Where have all the big clubs gone?

With all the new up and coming clubs fresh on the scene, one has to ask, what has happened to all the familiar names?
The big clubs that once ruled events and car shows are now just a part of history as they make way for the future of the motoring world. Clubs such as Extreme dubs, Japmotion, Toyota addix, Boxboys, SR20 and others have all but vanished while clubs such as JapCruz, So Solid and others are taking over. These new clubs are growing at a dramatic pace and if the bigger clubs dont watch out, it wont be long until some of their members begin jumping ship.

The main up-coming event is the Charity Nights event which will consist of 6 shows and runs over a period of 6 weeks. We hope to see a few more familiar rides there. Since hibernation began many of the clubs failed to reawaken.

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.