Kyalami rocked by Kyalami Motorsport Festival
FOURWAYS – Saturday's Kyalami Motorsport Festival was one to remember and gave new hope to motor enthusiasts.
The Kyalami race track is officially open for business and the roaring sound of fired up engines made that very clear.
On Saturday 22 April, the Kyalami track’s seats were filled with speed enthusiasts who attended the Kyalami Motorsport Festival.
The vibe at the festival was incredible, whilst families were sitting in the warm winter sun, enjoying the food from different vendors, the engines roared and the smell of burning tyres filled the air.
“Kyalami has been extensively and comprehensively renewed following the purchase of the iconic circuit at the end of 2014. Although the first race meeting was hosted at the new Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit last year, the activities of the past weekend represented the first race meeting for the 2017 calendar,” said Christo Kruger from Porsche Centre South Africa.
Read Celebrating the Kyalami Race Track – past, present and future
The G&H Transport Extreme Supercars was another Kyalami Motorsport Festival drawcard, but it was all about Kyalami owner Toby Venter, who not only blasted his Porsche 911 GTR to a popular double victory but also lowered his own class lap record by almost three seconds in the process. Venter beat Cape visitor Johan Engelbrecht who drove a JogaJoga Porsche, Charl Arangies who drove a Stradale Ferrari 430, Franco Scribante who drove a Ferrari 430 and Dawie Olivier who drove a BMW M3 in the first race.
The children’s play area provided a place for the children to make new friends and develop a love for motorsport at the same time.
The VIP section offered wholesome foods, beverages and gave the spectators a spectacular view of the ‘track straight’ where racers put their foot down and accelerated past the crowds.
Gennaro Bonafede (Sasol BMW) won the opening Sasol GTC brigade race from Simon Moss (Engen Audi), Johan Fourie (EPS Couriers BMW) and Mathew Hodges (VW Jetta) after early leader Michael Stephen (Engen Audi) slowed with mechanical bothers.
Racer Lee Thompson said it was a good outing for him and his team. Thompson took a clean sweep of pole position, two race wins and set a new lap record as he substituted for Shaun La Réserveé in the Alpine Pepper Racing Polo, but he was also delighted with the progress of his men, Charl Smallberger in his iCorp VW Genuine Parts LTR Golf GTI in Sasol GTC and Simon Need’s Photonics LTR Polo in the Engen VW Cup.
Read Biggest upgrade yet for Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit
Kruger said, the biggest winner on the day was the new Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, which not only delivered some great racing, but it also went down in a classic atmosphere as fans lapped up the action alongside their braais and friends at an iconic venue restored to its former glory. National racing returns to Kyalami in November.
Venter was delighted to see that his passion and vision for Kyalami is shared by many enthusiasts. The vision is to attract even bigger crowds, sharing the Kyalami magic with young and old.
