VEREENIGING – Petrolheads and selfie fanatics went wild on Thursday, September 18, as an actual Formula 1 car, the legendary Red Bull Racing RB8, made a pit stop at Astron Energy in Duncanville.

The jaw-dropping machine designed by Formula 1 genius Adrian Newey and once driven by world champion Sebastian Vettel alongside Mark Webber had fans breathless, phones flashing, and traffic slowing as it stood proudly outside the Fresh Stop garage.

Crowds gathered, some sneaking in quick poses while others bent low to admire the sleek engineering that once roared through Grand Prix tracks in the 2012 season.

Mike Nisbet, business consultant at Fresh Stop Astron Energy Duncanville, said bringing the racing beast to the Vaal was about giving locals a once-in-a-lifetime glimpse of Formula 1 magic.

“We wanted to allow our customers to see the car up close and personal. Formula one does not compete in South Africa currently, so this is the only chance that some people may get closer to a Formula 1 car,” he said.

“Red South Africa likes to have their cars on tour, and we’ve been lucky enough to have RB8 on site. This is the second year we’ve displayed Red bull cars, as last year we had RB18 in our premises,” he added.

Spoiling their customers even more, RB12 will be displayed at Fresh Stop Vanderbijlpark, Oasis filling station on Saturday, September 28.

Sibusiso Tshabalala – F1 fan, said, “It’s an honour to have the Formula 1 beast in our area. As a fan of F1 sport, one wouldn’t have dreamed of seeing this vehicle. Thanks to Astron for bringing the car closer to us.”

RB8 carries the Renault V8 engine as a fully stressed member Transmission with a seven-speed gearbox.

The supercar is longitudinally mounted with hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation [APRacing clutch].

The car was launched online on 6 February and made its debut at the first pre-season test at Jerez.