South Africa’s premiere spinning competition takes centre stage on 18 April, as 16 of the countries top spinners go head to head at Suncoast Casino in Durban to battle it out for the ultimate bragging rights.
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We take a look at the top 16 competitors who have qualified for the prestigious event, but only eight drivers will make it into the main competition based on their qualifying rounds.
Jean “Panjaro” Kruger
Jean “Panjaro” Kruger is the reigning Red Bull Shay’ iMoto champion after he earned the title in Durban.
In August 2025, the Mahikeng native took down defending champion Boksie in a final that shook Suncoast Casino, using his brother Austin’s car to claim the crown.
The younger Kruger brother has gone from watching from the sidelines to standing on top of the podium.
Now he returns to the same Durban soil to do what very few have managed: defend the title.
The trophy came home once and Panjaro plans to keep it there.
Robin Fortuin
Robin Fortuin is 20 years old and already rewriting the rules. The Bloemfontein-based spinner launched her competitive career in 2024 although she has already been spinning for over eight years.
She’s a three-time Spinaleemba title holder, a Spinderella champion and part of a new generation pushing spinning forward.
Fortuin told The Citizen that competing among males doesn’t faze her, because she has been taught to drive like a man.
Naseem “Madmax” Ahmed
Naseem “Madmax” Ahmed was drawn to cars, speed and precision from a young age and spinning gave him the stage to put it all together.
Ahmed told The Citizen that he was given the name Madmax by the late Raiz Jogee, one of the spinners he looked up to, and that the name has stuck ever since.
Nevelan “Nev” Naidoo
Nevelan “Team Nevs” Naidoo is a Durbanite through and through. Based in Chatsworth, he carries the KZN flag with a passion that’s impossible to fake.
For Naidoo nothing compares to the moment the engine fires and the smoke starts rising – it’s pure joy every time.
Prince “Magesh Jnr” Ndaba
Spinning royalty runs in Prince “Magesh Junior” Ndaba’s blood. The son of legendary driver Magesh Ndaba – one of the founding figures of South African spinning – he grew up surrounded by tyre smoke and roaring engines on the East Rand.
Every time Magesh Junior takes the wheel, he carries the weight of a legacy and the drive to build one of his own. The name alone commands attention. The driving backs it up.
Austin “Austy” Kruger
Austin “King Kruger” Kruger has been spinning since the age of 13, long before the spotlight found him.
The Mahikeng native has spent years refining his craft and has gone on to represent South African spinning on the global stage.
If the surname sounds familiar, it should – his younger brother Panjaro won the 2025 Red Bull Shay’ iMoto title using Austin’s car.
Austin made it to the final in 2022 but was narrowly beaten by Sam Sam.
Jade “Jabu” Shoemangel
Jade “Jabu” Sheomangal has been spinning for 16 years – longer than some competitors have been driving.
Jabu is a true one-man operation: he builds his own cars, his own motors and does his own repairs.
He competed at the 2025 Red Bull Shay’ iMoto in Durban but didn’t make the top eight.
He’s come back sharper, hungrier and determined to show South Africa’s best what the Northern Cape is made of.
Kendall “Kenzo” Oliphant
Kendal “Kenzo” Oliphant is a diesel trade apprentice by day and a spinning force by night.
Born in June 2004, the Kimberley native shares the spinning gene with his sister Kaylin Oliphant – but Kenzo is building his own path. A new name. A familiar fire.
Chadwin “Boksie” Hadjie
Cape Town’s Chadwin “Boksie” Hadjie doesn’t do quiet entrances. The 2024 Red Bull Shay’ iMoto champion has spent close to a decade perfecting his craft, building a reputation as one of the Cape’s most relentless competitors.
His title run in Cape Town proved what the spinning scene already knew; Boksie doesn’t back down. He returned to Durban in 2025 to defend his title – falling to Panjaro in a razor-edge final that had 4 000 fans on their feet.
Justin “Bemors” Williams
Justin “Bemors” Williams was raised in Ravensmead on the Cape Flats, where spinning isn’t a hobby, it’s a language.
He’s been behind the wheel since he was 12, inspired by the local legends who turned street corners into stages.
He carries the energy, heart and culture of the Cape Flats into every performance. His goal is simple: inspire the next generation across South Africa to turn passion into something powerful.
Tyler “King Tyler” Newman
Tyler “King Tyler” Newman’s spinning story started before he could reach the pedals. Originally from Jamestown near Stellenbosch, he grew up watching his father compete.
At 10, he got behind the wheel of his dad’s BMW E30 for the first time. Four years into his competitive career – racing under the Team Unknown banner from Alberton – he’s turning heads with raw talent and a deep conviction that spinning will grow beyond South Africa’s borders.
