Yoh, so this must be the neatest-looking Spin car on the scene right now, for two reasons.
The first is that its owner, Shabier “Shabba” Lakey, believes in driving a good-looking vehicle. The other is that it has just received a body makeover, so it looks like new.
Just recently, the BMW E30 wasn’t in such tip-top shape. In fact, it was worse for wear after a front-end smash-up that happened on the Spin pitch.
Shabba, 37, from Rocklands, says: “Yes, I was in a crash with another driver but, hey, I’m easy-going and could see it was a mistake, so we shook hands.”
Bobby Nitro had to ask how he responded. Shabba says: “You must know in this game that you’re going to break stuff. If you’re not fit for that, then you’re not fit for the sport. It’s about having your heart in the right place.”
Shabba has taken the setback as an inspiration to “come back with a new look” and word on the street is this rebuild happened in the space of a week flat. The car has been resprayed black with the help of Shabba’s sponsor Ikie Worx, and sports what Shabba calls his signature stripes with the help of RGR Graphix. New yellow lights complete the look.
Shabba got into Spinning after attending events arranged by Jonathan Schaffers at The Hills in 2019, which was an excellent venue while it lasted. He says he wanted so much to experience the rush, the adrenalin of Spin, that he bought the 1980s Beemer and got started with the BMW multi-valve engine it came with. Soon, however, as happens in this game, he started looking for more power.
So next came a Toyota 1j followed by the iconic 2jz favoured by many Spinners. Shabba says: “The 2jz is that much more durable and more amenable to those top-down modifications that increase power.”
Shabba, not one to like having his car gather dust, also competes in robot racing at Killarney. With the only dedicated pitch in Cape Town being the new one at Killarney, Shabba says: “It’s great, but more pitches would be preferable. I’ve always seen Spinning as a family thing, a way to bring communities together and it would be great if it could take place in the communities.”
Of course, with Spinning, the issue of safety and erecting proper concrete or fillable barriers between cars and people is of utmost importance. It’s a fact, and necessarily limits event locations.
Asked who he admires on the scene, Shabba says it is ou legend Sean February who he finds to be most inspiring, especially as the man who encouraged him to go the 2jz route.