Showtime for the adrenalin junkies

THE Annual Rand Show is at hand and after 120 years of existence it promises to be the best and biggest that you will ever experience.

The Rand Show will take place from Friday April 18 to Monday April 28. The gates open daily from 09:00 to 18:00.

“It’s Showtime” at NASREC for the entire family, celebrating the 120 years years of the Rand Show. The focus will fall on entertainment for the family.

The top attactions at the Rand Show include The Naked Scientist; SNOW Time, the Rand Show’s winter wonderland of snow; The Pit Bull International Xtreme Motor Show; SA’s Strongest Man Qualifier; Theuns Jordaan, Swing City, Dozi and Tokyo Groove, plus many more in concert on the Showtime Stage; the SA Chefs Theatre; tactical military displays and exhibits; the Animal Kingdom with bird and snake shows and more; and playtime for kids in Tumble Town.

A world of choice in family entertainment awaits at the Rand Show, South Africa’s biggest consumer exhibition. For those who have a need for high-powered speed, the Rand Show race track has a line-up of unforgettable stunt shows, while classic cars are on display in Hall 5.

The Pit Bull International Extreme Motor show will be on show for seven days only, from April 18 to 21 and from April 26 to 28 at 11:00 and 14:00.

Danilo Cogrossi is an international master of showmanship, creating awe-inspiring high-diving shows, ice-skating shows, acrobatics displays and even dolphin shows. His high-octane stunt shows have travelled all over the world. Now, for the first time in South Africa, Danilo presents the Pit Bull International Xtreme Motor Show, a stunt show that’s more than just a display of extreme motoring, but blends comedy and acrobatic agility into an entertaining package perfect for the whole family.

Joining Danilo is Simone Bonelli, a daredevil stuntman and stunt driver, and the comedian of the show. Brothers Didi and Manuel Bizzarro are equally at home behind the wheel or on the back of a stunt motorbike. Seasoned stunt driver Matteo Andreella rounds off the motor-stunt side of the team. Acrobat Tetiana Kalashnikova is the beautiful and super-agile member of the team, and will add her special brand of graceful contortions to the show.

Driving BMW 318i’s and stunt motorbikes, they’ll delight audiences with their twice-daily shows full of impressive stunts and two-wheel ramping.

Classic World of motoring

Hall 5 plays host to the Classic World of Motoring, where more than 120 classic cars will be on display, ranging from humble 1950s Beetles to iconic sports machines. There will be a special supercar element, showcasing some of the most iconic supercars, both modern and classic.

Motoring media personalities, Stuart Johnston and Hendrik Verwoerd, will be on hand to host special attractions throughout the day.

XDL SA Street jam

It’s a jam… it’s a party…. it’s non-stop streetbike stunting at the Rand Show. Join XDL South Africa for one of the biggest breakout extreme sports on two wheels to hit South African shores. Come and see some of the top XDL SA streetbike stunt-riders competing for glory in head-to-head battles, testing their skills in wheelies, burnouts and endos, in the XDL SA Street Jam.

Drifting Ride

Get a taste of the blistering rear-wheel driving flair, ‘slideways’ motions and serious speed that are all part and parcel of the world’s fastest growing motorsport – drifting.

Brave Rand Show visitors can take a “suicide ride”, hitching a ride on the track with a pro-drift driver, to experience for themselves the heart-pounding thrill of drifting. For R150 per person, visitors get to jump into the 6.0-litre, V8, rear-wheel drive “Speed & Sound Barloworld GM” Chevrolet SS Luminas and let pros like local daredevil drifting stunt driver, Jim McFarlane, show them how it’s done.

There’s a world of entertainment choice at the Rand Show 2014. Don’t miss:

* The Naked Scientist;

*SNOW Time, the Rand Show’s winter wonderland of snow;

*The huge funfair;

*The Blackball Premier League playoff;

*SA’s Strongest Man Qualifier;

*SANDF displays and exhibits;

*Theuns Jordaan, Dozi, Swing City and Tokyo Groove on the Showtime Stage;

*The SA Chefs Theatre;

*The Animal Kingdom, with bird and snake shows; and

*Playtime for kids in Tumble Town.

Ticketing booths into the showgrounds close at 18:00, although the show closes at 19:00.

Venue: Johannesburg Expo Centre, Rand Show Road, Nasrec.

Tickets: R100 for adults, R50 for pensioners over 65, R50 for teens aged 13 to 16, R20 for kids aged 6 to 12, and free for children under six. Tickets are available at the gate or through Computicket. (There is no surcharge on Computicket tickets.)