Odong says to save money, he learnt to fix his cars’s mechanical problems. PHOTOs/Edgar R. Batte
Nicholas Christian Odong does what not many other people can do. He can drift a car; rave up and rotate it safely in one spot. As onlookers cheer him on, a cloud of dust rises into the air, almost making his vehicle invisible. Odong’s kind of craft is what you are warned not to try at home. Akin to the story of your favourite wrestling star, it has taken him years of practice to perfect his craft as a professional stunt driver.
“A car stunt driver does tricks and special moves with a car. It involves taking a car left, right and turning it in different directions while doing different tricks. That is what I do,” Odong explains as he fixes a metallic nut onto an engine. He adds that because his car would often get mechanical faults, he had to learn how to fix them, thereby saving a considerable amount of money.
And he learnt through observing others. Whenever he took his car for repairs, he was keen to see what was being done in addition to asking questions and later on doing online research. Today, he confidently fixes many of his car’s mechanical issues and only spends money on acquiring spare parts.
It seemed quite obvious that Odong was destined to drive cars competitively. He enjoyed watching rallies and when his mother noticed his love for racing, she taught him how to drive at a tender age. Before becoming a teenager, he could drive a shift-gear car. His mother started him off on a drifting path and effortlessly did it, pulling up the handbrake and making the car slide in the rain and the grass.
“She would put me on her lap and show me how to drive. She drove a Toyota Corolla and a Peugeot,” he says.
Later, he would drive alone and show off his acquired skills by driving out of their home to the open fields where he had the freedom to try out the drifting antics his mother had taught him. One day, his display awed friends who recorded videos and shared them on social media platforms. Their followers noticed Odongo’s unique talent and were keen to find out where he would be drifting next.
Earnings
Besides the lessons his mother taught him, he also learnt from drifters online and how they pulled off the different stunts and tricks.
“Soon the video started circulating widely. I would go somewhere and people would ask, Tuwemu (give us a sample of what you do). I could only do it in an open field where it was safe,” he explains, adding that soon, those people interested in helping him commercialise his craft approached him.
That was 10 years ago. He started by charging Shs100,000 to those who wanted him to entertain audiences. Today, he charges anywhere between Shs200,000 and Shs800,000, depending on the magnitude of the event. You might have spotted him doing his thing in music videos of your favourite local musician. From the onset, Odong was sure drifting would become a source of livelihood so he made sure he was good at driving on and off the road.
Learning
When he acquired a driving permit, he continued seeking to get better so he would go out to drive on the road at night when there was less motor traffic. He also needed to become more competitive as a drifter so, he kept learning from YouTube.
He proudly shows off accolades he has won locally and regionally where he is invited to take part in drifting competitions.
He has won at the Kenya Drift Championship and the East Africa Drift Championship which attracted contenders from Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Zambia. He currently drives a Nissan 300ZX, 1991, which according to Car and Drive online platform, can go from zero to 60 mph in 6.7 seconds and rips through the quarter-mile in 15.0 seconds at 93 mph.
Odong says the Nissan is his car of choice because of its big and strong engine, adjustable roof and general outlook. Before, he drove three Nissan Skylines, which he highly values for his kind of driving style. He wants to keep driving the same kind of car but observes that classic cars are pricey owing to their value. He regrets letting go of his last Nissan Skyline.
“If I had known back then, I would have found a way to make the one I had perfect. Someone in Kenya purchased it. They boarded a plane to come and buy it because they knew its value,” he recollects.
The buyer later told him he sold it for triple the price he had bought it from Odong. He bought his current car at Shs25m. It was an automatic car but he turned it into a manual one because he prides himself on being in charge by shifting gears.
“It is the feeling of controlling the machine, and ‘telling’ it what to do. When you drive an automatic car, it is less engaging. With a manual car, you are going to use your mind and knowledge because it is not going to do anything for you and that is the best challenge,” he adds.
Specs
His current car has five gears but he has his eyes and mind on a Nissan Skyline R34- GTR Nissan.
“It is the only Nissan that is worth more than $500,000 (about Shs1.8b). Do you know why? It is a unique Nissan,” he explains, adding that he draws part of his ambition from watching the ‘The Fast and the Furious’ movies.
For his safety, Odong moves with a first aid kit, a fire extinguisher and a toolbox. He will check the car tyres and their pressure levels every morning and before embarking on any journey.
The drifter does not share his cars. He once allowed his friend to drive his car but they returned it in bad condition yet he did not have money for repairs. He had to park it for a while until he got money to fix it. It was a lesson learnt.
Parting shot
Odong graduated with a degree in Information Technology (IT) from ISBAT University in Kampala. I ask him how the degree has been helpful to him.
“A car is mainly about wiring and it is close to a computer. In fact, it has a computer. When I was starting out, my father bought me a car computer and that was the end (of me) relying on any mechanic,” he says.
