The revs rise. The sawdust flies. And every second counts.
On Saturday 10 October from 14h00, head to the Industrial & Chainsaw Demo Area for one of the loudest, fastest and most unusual spectacles of the 2026 Royal Show:
𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗪 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚 — 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗛𝗟 𝘃𝘀 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝗾𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮, 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗯𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 & 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘄.
There is more history behind this event than you might think.
Chainsaw racing was a highlight of past Royal Shows. The competition even appeared on sports television and, by 2012, had developed into a national showcase for the sport.
Now Zayne Kemp and the Industrial & Chainsaw team are setting out to reignite it at the Royal Show's new home at Tweedie.
Chainsaw speed cutting isn't simply a matter of opening the throttle and attacking a log. It is a test of reaction, precision, control and outright speed.
Competitors begin with their saws stopped and on the ground. At the signal, they start their machines and race the clock to cut three complete discs from the timber inside a strictly marked cutting zone. Get it right and a run can be over astonishingly quickly. Get it wrong, and the rules are unforgiving.
It's a South African take on a much older international tradition of competitive lumberjack sport — the world of precision sawing and timber competition that also gave rise to events such as STIHL TIMBERSPORTS®.
For safety reasons, this is not an open-entry competition. The people behind the saws are being drawn from within the industry, where the machines, techniques and safety disciplines are understood.
So this one is for the crowd.
Come hear the engines. Watch the chips fly. Pick your side. And see just how much skill it takes to turn a working tool into a race against the clock.
𝗖𝗛𝗔𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗔𝗪 𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗚: 𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗛𝗟 𝘃𝘀 𝗛𝘂𝘀𝗾𝘃𝗮𝗿𝗻𝗮
𝗦𝗮𝘁 𝟭𝟬 𝗢𝗰𝘁𝗼𝗯𝗲𝗿
𝟭𝟰𝗵𝟬𝟬
𝗜𝗻𝗱𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹 & 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝘄 𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼 𝗔𝗿𝗲𝗮
Past. Present. Future. With a whole lot of horsepower in between!
