Hundreds lined up along South Mall for a spectacular showAmazing Red Bull Homerun in Cork

Hundreds have lined the widest street in Cork city this evening – and the air is thick with the smell of burning rubber – as Red Bull takes over South Mall for its Homerun spectacular.

And it’s a great evening for it, with no umbrellas necessary for the crowds that have thronged the pavements. And while some watched from the ground, others viewed the high-octane bonanza from watch parties on the floors above South Mall. You can see some of the incredible drifting action in the video above.

The top attraction this evening is the iconic Oracle Red Bull Racing RB7, with former Formula One driver and Red Bull exhibition driver Patrick Friesacher behind the wheel. Yesterday, firefighters in Glengarriff got a sneak peek at the RB7, pausing for a quick selfie with the 750-horsepower machine and its driver.

The RB7, built by the Red Bull team in 2011, achieved 12 wins in its time as a competitor on the track. The V8-powered car helped Red Bull secure both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ World Championships in 2011, winning 12 of the 19 Grands Prix that season.

South Mall absolutely packed for Red Bull Homerun(Image: CorkBeo)

Families have also lined up this evening to see Cork’s own two-time Drift Masters Champion, Conor Shanahan from Killavullen in his Toyota GT86. Other drivers include five-time Formula DRIFT Champion James Deane, Conor’s Drift Master brother Jack Shanahan and 18-year-old Cork driver Conor Falvey.

And for those driving around the city in more everyday vehicles tonight, note that South Mall will be closed in its entirety until midnight, while all side roads from Oliver Plunkett Street and South Mall will be closed until 11pm approximately.

It’s been an action-packed day for South Mall, Cork city’s traditional money street of banks, solicitors and accountants’ offices – but the character of the area has been changing a lot in recent months, with plans approved for more new homes overlooking the street – the perfect vantage point for any future Red Bull spectaculars.

Sign up here to get the latest What’s On news from Cork Beo direct to your inbox