WATCH: Chadwin ‘Boksie’ Hadjie wins Shay iMoto – Biggest Spinning Title In SA

The Mother City came alive with smoke and tyre-burning action on Saturday 16 March as it hosted an action-packed fifth edition of Red Bull Shay’ iMoto.

The unique motorsport event, featuring South Africa’s best spinning drivers was won by local Chadwin ‘Boksie’ Hadjie.

“This is the most amazing feeling,” the elated Capetonian, who finished runner-up in 2021, said after the win. “I’ve been fighting hard over the past few years and finally the win has come,” he added.

Following its hiatus in 2023, the event, recognised as the pinnacle of organised spinning events in the country, returned in 2024 and was hosted in Cape Town for the very first time.

The specially created venue in the carpark at Canal Walk was sold out and saw a record-breaking 3300 people fill the grandstands.

The Mother City motorsport faithful were not disappointed and witnessed some amazing feats of car-handling and driving theatre through the specially designed course.

The country’s top 16 drivers gathered on Friday 15 March for qualifying rounds which saw the field whittled down to the top eight.

These eight battled it out, all showing exceptional car control, technical skills, and flair. In the end, Boksie left the four judges (Vernon ‘Veejaro’ Hendricks, Jeff James, Magesh Ndaba and Shahiem Bell) and the audience (who as a collective acted as the fifth judge using specially-coloured LED wristbands to vote) on the edge of their seats as he outclassed the two-time defending champ, Samkeliso ‘Sam Sam’ Thubane with some amazing feats in the final battle.

“I was so impressed with the Cape Town crowd,” Boksie commented. “As soon as the car came out all I could see were blue lights — they were amazing. Thank you!”

As motorsport goes, it wasn’t without its challenges for Boksie however: “On the first day out, we broke a steering rack. The team fixed that, but we didn’t have any test runs, so I was happy to qualify for the top eight.

ALSO READ: LIVE BLOG: Who will win the Red Bull Shay iMoto 2024?

“Then on Saturday, we broke our wheel studs, fortunately, my pit crew fixed that, along with a few other issues, and we could push through!”

Despite the competition, a strong spirit of camaraderie was palpable among the drivers. Because for them, it is not just a sport, it is a culture that binds them together.

The next step for this burgeoning motorsport is expanding the imprint beyond Mzansi’s borders.

See Live blog here

ALSO WATCH: Red Bull Shay’ iMoto 2024 to be hosted in Cape Town