There’s a certain kind of energy you don’t forget. It builds slowly at first, humming beneath the surface, before erupting into something that rattles through your chest and stays with you long after the moment has passed. That energy is returning to Tarlton Raceway on 28 March 2026, and this time, it carries the unmistakable presence of SABAT Batteries at its centre.
It’s a proud revival of a relationship between an iconic South African brand and a sport defined by speed, spectacle, and raw mechanical power. More than that, it marks the beginning of a new chapter, one that looks to honour a rich motorsport heritage while opening the gates to a broader, more curious audience ready to experience something genuinely different.
A legacy reawakened through speed
SABAT’s connection to motorsport stretches back decades, to a time when performance and reliability were not just product attributes, but identity. The brand once positioned itself as the fastest-moving battery in South Africa, and there is something almost poetic about that idea finding new life on a drag strip in some of the fastest cars in South Africa.
“The alignment feels natural,” says Shawn Goetsh, Gauteng South Regional Manager, SABAT Batteries. “If you want to demonstrate speed in its purest form, you don’t do it subtly. You do it where the fastest machines in the country line up, engines screaming, waiting for the moment everything unleashes at once.”
At Tarlton, that moment happens in seconds, but it leaves a lasting impression. It is this intensity — immediate, unapologetic, and impossible to ignore — that makes the partnership feel less like a marketing decision and more like a return to form.
Not all racing feels like this
There is a tendency to group all motorsport into the same category, but drag racing exists in its own world. It is shorter, louder, more visceral, with no slow build across laps or gradual strategy unfolding. Instead, everything is compressed into a few explosive seconds where power, control, and nerve collide.
We’re talking about:
• Funny Cars: 3000+ horsepower monsters that can hit over 300 km in seconds
• Jet Car: powered by an actual jet engine, delivering an experience closer to an aircraft than a car
• Pro-level machines built purely for speed, precision, and spectacle
SABAT is backing two Funny Cars piloted by Dalmain Hattingh and Nico Van Rensburg and a jet-powered dragster piloted by Nico van Renasburg, a machine so rare that very few exist globally, and even fewer have ever been seen in South Africa. “We want to be associated with the very edge of what is possible in motorsport,” says Goetsh.
The people who carried the flame
What makes this moment even more significant is the history behind it. Drag racing in South Africa did not simply appear; it was built by individuals who believed in its potential long before it had mainstream attention.
Figures like Mick van Rensburg helped shape the foundation of drag racing in South Africa. As the founder of Tarlton International Raceway in 1977, he brought American-style drag racing to local soil and built a culture driven by engineering excellence and an uncompromising love of speed. That legacy continues today through his son, Nico van Rensburg, and a new generation of drivers who have carried the sport forward through decades of change.
“As a key sponsor of both the track and drivers during the drag races, SABAT is looking to the future of this sport, as well as recognising the people and the passion that made this moment possible in the first place,” says Goetsh.
A track finding its rhythm again
Like many sporting venues, Tarlton Raceway felt the impact of the past few years. The silence of lockdowns, the slow return of events, and the challenge of rebuilding momentum all left their mark. But beneath that, the appetite for the sport never disappeared.
What SABAT is investing in is not just an event calendar, but a resurgence. There is a clear intent to restore the track to its former energy while expanding what it can offer through more cars, more competitors, and a more engaging experience for spectators who may be discovering drag racing for the first time.
With hundreds of competitors expected at major events and growing national interest, the signs are already there. The engines are warming up again, and the crowd is starting to return.
More than a race day
What awaits visitors on 28 March is not a narrow, niche experience reserved for enthusiasts alone. It is a full day out, designed to be shared. The sound, the smell, the anticipation — all of it combines with a more relaxed, accessible environment where families, friends, and first-time spectators can find their place.
There is something unexpectedly compelling about standing trackside, feeling the ground shake as a car launches, and realising that this level of performance exists just metres away. It is immersive in a way that few other sports can match, and it does not require prior knowledge to appreciate it.
The fact that children under 12 can attend for free only reinforces the idea that this is about opening the experience up, not closing it off.
With Funny Cars and the Jet Car set to headline the day, this is not the kind of event you hear about after the fact. It is one you experience firsthand.
Find out more and book your tickets here.