GETTING STREET RACING OFF THE STREETS
Illegal street racing is a problem in every city that has a car culture, as typified in the ‘Fast and Furious’ films; Cape Town is no exception in this regard – but Killarney International Raceway and the City of Cape Town are doing something about it.
It’s called Robot Racing and Street 2 Strip.
This initiative was started way back in 2016 as a joint effort between the Western Province Motor Club at Killarney and the City of Cape Town, to get street racers off the public roads and into a safe and controlled environment where they can enjoy their cars without endangering other road users and the public at large. It’s the purest form of motorsport there is: two cars line up at a red robot, the robot goes green and whoever reaches the finishing line first, 402 metres (a quarter of a mile) away, is the winner. Running at night adds extra excitement and drama – it’s the closest you can get to street racing without breaking the law! It's an important part of Killarney’s commitment to road safety and one we’re very proud of – before the Covid-19 lockdown we were running every Wednesday night, with up to 300 participants and hundreds of spectators. And now that the regulations have been eased we’re back, once a month to start with, on a Wednesday night from 6:30pm to 10:00pm, and more f requently in the near future.
Safety is, of course, our primary concern; we have a full complement of trained safety marshals, security staff and medical personnel in attendance at each event. Robot Racing is open to anybody who can produce a valid South Af rican driving licence, and any street-legal car or bakkie. Each vehicle has to pass a basic safety check before being allowed to participate and each driver must wear long pants, long sleeves, closed shoes and provide his or her own crash helmet. The cost is R70 per person whether you are racing or whether you’re there as a spectator - R70 per person. There’s no additional cost to race, although there is a form to fill in if you want to participate. Children under 12 get in free, as spectators of course! As a further contribution to road safety, we also set up our professional drag racing ‘Christmas Tree’ starting lights for regular street-racing events called Street2strip, where anybody who can produce a valid South Af rican driving licence, can get a test of real American-style drag racing in any street-legal car or bakkie. In addition, Killarney hosts regular Track Days where local car and motorcycle enthusiasts (including you!) can learn f rom our experienced instructors how to enjoy their vehicles up to a standard rather than down to a speed limit, as an alternative to speeding on the public roads.