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WATCH: StreetFest brings urban car culture to Killarney International Raceway this December

Petrolheads call it StreetFest because that's exactly what it is: a festival of streetcar (and motorcycle) culture, one of the Cape's biggest and most popular gatherings of counterculture car lovers.

Some of South Africa's fastest street racing cars and motorcycles will throw down on the Killarney International Raceway drag strip in front of thousands of cheering street-racing fans on Thursday, December 27, not for a championship but just for bragging rights, as the Cape's top drag racers take on challengers from Gauteng, Durban and other parts of the country in the grudge match of the year.

Impossible to ignore

This is not Robot-to-Robot racing, as we see every Wednesday night at Killarney; it's the biggest American style drag racing event on the Killarney calendar, complete with a 'Christmas Tree' of yellow lights counting down to an explosive launch. Blink and you'll miss the blast-off, although the wall of sound that accompanies a top drag racer getting off the line is impossible to ignore!

Some of the action that took place at last year's event:


There will be more loud noises at the IASCA (International Auto Sound Challenge Association) Sound-off at the New Pits Complex. Local and national competitors will vie for the loudest onboard sound systems, with readings in the region of 150 dB – that's about as loud as a jet fighter on take-off! - from cars with batteries the size of bar fridges powering megawatt amps and cavernous speakers via multiple cables as thick as your thumb.

READ: Killarney Street Fest: User's amazing 135 pics

This event is run to international standards by IASCA's South African representative Riaz Ahmed, and any records set at StreetFest will be recognised worldwide. South African cars, says Ahmed, currently hold world records in six of IASCA's 22 sound-off categories; find out more about entering your car from Ahmed at 079 677 8861.

Also at the New Pits Complex will be a display of modified and customised (not quite the same thing!) street cars and motorcycles - from old school classic restorations to modern stance cars. Car clubs and individual exhibitors are welcome: call Shiraz Bawa at 082 305 7257 and reserve space to show off your pride and joy.

                                                                               Image: Supplied

There will food and refreshments available from the New Pits Lounge as well as a number of food vendors, stalls selling auto memorabilia, car bling and accessories, as well as jumping castles and more entertainment for the whole family at the New Pits Complex, with DJ's rocking the decks on the Coca-Cola Gig Rig and an outdoor screen showing the racing close to the start line.

New for 2018 is a pop-up sports bar on the South Balcony of the New Pits complex with a magnificent view of the drag strip and the Show 'n Shine area. When the action gets 'fast and furious' on the strip, this will definitely be the place to be – if you can get in!

The gates open at 7am and on-track action is scheduled to start at 9am, going on all day until about 5.30pm, while the Sound-off will amp up from 10am; by then all the display vehicles will also be lined up for you to admire.

Entry is R90 for adults, R40 for scholars under 16 and free for under-12s.

Book at Computicket, Shoprite or Checkers, or pay at the gate. If you love Cape Town's street scene and the hot cars that make it so vibrant, just be there. 

Click here for more info.

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