Ngoni Dapira

THE excitement towards burnouts remains lively in the eastern border city. This was proven last week Saturday at the Mutare Burnouts show organized by businessman cum politician Clyde Jani of CJ Motors.

The burnouts arena at Manicaland Motoring Club was a hive of activity as people from all walks of life came to witness the thrills and spills associated with the adrenaline rush motor sport. The gates were open from 1pm up to around 9pm in the evening.

The US$5 gate charge did not deter most people from coming in numbers and some even brought their children to experience the thrill of burnouts. However, for some who could not afford, they had to peep from a distance at the fence by the entrance, playing cat and mouse games with the security officials that were manning the perimeter.

Some peepers that could not afford to pay watching the burnouts from the fence.

Spinning is an extreme entertainment sport usually orchestrated by professional drivers and stuntmen in a safely barricaded area. The idea in burnouts is to keep the vehicle stationary while spinning its wheels, causing the tyres to heat up and smoke due to friction. When the tyres burst quickly during the spinning exploits, it shows how good the driver is.

CJ Motors hosted the burnouts which comprised mostly of local spinners who none the less displayed some impeccable skills on the steering wheel. They matched the standards of reputable Harare spinners like Fat Cat and Cici Boy that initiated the burnouts functions in Mutare back in 2014 when the first shows were hosted. It was their burnouts tours which were held in basketball courts at Raylton Club and Florida Recreation Centre that eventually inspired the construction of a burnouts arena at Manicaland Motoring Club in 2017.

Clyde Jani’s BMW versus Team Altezza’s Tinashe Chani squaring off outside the burnouts arena, raving their cars testing the power of their engines.

The pimped-up BMWs and Toyota Altezza’s from the Team Altezza crew first paraded around the track before the burnouts began. However, it was the BMWs that stole the limelight after performing  jaw breaking maneuvers of spinning 180 and 360 turns. Some even executed fancy but hazardous drills such as the doughnut.

The doughnut is a maneuver that entails rotating the rear or front of the vehicle around the opposite set of wheels in a continuous motion, creating a circular skid-mark pattern while emitting a lot of smoke from the friction. The tricky stunts where the driver doing a burnout jumps out of the car and jumps back in where also put on show to the amusement of the crowd.

In the 21st Century burnouts have become a serious form of competition and entertainment in their own right. The contests are judged on crowd response, so spinners need to exude expert maneuvers to get the crowd fired up.

Manicaland Motoring Club entertainment coordinator Farai Chimwaza said they intend to keep supporting sporting activities because that is their main function as a club. He thanked motoring sport promoters such as Jani who are making use of the facility.

“We are a motoring club and we intend to support motoring sports. We had the bikers from Harare passing through some weeks ago and the burnouts on Saturday for the first time this year, mostly because of the covid-19 restrictions. We also hope to improve on our motoring facility and offer motocross biking for kids soon,” said Chimwaza.

Mutare Burnouts in pics:

A BMW spinner and his stuntman doing what they do best on the arena.

Tinashe Chani of Team Altezza teasing the crowd on the arena.

Some pimped up classic cars were also displayed on the day.

Fans supporting Team BMW after a great performance.

There is no show without theatrics. One reveller displayed his dancing skills and unique drinking technique to the amusement of the crowd.

Clyde Jani raving his engine in the track after his act, applauding fans for their support.

Some of the cars from Team Altezza.

Changing of burst tyres after a performance. This is why the burnouts sport is an expensive sport.

A mobile Zanu-PF regalia van selling its ED gear during the burnouts function.

A young boy standing on top of their car bonnet to get a better view after people had swarmed the barricades to watch the burnouts.

The scores of people that attended the show.

Even the smoke from the burst tyres and skidding did not deter fans from watching from a close distance near the barricade. The thrills and spills of burnouts.

Kids enjoying a moment in the gusheshe (popular term for BMW spinning cars) ride.