The next generation of young kwaai spinners is coming through the ranks, and they are getting a head start.
Bobby Nitro chatted with young Shane Shaye Green, a 10-year-old from Atlantis who is out to make his mark in this popular sport.
Shane junior, son of well-known motorsport driver Shane Green senior, can safely say that he has been crazy about spinning and drifting for as long as he can remember.
Growing up with a dad who would take him to the pitch and track come weekends, it is no surprise that young Shane was going to follow in his dad’s footsteps.
Shane junior says: “Last year in June we were at the pitch in Atlantis and I just told my dad I wanted to spin. Then he said, get in the car and go spin; so that’s what I did. My uncle Shandré went in the car with me and ever since then I’ve been spinning and learning at the same time. I only started spinning with my own car this year.”
LIKE FATHER, LIKE SON: Shane Green senior with talented spinning son. Picture: Supplied.
But it took some serious work to get to that place of having his own car. He says: “The car my dad has built up started off completely damaged and knocked from all sides. It wasn’t easy because it took a lot of time and patience to get it to where it is now. The chassis is a Toyota SR with a BMW 318is turbo engine.”
A really useful by-product of the build process, for the laaitie, was that he got to be useful. He says he sprayed his own engine bay and learned a lot through helping out with the mechanical work.
PROJECT: The cabbie was built from scratch. Picture: Supplied.
Needless to say it was Shane senior who taught his son to drive. Shane junior says he would watch carefully as his dad drove around in their Kia workhorse. “I would steal with the eye,” is how he puts it. But when it came to spinning he would find that it was his uncle, Shandré, that would be in the car with him.
Shane says: “I think my dad would be a bit nervous to drive with me.”
The youngster has already started travelling to events. In Upington he drove with his uncle’s car, then in Kuruman he attended his first event with his own car. Recently, at Tygerberg Raceway, Shane junior received his first trophy. One of many to come, we’ll bet.
DIG IN: Working on the engine. Picture: Supplied.
He says: “The crowd goes absolutely crazy, probably because I’m so young that I can barely see over the dashboard.”
Shane is getting to grips with the crowd pressures of spinning. After all, it’s as much a spectator sport as anything, with fans having their favourites. He says: “I drove in Atlantis recently and it’s a big challenge because of the big crowd.”
Bobby asked the youngster what his favourite thing was about being a spinner. He says: “I get a lot of compliments wherever I go. And it’s fun! And my friends think it’s really cool and I get a lot of support from them.”
BACK: Shane adores the support of friends. Picture: Supplied.
Shane’s dream car is an M3 F80, which some say was the best M3 ever, even though it broke the mold as the first turbocharged version.
Bobby asked Shane to imagine himself at age 20, and to tell us what he would like to have achieved. He says: “I have entered the world of international motorsport, possibly FIA Drifting, where James Dean is my big hero.”
Shane certainly has a lot planned for the future, but his dad says: “We’ll have to wait and see just what is going to materialise.”
EYE: Shane dreams of turning pro in motorsport in the future. Picture: Supplied.
Young Shane extends his gratitude, saying: “First I would like to thank the Lord for always protecting me when I get behind the wheel. My dad and mom, my brothers and sister, my aunty and uncles, grandparents, cousins, friends, my daddy’s friends , First Performance for tuning my car, Gordon’s Performance, JT tyres, Arrow Tyres and Greens Group.