Sung Kang will be in South Africa to promote his upcoming movie, Drifter, and star as the headline guest at the Gas Motorshow International 2026.

As anticipation builds for one of South Africa’s biggest automotive shows in Durban in mid-June, Cape Town and Johannesburg petrolheads will get to meet up with the show’s headline star, Sung Kang, for an exclusive park-off event ahead of the Gas Motorshow International 2026, writes News24 Motoring editor Janine van der Post.

 
The Gas Auto Show is revving up to open its gates to the biggest automotive show in the country from 13-14 June at Suncoast Casino in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal.

Known as a petrolhead nirvana of all things motoring, the Gas Motorshow International 2026 has seen many special guests pull in from all over the world for several years now, including Murda Nova from the popular US street racing reality show, Street Outlawz.

For 2026, it’s no different, and show organisers Harry Naidoo and Yash Ori have added Sung Kang of Fast and Furious fame as this year’s headline guest. Kang will also be promoting his upcoming film, Drifter.

Kang has never been to South Africa, and he is as much a petrolhead in real life as he is in the movies. He wants to see what the local car scene has to offer and see what kind of cars we’re driving on SA streets.

Thus, the show organisers have created a Gas Motorshow National Tour, so both Kang and locals, who are unable to attend the Durban show, can meet with the ultra-cool star in both Johannesburg (9 June) and Cape Town (10 June) as a run-up to the massive two-day event next weekend.

Tickets for the two gatherings can be purchased online at Webtickets, from R395. Both park-offs are about 85% sold out, so there’s still a chance for locals to get in on the ultimate hook-up.

Both events allow a limited number of 150 attendees to display their vehicles on the nights, via an application and approval process to [email protected] or by contacting 072 222 8946 for the Johannesburg event (Fast5 Motorsport Raceway), and for Cape Town (Granger Bay) via [email protected].

But just how did Cape Town get added to the list?

The founder of the event, Naidoo, said: “The City of Cape Town has been so good to us, so we thought, why not? It’s a great opportunity for Cape Town fans who can’t attend the main event in Durban to meet Sung Kang.”

Following explosive growth over the past few years and attracting more than 30 000 spectators, the 2026 edition officially steps onto the international stage with global celebrities, international music artists, world-class stunt entertainment, and an upgraded festival experience unlike anything previously seen on the continent.

What to expect at the main event in Durban

More than just a motor show

The Gas Motorshow International festival has evolved into a multi-platform entertainment experience combining automotive culture, music, lifestyle and action sports into one world-class festival.

Naidoo told News24 the festival continues to attract a diverse audience of automotive enthusiasts, families, lifestyle consumers, music fans and youth culture audiences, making it one of the most commercially and culturally relevant events on the African entertainment calendar.

There’s a certain generation of petrolheads who only became car fans in 2001, when Vin Diesel and the late Paul Walker graced the silver screen as Dominic Toretto and Brian O’Conner. The Fast and Furious movie franchise has a legacy of suped-up, fast cars, ridiculous and almost impossible stunts, yet we would watch all 10 movies on repeat whenever it comes on DStv, and that’s pretty often.

Tokyo Drift is the third movie in the Fast and Furious franchise, where the world met Sung Kang, who played the role of Han Lue, the ultra-cool, snack-obsessed character. Most people don’t know that Kang’s breakthrough role came in 2002 with the film Better Luck Tomorrow, directed by Justin Lin, where he also played Han Lue, a laid-back gang member. This character became a fan favourite and was later incorporated into the Fast & Furious franchise, appearing in The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift (2006), Fast & Furious (2009), Fast Five (2011), Fast & Furious 6 (2013), F9: The Fast Saga (2021), and Fast X (2023).

Ranked among the top two automotive and lifestyle festivals in Africa, the Gas Motorshow International returns to Durban on 13–14 June 2026 for its biggest and most ambitious edition yet.

Anticipation builds

Organisers have hinted that several major announcements and surprise reveals are still to come in the lead-up to the festival, encouraging fans to follow the Gas Motorshow social media pages closely over the coming days.

Ticket information

Gates open at 09:00 daily, closing at midnight on Saturday and 23:00 on Sunday.

Ticket prices range from R300 to R1 500, depending on category and experience level. Children under-10 enter free of charge.

Tickets are available online through Webtickets and at Pick ’n Pay stores nationwide.

Listen to the latest Driving with J9 episode on all your favourite podcast platforms.