Spinning king Vernon ‘Veejaro’ Hendricks ready to defend Red Bull Shay’ iMoto title

Johannesburg - Nigel’s undisputed spinning king, Vernon “Veejaro” Hendricks is set to defend his title at the Red Bull Shay’ iMoto spinning competition on Saturday, 19 September 2020.

Veejaro will gather along with nine other of the best spinners from across the country behind closed doors at a top-secret location to showcase his spinning skills and stunts. The innovative spinning event will stream live on www.redbullshayimoto.com and IOL Motoring.

“I’m definitely feeling the pressure as there are quite a few new guys that are taking part,” the defending champion commented. “That being said, I’m here to enjoy myself, but I’m definitely not going down without a fight.”

Run under strict Covid-19 protocols, the event will have no live audience at the venue and has a restricted number of crew. Fans will be able to support via www.redbullshayimoto.com.

The first round will see the Hendricks and rest of the spinners taking on a course set out for them. From Thursday 17 September viewers will have 48 hours to vote for the best action to have a hand in who advances to the live event on Saturday where they will be judged by a panel of legendary local spinners that include Jeff James, Magesh, and Shehiem Bell.

This has however not come without its challenges for Hendricks. “The setup this year is much more challenging because there is no crowd interaction,” he said. “That is a bit challenging because that crowd support gives you a massive confidence boost in what you’re doing,” he said.

According to Vic Pardal – who is an integral part of the event team and who will once again MC the event – spinning is very different from Drifting, particularly in the crowd support way. “Spinning is the art of controlling chaos while creating entertainment just like theatre while Drifting is a motorsport, governed by a strict set of rules and formats,” he said.

While it may not be seen as a respected Motorsport to some, to the Spinning community it has become their pride and joy. "It is a culture and a movement… And yet, it is the only ‘motorsport’ that covers all races, faces and different shoelaces,” said Pardal. “It is the only motorsport that is accessible for everyone in this country.”

According to Vic spinning is deeply rooted in South African culture and has been happening for over 30 years. “Traditionally it was used as a celebration of life at people’s funerals, and for certain other celebrations and purposes which were beyond the law,” he says, explaining that it remains loud and raw and true to its roots, spinning has evolved a lot over the past three decades and emerged from its sometimes-shadowy connotations to the mainstream motoring scene.

“As long as there has been rear-wheel drive cars in South Africa, people have been spinning cars,” Pardal added. “But spinning is very different today to what someone’s uncle or grandfather was doing years ago in a, let’s say, recreation centre parking lot.”

Fans can watch the qualifying runs on redbullshayimoto.com on 17 September where they will be able to vote for the best drivers. Then they will be able to watch their favourites compete for the overall title on the live stream on Saturday 19 September 2020, at 7pm on redbullshayimoto.com and iol.co.za.