This is the future of motorsport

Smoking tyres, popping turbos, flaming exhausts and lots of car bling.


Last weekend’s Gymkhana GRiD events at Carnival City once again showed the future of motorsport probably lies in short, sharp events with the accent on spectacle for people with a short attention span.

After two days of noisy, tyre-shredding blasts through a short gymkhana course, Rallycross world champion Johan Kristoffersson from Sweden emerged as the overall winner in the all-wheel drive class, flinging his Monster VW Polo around the course with a perfect combination of aggression and precision.

In the process he beat World Rallycross contenders Petter Solberg (VW Polo), Andreas Bakkerud (Hoonigan Ford Focus) and YouTube hero Ken Block, in his Hoonigan Ford Focus.

Meanwhile, 2017 Gymkhana GRiD champion Luke Woodham took his privateer Nissan 200SX to victory in the Rear-wheel drive category, with a show of precise driving.

However, this event is not about results – it is about smoking tyres, popping turbos, flaming exhausts, fireworks at the side of the track and lots of car bling.

And, it proved hugely popular despite eye-watering admission charges.

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