Kyalami 1548

Kyalami

The home of the South African Grand Prix from 1967, the original Kyalami was a superb circuit with a long main straight cresting the brow of a hill opposite the pits before descending to the demanding first corner at Crowthorne.

The home of the South African Grand Prix from 1967, the original Kyalami was a superb circuit with a long main straight cresting the brow of a hill opposite the pits before descending to the demanding first corner at Crowthorne. Curiously, while other sports severed links with South Africa during apartheid, the Grand Prix remained until some teams boycotted the 1985 race. The race was restored to the calendar in 1992 just as apartheid was ending. That was on a rebuilt circuit that used part of the existing track but lacked the splendour of the old circuit. Since overtaking was now almost impossible, processional races became the rule at Kyalami, with qualifying even more important than at many other circuits. The race only returned once more as Kyalami struggled financially. It was acquired by Porsche South Africa in July 2014 and upgraded to international standard in time for the 2016 season. Unfortunately, Pete Revson was killed while testing at Kyalami in 1974 and both Tom Pryce and marshal Frederick Jansen van Vuuren lost their lives during the Grand Prix three years later.

Circuit

Type

Permanent road course

Length

2.81 (Miles)

Change

New section between Turns 13 and 14 and extended to Crowthorne Bend

Latest Races

3,436

Championships

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19,708

Results

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25,581

Drivers

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14,632

Teams

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923

Circuits

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