Kyalami’s F1 return (again)?

Kyalami’s F1 return (again)?

Image: kyalamigrandprixcircuit.com

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The year 1993. Animal-print clothing was considered hip; X-Files aired, but in F1, Alain Prost sealed his fourth F1 Driver’s Championship in a Renault RS5 V10-powered Williams, which also happened to be his last title. Kyalami was the opening round of the season and set the stage for Sauber’s debut on the grand stage. It was also the last time that motorsport’s Grand Circus made an appearance at the storied venue, following a lengthy stint since its calendar debut in 1961.  

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It’s been a while since those V8s, V10s, and V12 screamers rattled the foundations of the-then pit complex, but not all hope is lost. Yes, it feels like a sequel to the last time that we got our hopes up, and as I’m writing this, I’m trying to remain cautiously optimistic, but we may well be on the brink of Kyalami once again hosting a South African Grand Prix. May being the operative keyword here… 

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So, what has changed since the last time we emptied our piggy banks to be able to afford a decent seat on the promised land? Mr. Gayton McKenzie (you may know him as the Minister of Sports, Arts, and Culture) shook hands with F1’s decision-makers, CEO Stefano Domenicali and the distinguished President of the FIA, Mohammed Ben Sulayem, at the Azerbaijan GP, discussing exactly what it will take to bring motorsport’s premier racing to our corner of the world. And according to McKenzie, SA is “one step closer” to hosting F1, with the minister further quoted as saying that he had an “extremely good meeting with President Mohammed Ben Sulayem of FIA.” 

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Nothing concrete then, so make of that what you will, but whether it’s a good indication of things to come or an excellent lesson in spinning around bureaucratic discussions from the minister’s PR team remains to be seen. For now, we choose to remain hopeful. 

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The next logical question pertains to why has it been nearly 32 years since the last South African GP? The short answer, without opening a can of worms, is that a lot has changed in the sport over the last three decades, and what was once a matter of bring-a-helmet and some courage isn’t necessarily on par with the FIA’s current requirements.  

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To help meet said requisites, Kyalami (currently FIA Grade 2) has announced today that it has officially enlisted the help of Apex Circuit Design—an outfit responsible for designing some of the world’s top-tier circuits—to assist in upgrading the iconic circuit to that of a Grade 1 FIA accredited track. This would include upgrades to areas such as safety (TecPro barriers and additional run-offs) and possibly some podium and hospitality upgrades.

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Other FIA Grade 1 regulations stipulate that a racetrack’s longest straight can’t be more than 2 kilometres, with Kyalami falling well within the parameters. The FIA’s rulebook also states that a circuit needs to be at least 3.5 kilometres long but not longer than 7 kilometres (Kyalami: 4.52 kilometres), with additional nits and grits requiring that the first corner must have a direction change of at least 45 degrees while the minimum starting grid width (15m) must be maintained through the first corner. 

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While the relevant stakeholders involved in South Africa’s most renowned racetrack continue to put all the pieces in place for a long-overdue F1 return to the racing calendar, all we can do for now is hope that Kyalami’s plans align with those of the FIA and Liberty Media, the owners of the F1 franchise. We may well see motorsport’s elite grace the hallowed blacktop once again, but for now it’s a waiting game with the prospect of a South African Grand Prix tantalisingly close. Here’s to giddy anticipation and fattening up those piggy banks again. 

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