The City of Cape Town’s Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith says a new spinning pitch at Killarney is set to improve road safety, and divert racing enthusiasts away from using open roads.

Smith this weekend joined the leadership of the Western Cape Motor Club to officially open the new spinning pitch at Killarney International Raceway.

The unveiling was part of the City-sponsored Killarney Motor Show hosted today.

The 4 500m² spinning pitch will benefit Cape Town’s large drifting and spinning community that has been calling for a dedicated facility to practice their sport.

Previously, spinners had to use a section of Killarney’s track system also used by other motorsport codes.

The pitch will be open to all spinning groups through a booking system at the Killarney International Raceway.

Spinning crews from various communities across the city were among the first to put the new pitch to the test.

‘This new spinning pitch is a victory for Cape Town on many fronts. It provides a fit-for-purpose platform where spinning and motorsport enthusiasts can enjoy their sport in a safe environment with proper safety measures in place. For the City of Cape Town, this contributes greatly to our campaign to get racing off public roads and into more legal environments.

‘We would like to express gratitude to the Western Cape Motor Club for initiating this project and we are proud to be working with Killarney to promote road safety. We would like to invite those spinners who are still taking part in dangerous illegal street events to this skid pan and keep the spinning out of unsafe public spaces,’ said Smith.

The new spinning pitch was just one of a few attractions at the Killarney Motor Show which also featured new, classic, vintage, modified, stance and race displays of vehicles for public viewing.

The motor show, the largest motor show in the Western Cape with approximately 10 000 visitors annually, also had some 2 000 exhibitors and vendors on site.