Turshaan “Bubu” Martins
Turshaan “Bubu” Martins comes from Kokstad – a small town with a big reputation in the spinning world.
He’s been spinning since the age of 12 as part of KDS Street Crew and helped KZN win the Battle of the Provinces title.
Bubu arrives at Red Bull Shay’ iMoto 2026 with regional titles, battle scars and something to prove on the national stage.
Raymond “Porra” Sello
Tsietsi Raymond “Porra” Sello represents the Free State with confidence earned through years of competition.
With no past Red Bull Shay’ iMoto experience under his belt, Porra knows the format, knows the pressure, and knows what it takes to perform when the judges and the crowd are watching.
He’s not here just to compete. He’s here to win.
Raeez “2 x Spicy” Weir
At just 19, Raees Weir has already ticked off one of life’s big goals: competing at Red Bull Shay’ iMoto.
In 2025 he made the top eight in Durban before being knocked out – a result that stung, but one that sharpened him.
Letecia “Tish” Venter
Letecia “Team Tish” Venter lets her driving do the talking. The 26-year-old from Ennerdale has been spinning for three years and already holds a second-place Spinderella finish from 2025.
Quiet off the track, relentless on it, she brings a precision-first approach that catches competitors off guard.
Her motivation in life is “I can do anything I put my mind to”.
Yusuf Fakir
Yusuf “Team VQ25” Fakir is 22 years old from Mitchell’s Plain and hungry for the title.
Driving an old-school Ford Sierra powered by a Nissan VQ25 engine, he’s spent two consecutive years competing at Red Bull Shay’ iMoto – each time sharper.
Whats the difference between spinning and drifting?
Many people have asked me what makes spinning so different from drifting and what makes it so special?
Firstly, spinning uses naturally aspirated engines with lightweight bodies that give the car the ability to manoeuvre easily.
Austin performs at the Red Bull Shay’iMoto at Wheelz ‘n Smoke, Johannesburg, South Africa, on September 3, 2022. Picture: Red Bull Content PoolThese setups are reasonably easy to build and much cheaper than drift cars that use turbocharged engines with a lot more power.
Drifting usually takes place on a race track which allows more air circulation into the engine bay to cool the radiator, while spinning usually takes place in an open pitch or parking lot, which is much smaller, so drivers install bigger radiators to help cool the engine.
To put it into perspective, if spinners were to use turbocharged engines, their cars would heat up much faster and this could lead to head gasket damage.
Drifters also use hydraulic handbrakes to help them manoeuvre the cars at high speeds, whereas spinners use their throttle and clutch to control the vehicle at much lower speeds.
According to one of the Red Bull drift brothers, Elias Hountonji, spinners have to use the momentum of their cars to get these stunts right in small spaces.
If the spinners don’t get the timing perfect, they will not be able to perform these moves.
When it comes to competitive drifting, two drivers usually go head to head in a tandem drift where one driver leads and one driver follows.
In spinning, each driver gets an allocated time in which they must complete a set of obstacles.
Once they are done with the obstacles, they can then do stunts, where they use the throttle and steering lock to perform dangerous stunts to thrill the crowd.
Once the spinner is done with his round, the next spinner will take their turn before they are judged.
Spinning is an originally South African sport that started on the street, but as law enforcement became stricter, promotors have been formalising spinning and made it an official motorsport.
Previous winners of Red Bull Shay’ iMoto
Sam Sam poses for a portrait after winning Red Bull Shay’ iMoto in Johannesburg, South Africa, on 11 September 2021. Picture: Red Bull Content Pool- 2019: Vernon “Veejaro” Hendricks – Wheelz and Smoke arena
- 2020: Katlego “King Katra” Makgoshi – Secret Location due to Covid
- 2021: Samkeliso “Sam Sam” Thubane – Wheelz and Smoke arena
- 2022: Samkeliso “Sam Sam” Thubane – Wheelz and Smoke arena
- 2023: Competition was on a hiatus
- 2024: Chadwin “Boksie” Hadjie – Century City Boulevard
- 2025: Jean “Panjaro” Kruger – Suncoast Casino
Red Bull Shay’ iMoto top 8 predictions
This year Red Bull Shay iMoto is going to be very tough because all of these spinners are very talented. This is my Top eight prediction:
- Jean “Panjaro” Kruger
- Yusuf Fakir
- Prince “Magesh Jnr” Ndaba
- Justin “Bemors” Williams
- Austin “Austy” Kruger
- Raeez “2 x Spicy” Weir
- Robin Fortuin
- Chadwin “Boksie” Hadjie