Rides & Vibes – The Park-off

As has always been with informal park-offs, this one, though fully and well organised, was also free.

DJ Ready D, first attained fame at home and abroad as the Live Scratch Mix DJ with pioneer and revolutionary South African Hip Hop group Prophets of da City, and later also as part of Brasse Vannie Kaap. He also became a household name amongst car enthusiasts as the presenter of Mzansi Rides, a program focussing on car modifications and customisation that aired on DSTV.

DJ Ready D currently has a Monday to Thursday 7 to 10PM slot on GHFM on which he takes various aspects of Coloured life on The Cape Flats and presents them for what they are; the real mainstream culture.

Somewhere along the line they got the idea to take the show out to the listeners at least once a month.

Tuesday was the second Rides & Vibes park-off and live broadcast and this event is destined to grow.

When Deon first got involved in drift car racing and performing, which is fast becoming a recognised motorsport across the world, there were many similarities that could be drawn between the sport and Hip Hop as both were driven underground by the authorities but authorities could not just wish them away.

The informal park-off culture which has for at least two generations been seen as a “Coloured thing” has often been and still is clamped down on by authorities. These gatherings invariably always lead to illegal drag races, drift performances and burnouts – for those who don’t know, a burnout is when a stationary car or bike spins a tyre at high revs melting away the rubber until it bursts.

All these activities, when not done in a controlled environment but out on public roads are indeed illegal and outright dangerous.

In recent years various car clubs and groups have attempted to get these activities off the streets and host these events at privately owned ‘pitches’. Even then it was always a battle to get authorities to not disrupt and outright ban these events.

Since early 2009 Dr1ft Squad and other clubs like Cape Town Spinners have been at the forefront of making sure that all their big events have permits and comply with as much of the MSA safety regulations as possible. Authorities nowadays at most of the events are only there to ensure public safety but have no reason to disrupt the activities with the willy-nilly application of bylaws.

The venue for Tuesday’s event was an excellent choice, as Expo WP which has classy restaurants and coffee shops at its main entrance, houses what is probably the biggest indoor market in the WC that specialises in arts, crafts, speciality goods and services. There are also large exhibition areas that on the night acted as display areas for customised cars and motorcycles as well as housing the GHFM outside broadcasting booth. The fringe area of the complex bordering the parking area of which a section was turned into a marshalled and properly barricaded drift pitch is lined with more eateries, coffee shops, an internet cafe and a pub. The rest of the parking area was turned into marked off exhibition areas for the various car clubs and at least two motorcycle clubs.

We noticed something quite laid back about these guys. We were surprised to learn that all that is required to join their club was that you buy yourself some of their gear, like caps and jackets, register with them and that one regularly go on and contribute to their charity drives. They had just come from a weekend run to deliver food parcels to an impoverished fishing community near Saldanha Bay. These guys, Anthony, Andre, Nazeem, Clive and others from Exclusively M as well as some members of other clubs we spoke to all see making a difference in people’s lives as a big part of being in a car club.

The almost neon lime green and red Dr1ft Squad Nissan Skyline GTX with the doors and the bonnet that can open in a vast array of different ways had people staring in amazement. The car morphed into different shapes every half hour.

As men are less accurate with naming colours, I think the closest I could get was ‘psychedelic cerise’ for an amazing little Toyata Tazz with scissor doors and a spectacular interior owned by Heini.

What Ready D described on air as a ‘lounge on wheels’ was a 1970somthing VW Combi belonging to Mr Apollo in a neat blue paint job with a striking interior that houses an awesome entertainment system with a 40inch LCD screen. In the back under a fairly thick see- through cover with blue neon lighting is the neatest V8 engine I’ve ever seen installed in a Volksie.

The Chevy guys had on display a range of customised Lumina SS Sedans and Ute’s as well as a Corvette and an old El Camino bakkie that had stunning airbrush art on its silver and purple paint job.