Sun, sweat and soil – and oil! The middle of nowhere, 200 km north of Upington, provides the perfect setting for screaming, shining metal. Speedweek is all about putting the need for speed on display. Who truly has nerves of steel to match their machines? Nick van der Leek took his camera along to discover the meaning of the term “no speed limits”.
South Africa’s petrolheads converged on the isolated Hakskeenpan for nine days to unleash their need for speed. Machines and metal came in all shapes and sizes, from gleaming Porsche Speedsters to rusting hunks of junk that appeared to have rolled off the set of a Mad Max movie. The mix was very interesting, with everything from laid-back bikers (who set the speed record of 321 km/h,) the all-swagger custom guys from Cape Town and the older chaps, to high rollers with the most expensive and fastest cars. About six small planes also landed on the pan. Its massive 600-square kilometres provided a giant canvas for boys to play with toys, and a lovely setting to photograph petrol at its most powerful.
Read a full report of this event in the December 2012 issue of CAR, on sale 19 November.