Kyalami

History

The original, sweeping circuit was designed and cleared by Harry Pierce and Dick Bremner along with a few friends and workers in the mid-1950s. The two were also responsible for the hosting and housing of early race teams that ventured to Africa to try out the new track with Bremner being the chairman of the South African Automotive Racing Association. The circuit was opened in 4 November 1961 with the race of Kyalami 9 Hours. Its first major international event was in 1961 until political sanctions (due to apartheid policies) eliminated the Grand Prix after the 1985 race. The final race at the original circuit was held in 26 November 1988.

Original layout: 1961–1988

The clockwise track layout was based on a long straight with nine corners that had their naming inspired by a mix of local geography, South African cultural elements, and racing terminology. A lap started in close to the pit lane entrance on the Main Straight - a straight that lead downhill into the first bend.

1. Crowthorne Corner – A tight right-hander, being the first turn after the start-finish straight. The corner was named after the Crowthorne Hotel, located near this particular section of the circuit.
2. Barbecue Bend A second right-hand medium speed bend likely named after the tradition of South African barbecues (braais), which were often held near this section of the track during race events.
3. Jukskei Sweep This was a long, fast left-hand curve, named for the Jukskei River, which runs near the track. The river itself is named after the traditional Afrikaaner game of Jukskei (similar to horse-shoes), which was played by early settlers.
4. Sunset Bend A fast right-hander considered one of the iconic corners on the track. It was so named because the corner often forced drives to face the setting sun while navigating this section of the track.
5. Clubhouse Bend A 90-degree left-hander named after the motorsport clubhouse that was located at this bend on the track.
6. Esses 1 Bend one: initial left-hander.
7. Esses 2. Right-handed 90-degree bend, leading to steep uphill into turn 8.
8. Leeukop Bend Leeukop was a tight right-hand hairpin that led onto the initial part of the long straight. This corner was named after Leeukop hill (Lion’s Head), a common and prominent geographical naming feature in South African topography. It also referred to the Leeukop Prison that was located behind the hill on adjacent land.
9. The Kink This was a right deviation in the track splitting the main straight into two sections.

Revised layout: 1989 to present

When the circuit was rebuilt in 1989 as part of a commercial development, Leeukop Bend, the Kink, Pit lane, the start/finish straight, Crowthorne Corner and Barbecue Bend were all eliminated. Jukskei Sweep was heavily modified to create the entrance into the bend before the then newly built Pit lane and start/finish straight. The remaining part of the old fast circuit, modified to a lesser degree were Sunset Bend, Clubhouse Bend and the Esses still incorporated into the current configuration, with the result that the circuit became a narrow, twisty ribbon rather than one of the fastest circuits on the calendar. Formula One abandoned the rebuilt circuit in 1993 after just two races on the new layout, caused by a bankruptcy on the part of the promoter.

It hosted the South African motorcycle Grand Prix until 1992.

Kyalami was changed again with the building of the current pit lane and start/finish straight and later again changes were made, with the addition of a chicane which in turn was removed again for the 2009 World Superbike race. Kyalami came under new management and 2008 saw the 50th anniversary of the 9-hour revival being held at Kyalami with golden oldies like David Piper and others. On 6 June 2014, it was announced that Kyalami would be auctioned off on 24 July without reserve. On 24 July 2014, it was auctioned off for R205 million. The winning bidder was Toby Venter, owner of Porsche South Africa. R100 million was invested to upgrade the circuit, allowing it to successfully obtain an FIA Grade 2 status.

On 12 December 2019, the provisional calendar for the 2020–21 FIA World Endurance Championship was announced, containing a six-hour race at Kyalami scheduled for 6 February 2021. However, after the calendar was revised due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Kyalami was removed.

Layout history

File:Kyalami 1961 - 1967.jpg|The original grand prix circuit layout in red built in 1961, 26 feet wide and measuring 4.094 km File:Kyalami 1968 - 1987.jpg|The widened layout in red built in 1968, 36 feet wide and 40 feet from the Kink to Crowthorne and measuring 4.104 km File:Kyalami 1961 - 1988 Layout.png|Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (1968–1988) File:Kyalami1988.png|Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (1989–1991) File:Kyalami 1992 Layout.png|Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (1992–1993, 2009–2015) File:Kyalami.svg|Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (1994–2008) File:Kyalami 16.png|Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (2015–present)

South African Grand Prix

From 1967 to 1993, Kyalami hosted 21 editions of the South African Grand Prix. Perhaps the most infamous of these was the 1982 edition, when the Grand Prix Drivers' Association staged a strike in protest of new superlicence conditions imposed by FISA.

Niki Lauda became the most successful driver at Kyalami, taking his third victory at the circuit in 1984. Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell and Jackie Stewart are the joint second-most successful drivers at the circuit, with two wins each. Jody Scheckter became the first and only South African driver to win their home race during the 1975 edition. Ferrari and Williams are the most successful constructors at the circuit, with four wins each.

In June 2022 it was reported that Stefano Domenicali, the President of Formula One, had flown to South Africa to meet representatives of the circuit about a possible return for F1 in 2023, but was not included in the 2023 provisional calendar.

Events

; Current

• July: South African Endurance Series Kyalami 4 Hours
• November: South African Endurance Series Kyalami 9 Hours

; Former:

• A1 Grand Prix
  • 2008–09 A1 Grand Prix of Nations, South Africa (2009)
• Birkin Cars/TVR Invitational Race (1995)
• Formula One
  • South African Grand Prix (1967–1985, 1992–1993)
• Grand Prix Masters (2005)
• Grand Prix motorcycle racing
  • South African motorcycle Grand Prix (1983–1985, 1992)
• Intercontinental GT Challenge
  • Kyalami 9 Hours (2019–2020, 2022–2023)
• Rand Grand Prix (1961–1965)
• South African Formula Atlantic Championship (1976–1979)
• South African Formula One Championship (1961–1975)
• South African Springbok Championship Series
  • Kyalami 9 Hours (1965–1973)
• Sidecar World Championship (2000, 2002)
• Sports Racing World Cup
  • Vodacom Festival of Motor Racing (1998–2000)
• Superbike World Championship
  • Kyalami Superbike World Championship round (1998–2002, 2009–2010)
• Supersport World Championship (1998–1999, 2002, 2009–2010)
• Superstars Series (2009–2010)
• World Sportscar Championship
  • Kyalami 1000 km (1974, 1983–1984)

Lap records

As of December 2024, the fastest official race lap records of the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit are listed as:

Notes

References

References

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