difference between spinning and drifting. Spinning is an extreme art form, with a co-driver, no helmets, and the safety is maintained by the brilliant mind of the driver knowing their limit. On the other hand, drifters wear fire suits, helmets, and are strapped into a safety harness. Their creativity lies within pushing the limits of the track.

Sam Sam explained that spinning started in the 90s and the recognition of the sport is doing a lot to destigmatise it from being a gangster sport to a world-class discipline. The Kwa Magesh Sports Academy where people who want to spin can go for training. However, there’s a need for a bigger academy to allow greater access and provide cars for training.

The question on everyone’s lips, of course, was when is F1 coming back to South Africa? David Coulthard, who had the opportunity to drive the RB7 on the Kyalami track in the days leading up to the Red Bull Showrun, said the track has all the element drivers like, including elevation change and high-speed corners. While DC didn’t know what would be required to elevate Kyalami from an FIA Grade Two to a Grade One, he speculated that it might be related to run-off areas and that none of the challenges are insurmountable.

As a personal aside – considering the success of the Formula E street race in Cape Town in 2023, I do think a Mother City street track will be extremely popular, and with a greater diversity in tourist attractions, it might not be a bad idea to offer that as an F1 option. Mayor of Johannesburg, Dada Morero, said that if it comes to a bidding war between the two cities to host a Formula One race, the Minister or Sport Gayton McKenzie will be positioned to facilitate the best outcome.

Both Sam Sam and DC mentioned increasing interest and participation by women in spinning and open-wheel racing like Formula One.

“We all know from research there’s no physical or mental reason women can’t compete at that [F1] level. There just hasn’t been the numbers. Historically, there’s been thousands of young boys going into carting and just a handful of young girls, but that is changing.”

And as promised, there were several female drivers on track during the event, including Kayla Stacey spinning, and Clare Vale in a customised Mustang competing for the fastest lap in a custom car.

When the (rubber) dust settled on Katherine street, and the V8s echo in our memories, I’m sure more South Africans will be encouraged to ask the questions and push for answers to get Formula One back and revel in the thrill and competition of Red Bull Racing facing off against the other teams. And of course, by bringing events like the Red Bull Showrun to our cities, there’s already an extensive, and dedicated RBR fanbase here.