Spinning
All you need to know about spinning, South Africa's wildest motorsport
Discover spinning - South Africa's bold car culture where stunts, style and community collide. Here's everything you need to know about this adrenaline-fuelled motorsport.
Spinning sits in its own exciting and chaotic space where culture meets horsepower and creates something entirely unique. It's a South African invention that has, quite suddenly, found itself on the world stage.
A place where drivers can showcase their skills in a dynamic motorsport that blends drifting and performance art, spinning is a culture where there's no distinction between art and sport.
Want to see it for yourself? Watch Red Bull Shay 'iMoto:
Red Bull Shay 'iMoto livestream
Eight of South Africa's top spinners go head to head at South Africa's biggest and boldest motorsport.
01
The origins of spinning
Samkeliso Thubane ignites M Fest
© Craig Kolesky/Red Bull Content Pool
Spinning is deeply embedded in South African street culture, with roots stretching back more than three decades. The practice traditionally served as a celebration of life at funerals and other community gatherings, some of which operated outside conventional legal boundaries. Over time, this form of underground expression evolved into an adrenaline-fuelled form of art and motorsport. Today, spinning is recognised as a respected and deeply cultural sport. Drivers still bring the crowd into the action, hanging out of doors, performing precision figure-eights and keeping the throttle pinned in a haze of chaos and control. The unique motorsport blends skill and art, offering a stage to a generation often overlooked by mainstream motorsport.
02
What's the difference between spinning and drifting?
Although spinning and drifting are both motorsport styles that involve controlled loss of traction, they come from very different cultures and have distinct techniques and differences. Lets break it down.
Born in Japan, drifting became a motorsport judged on how drivers compete to slide through corners with speed, style and control. Whereas, spinning was born in South Africa and instantly became a street-style performance rather than a traditional motorsport. Spinning involves showmanship and flair.
Spinning involves turning the car in tight circles or figure-eight circuits while keeping it under control. It's very performative where stunts like climbing out of the moving car, dancing on the roof, or hanging out of the window while the car spins. However, in drifting the driver intentionally oversteers through corners while maintaining control and high speed. Precision, angle, line and style are all factors that are judged upon.
Spinning's vibes are loud, bold and rebellious. It's a sport that is rooted in identity and community. Less about the precision of racing and more emphasis on the expression through the motorsport. In contrast, drifting's vibes are technical, competitive and cinematic.
03
The evolution continues
1 min
See what happens when a Spinner takes on a Drifter
See spin-king Sam Sam Thubane take on Driftbrother Elias Hountondji in a unique motorsports showdown.
While spinning may not be respected as a traditional motorsport by some, to the spinning community it has become their pride and joy. It has shattered traditional motorsport boundaries while remaining true to its roots.
Today's spinners like Samkeliso 'Sam Sam' Thubane have become professional performers, with many fellow spinners acknowledging that Sam Sam has achieved the highest level of recognition in the sport. This new generation represents the professionalisation of spinning, while maintaining its authentic cultural roots.
04
Modern spinning and breaking barriers
28 min
Check out crazy highlights from Red Bull Shay' iMoto
Welcome to the dizzying, squealing rage of South Africa’s adrenaline-sparking motorsport: spinning.
What makes 2025 particularly significant for spinning is how it has broken through traditional motorsport barriers. Sam Sam's international profile represents more than individual achievement – it's validation of spinning as a legitimate performance discipline, worthy of global attention.
The sport maintains its core identity while embracing professionalisation. From township celebrations to international exhibitions, spinning in 2025 proves that authentic cultural expression can evolve into global entertainment without losing its soul.
The art of controlling chaos while creating entertainment has never been more relevant, and with pioneers like Sam Sam leading the charge, spinning's future looks as spectacular as its most mind-blowing shows.