Saldanha Top end drags

On December 1st, Westcoast Racing and SSJ Concepts hosted the Saldanha Top End Drag races which proved to be a huge success. Even the weather played its part.

 A crowd of approximately 10 000 people rocked up to witness 130 of the meanest machines South Africa has to offer go head to head with each other for pride and the title of the fastest top end car and bike. 

The drags kicked off at 10am and opened with a parade of all the participating vehicles. JDMworkx, Mikes Place, West coast racing and STO Chip Tuning were only a few of the familiar names participating in the drags, but it was none of these that achieved the best result of the day. The highest speed achieved on four wheels was 284km/h in Schalk's racing conversions white Toyota Slant front.  

The following is a list of some of the more impressive times managed:

284km/h- Schalk's Conversions Toyota Slant front

267km/h- same as above

257km/h- Nissan Silvia

250km/h- Toyota Slant front with a Superboss conversion

242km/h- Box BMW running a RB26 Turbo (400+kW)

The the fastest bike of the day, hands down, was a Suzuki Hayabusa with Air Technology that managed a staggering 301.5km/h on the 800m stretch. 

The fastest bike times are as follows:

301.5km/h- Suzuki Hayabusa Air-tech

297km/h- same as above

294km/h- Hayabusa (Black)

281km/h- BMW RR

There were 2 disappointments however, last years champion, monstrous XR8 TT was not present and neither was Team No Sweat who pulled out because 3 of their 5 cars were not ready in time and the other 2 drivers were not prepared to come through on their own.

Nevertheless, the event was very successful and it was enjoyed by all.

A special thank you to Westcoast Racing, SSJ concepts and to all the drivers who participated.  

Blog Overhauled

Excuse the pun but this blog has been overhauled.

Overhauled will bring you coverage of most of the car events and will also give you details of upcoming shows and events as well as breakfast runs and fundraisers. We will also be bringing all you petrol heads (that cannot attend the Saldanha drags) coverage of the happenings on that day so stay tuned.

Now that summer is here, the car culture will be alive and kicking and soon ill post a list of all the upcoming events.

Throughout the holiday season, we ask that all of you drive responsibly and to think for the next person. Please keep the street racing to a minimal and dont drink and drive. Stay safe out there

Illegal drops

For many youngsters, their first car is their pride and joy. And in most cases, youngsters want their first car to look good by means of a good spray job, rims amongst other things. But whats a good looking car if its not dropped?

There are a number of ways to lower a car but ALL come with side effects, some worse than others.

Illegal drop.
These drops are illegal for a reason as they are hazardous to drive with and could easily snap, bend or simply crumble while you driving... and on top of it, the ride is just plain crap. Comfort is none existant but thats what you get for the price you'll pay. Illegal drops can also result in a hefty fine or having your license disk pulled.

Heated springs
Heated springs is one of the most dangerous forms of lowering a car. Heated springs is when springs are heated and compress using a blow torch. A spring that has been heated loses its flexibility which increases the chances of it snapping when hitting a bump too fast. The weakend spring is also likely to bend over a period of time with completely destroys your suspension and wheel bearings. Heated springs are extremely dangerous because the spring can give in at anytime. And to top it all off, the ride is hard.
Heating springs- R200+-

Cut springs
Not as dangerous as heated springs but a lot less comfortable. Cut springs is when coils are removed from a spring to shorten it. By removing coils the spring becomes shorter and loses its durability. A shorter spring as less space to compress when going over a bump which means the wheel is most likely to graze the arches. Cut springs also wear away the wheel bearings and damage the suspension.
Cut springs- R400+-

To lower a car, the best route to go with is air suspension or coil overs which are extremely expensive. The next best way is to buy a lowering kit. These are springs that were manufactured shorter than normal springs. Dont be mistaken by thinking that this will be comfortable as it is not (Its not as bad as an illegal drop). Dont be fooled into buying any lowering kit as a lot of them are pirate/chinese makes which can be more dangerous than than an illegal drop. The two most common and trusted drop kits are Eibach and koenic. Eibach the more expensive of the two but Koenic is also sufficed.
Koenic- R1500+
Eibach- R3000+

The dangers of drag racing

This is just an example of a dice gone wrong

Illegal drag racing (dices) has been a worldwide craze for many years giving speed freaks an adrenalin rush. Its all fun and games until someone gets killed.

