Engines revved and tyres smoked as the Kimberley Easter Drags took centre stage on the old Bloemfontein Road leading to Boshof. Out‑of‑town racer Charlotte Czank set the fastest time of the day with 9.902 seconds.
Image: Danie van der Lith
ENGINES revved and spinning wheels made tyres smoke as the Kimberley Easter Drags took centre stage on the old Bloemfontein Road leading to Boshof. A quiet stretch of tarmac was transformed into the loudest spot in the Northern Cape, echoing with the sound of redlining engines and rubber tearing into asphalt.
From early Saturday morning, 52 cars and bikes were offloaded and lined up, each machine primed for a shot down the 400‑metre strip. The crowd on day one was solid – families with picnic baskets, die-hard petrolheads in earmuffs, and curious passers‑by drawn in by the thunderous roar.
Petrolheads lined the streets on the old Bloemfontein Road leading to Boshof to get their fill of burning tyres and the smell of petrol during the Kimberley Easter Drags.
Image: Danie van der Lith
ALL OUT ACTION FROM THE START
Local driver Shaun Barnes drew cheers when he pointed his familiar Ford Escort at the lights. The green bulb flashed, and the Escort leapt forward, front wheels featherlight. Shaun blasted through the finish beams in 10.059 seconds, locking down the second‑quickest pass of the weekend.
Not long after, an out‑of‑town racer, Charlotte Czank by name, edged her bakkie into the burnout box. The very sexy-looking bakkie looked fast, but nobody knew how fast until she floored it. With tyres howling and the rear end squatting, Charlotte ripped down the track in 9.902 seconds. The time took top spot overall and set a new Kimberley record for a female driver.
The Barnes name rang out again when Shaun’s father, Neville Barnes, rolled forward in his new V8. Having retired his old workhorse, Neville was sitting pretty in comfort, something he was not used to on the track. Even so, he managed a steady 14.215 seconds, proving there’s life left in the veteran racer yet.
Well known Kimberley racer Neville Barnes was also on the track.
Image: Danie van der Lith
THE BIKERS STEP UP
While the cars cooled, Shane Stoltz fired up his Suzuki GSXR 1000.
On two wheels, reaction time is everything, and Shane nailed the launch – front tyre skimming the strip as he rocketed to a 9.069‑second run at 246.1 km/h. It was the quickest bike pass of the weekend and had spectators shaking their heads in disbelief.
Shane Stoltz fired up his Suzuki GSXR 1000, and on two wheels, he rocketed to a 9.069‑second run at 246.1 km/h.
Image: Danie van der Lith
Sunday morning brought heavy clouds that threatened rain. The grandstands were thinner, but the action kept rolling. Drivers squeezed in as many passes as possible before officials, eyeing a darkening sky, waved the final chequered flag just after lunch.
By late afternoon, the road was quiet again, littered with tyre shreds and the fading smell of race fuel. Fewer entries than last year and a smaller crowd on Sunday didn’t dampen the buzz.
Fans were left talking about the fast cars, fast bikes and Shane’s blazing Suzuki as well as Charlotte Czank’s record‑setting run in her bakkie. In short, the 2025 Kimberley Easter Drags once again proved that a quarter mile can pack more excitement into 10 seconds than most people find in a whole weekend.
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