Afghan Motorsports: Redefining Culture

In Afghanistan, automotive enthusiasts are reshaping the country's cultural landscape with their passion for motorsports.

Mechanic Zabiullah Momand revs his sports car engine outside his garage in Afghanistan's capital Kabul before letting it settle back to a purr, the cherry red twin-turbo machine pristine in a dented Mercedes Benz skeleton.

"I own the only 2JZ engine in Afghanistan," he said, standing next to the car he modified himself -- a Frankenstein of a gutted Mercedes body, fitted with a canary yellow roll cage and 420-horsepower engine plucked from a Toyota Supra.

A far cry from the ubiquitous Toyota Corollas that clog Kabul's traffic-choked streets, Momand's speedster is part of a fleet of cars imported or modified by a small but growing cadre of motorsports devotees in Afghanistan.

After decades of war, motorists are taking advantage of newfound security to put their souped-up cars against each other in races, or show off drifting skills.

A community of enthusiasts grew in the past decade, several drivers said, but there has been a leap in interest in the past two years.

While more events are taking place, the venues are a long way from resembling the professional tracks lined with crowds and advertisements that bankroll prizes found in other countries.

The tournament was postponed twice and doesn't have sponsorship or a cash prize, but while Rahbar said there isn't a culture of motorsports yet in the country, curiosity is growing.

Taliban authorities policed the hundreds-strong crowd that jostled along a blocked off main Kabul road for the first drag races of the Victory Cup event, sometimes swinging sticks to push back eager spectators spilling into the street with their phones out.

A handful of women also cheered on the drivers, as they enjoyed a rare opportunity for leisure in a country where women are broadly excluded from public life.