Drag racing, a growing "problem" in this country has claimed the lives of hundreds in the past few years with the death toll constantly rising as cars are getting faster, cops are getting lazier, and drivers are becoming more negligent than before. A perfect example of negligence is an accident that occurred last year in Gatesville, Athlone. An unlicensed golf 3 VR6, driven by an unlicensed driver collided head on with an Opel Kadett standing at the intersection waiting to take a right turn. It is alleged that the VR6 driver had lost control of his car while attempting to brake at the robot. The Opel was a right off and fortunately no one was injured. The VR6 driver was let off with nothing but a warning.

Many petrol heads feel that they are in complete control of their machines while dicing but they fail to realize that they aren't the only cars on the road. Yes they might be good drivers, but that doesn't mean that the civilian in front  is. At the sight of two speeding cars a in a rear view mirror is enough to make any driver panic.

In Gauteng a defenseless female cyclist was killed when she was struck by an Uno which was dicing a BMW. The car apparently knocked her down and then drove over her crushing her. The incident occurred in front of her husband and her father.

By dicing you not only increase your chances of death, but you increase the chances of damaging you beloved ride. Bearing knocks, snapped clutch cables, tire bursts, cracked flywheels and of course blown motors are all common end results of drag racing.

As petrol heads its each and everyone's dream to own the fastest and most powerful car on the road (despite the petrol increases), but this dream may never come true if you constantly climb in a car with the intention of dicing. It might be a fun activity but an extremely dangerous one at that. The thrill of doing something illegal and knowing that you'll get away (police cars are crap slow) gives you a feeling like no other. And the feeling of out-running a police car is out of this world, trust me i know. But ask yourself this, is it worth putting you life at risk just for a few minutes of fun? And how would your feel when she gets that call saying her son?daughter was killed in a drag race? Think about it.

Please drive responsibly, and take other drivers into consideration.
As Drake said "Yolo", you only live once, so live you life to the fullest.  

Ridez and Vibez -canal walk

D1S and Goodhope FM hosted yet another Ridez and Vibez event on Thursday 26th April 2012

The event was a major success with a decent turn out. Some of Cape Town's hottest cars were there to give the public a sample of what Cape Town has to offer. Goodhope FM had a live broadcast and of course DJ Ready D was on the mike playing some of the latest hits around. There were give aways, a rev off, live rapping and some b-boys did their thing. Another successful event hosted by D1S.

If you weren't there, you missed out. A special thanks goes out to Mother Nature and the weatherman, for two successive nights you behaved yourselves.

CTSR park off

The CTSR park off went down Wednesday the 25th April 2012 and i was a huge success.
Not only had the weather cleared up shortly before the park off began, but the event had a large turn out. The parking area was over flowing with cars. Police were present but for once, did not get involved with the park off. Sound match did free decibel testing with the most impressive being 145.9db.

China Town Mass Park-off

CTSR would like everyone to join them for a mass park-off

It takes place at China Town in Parow (The old Shoprite park opposite racing edge) on Wednesday the 25th February from 19:00 onwards. All shops will be open as well as the food court. Soundmatch will be present and free decibel testing will be done. Bring you rides and wallets as shops sell all types of car accessories from cone filters and stickers to lips and spotlights, you name it. This is a LEGAL gathering not to be missed.

*This event is being hosted with permission from center management however police will be present so we advise everyone to behave themselves as we do not want a repeat of the N1 City incident.

We hope to see you all there.

