Mahikeng Makes Their Mark

Social Media was abuzz with mentions of the #maftowndrift over the weekend, and with good reason. The 7th event in the 2014 Auto Trader SupaDrift championship series took place at the Mmabatho stadium in Mahikeng, North West, and, after a month’s break from competition, the drivers were rearing to burn rubber and show off their drifting chops.

The event was held as a memorial for the young up and comer and 2014 series competitor, Riaz Alibai, who was tragically lost last month. As the field of over 20 drivers prepped their engines, minds and hearts, Otto Graven prepared to return to the competitive drifting scene for the first time in a year. Graven led the memorial, driving Alibai’s car, the ‘Punisher’, during the competition.

“It was an emotional day for all, but the drivers pushed themselves to deliver incredible performances for both the crowds and the family of Riaz Alibai who were in attendance. Riaz’s absence was definitely felt today, and he will be sorely missed on this circuit,” said CEO of series sponsor AutoTrader, George Mienie.

The drivers performed with clean precision, allowing no major upsets throughout the day. Top contender, Wade van Zummerun picked up a mechanical fault in his lead run during the Top 8, and was unable to come back in his second run after it had been looked at. Otto Graven was also knocked out after making contact with Shane Gutzeit during their Top 8 battle and losing control.

The Semi Finals saw Jason Webb take on Shane Gutzeit, and Paolo Gouveia rev up against Leroy Frans. Webb and Gouveia took the wins, and the battle was on for first and second place.

In their final showdown, Frans encountered a broken gearbox and was unable to return for the fight for third and fourth place. Gutzeit was awarded third position by default. 

Two close runs followed between Webb and Gouveia, but in an untimely twist of events, Webb found himself running shy on tyres when an OMT was called. During his 5 minutes he could only fit second hand tyres and battled to find traction as they set out on their final mission for victory.

In the end, his skills were diluted by his wheels and Gouveia took the win – a first for him after many times on the podium. In a fitting end to the day, Webb called Riaz Alibai’s family up to the podium to hand over his second place trophy which he dedicated to his late friend, only sorry that he could not have taken the win for him.

“The 7th event in the series is always a big one, with drivers fighting to keep their spot on the score boards. I couldn’t think of a more fitting way to honour Riaz Alibai than an event with this calibre of driving,” said GreenSky spokesperson Hennie Lamprecht.

The event was attended by local representative, Wendy Nelson, MEC of FEED (Finance, Economic and Enterprise Development), who said, “We are thoroughly pleased and can’t wait for both AutoTrader SupaDrift and motorsport in general to grow in the North West, making our mark on the map of South Africa.”

The series returns on the 28th of November for a full weekend of drifting drama in the Durban City Centre.