Quick tip(s)

Here are just a quick tip that might come in handy if you ever end up on the wrong side of the law.

#1. your vehicle may not be searched if the officer does not produce a search warrant. If you ever in this situation ask for his/her warrant and tell him/her that Chapter 1 act 14b of the Constitution says they dont have the right to search you and that you have the right of privacy. Its your right as a citizen.

Saldanha drag races

West Coast Racing presents the 8000m Saldanha drag races.

7th April at the Saldanha Airfield

No registration will be allowed on the day!!!

R50 entrance fee (kids u12 free)

Gates open Friday 6th April @ 6pm

..............................................................................................................................................

Racers, time is coming to an end. Its time to start wrapping up your projects, and head out for a couple of test runs.

Stay tuned for coverage on the drags

20v VS b20 Vtec

A Toyota corolla bubble with a 20v conversion vs a B20b Vtec (civic)

I dont know what im doing.

Not quite fimiliar or still new on the motorsport scene, well heres some advice for you. The donts of the motoring world.

Dont:

1....buy a honda civic/ballade V-tec

2....put 16inch rims on as tyres are pricey and rare to find.

3....warm your car by letting it idle as it weakens the engine block.

4....cut your springs, buy a lowering kit.

5....drop your car more than 60mm as your arches will scrape.

6....turbo charge your engine without replacing your manifold and installing a 256 cam

7....forget to replace the timing belt when redoing your cam.

8....let your petrol tank run completely dry.

9....drive too slow as it irritates other road users.

Point 9 does not mean break the speed limit. No matter how well you think you drive, you need to remember yo are not the only vehicle on the road. The next drivers road sense might not be as good as yours so always be cautious while driving. Speed kills so i urge all of you to drive safe.

Police VS Petrol heads

For years police have been breathing down the necks of petrol heads accusing us of illegal street racing, illegal gatherings and disturbing the peace. Car groups cannot even hook up these days or have innocent well organized park offs without the police (metro) rocking up and dismantling the group.

Wednesday 29 February 2012 was the perfect example. A mass park off was held at N1 City. There were over 500 cars present untill Metro police turned up blocking all entrances/exits to the premises. ALL the cars were stopped and checked for modifications which included ride height, head and spotlights, window filim, engines as well as other things. What started off as an innocent night for car owners to show off their rides ended as once of the biggest stigs the city has seen with hundreds of drivers being fined, some cars having their license disks removed. Most of the cars present were cars only used for show and shines and arent even driven on a regular basis.

 Over the past few months many drivers have been assaulted and mistreated by police and accused of racing. Fast and Furious in gatesville is a well known spot for hook ups on saturday nights. Recently a young man was assaulted by Metro police officers because he was standing next to a car police suspected of racing. No racing even took place that night.

Police spend too much time concerning themselves with car owners when they should be worrying about real problems such as the increasing crime rate. They respond much faster when they receive a phone call about a race taking place (and the pull up with 5 cars) than what they do when someone is in your house or there is a gang shootout infront of your house. Police should try doing their jobs for a change instead of only responding to calls where they cant get hurt.

Japmotion

Toyota- The car with a lifetime guarantee. The most reliable range of engines ever produced and one of the smoothest drives known to man. And now a group of young individuals have formed a car club in respect to Toyota, Japmotion. This car club that has originated in capetown South Africa consists of over 100 members and 55 cars, the group have also extended their reach to Saldanha where a smaller group have formed. Japmotion isnt all about fast cars, loud systems, spinning and racing, It is a social club for Toyota car lovers. It gives owners the opportunity to connect with fellow Toyota owners and share their love for this marvelous brand. Fairly new on the scene, only forming in April 2011, they have already taken over the car scene rocking up at most if not all car events in full force making a statement to other car clubs. The group is expanding dramatically as new members are constantly joining. So to the other car clubs whether they be about; Show & Shines, Sound offs, drag racing, spinning or just socialising... watch out as JapMotion are here to stay.