Kyalami’s rich heritage: can the magic happen again?
Local motorsport enthusiasts heaved a sigh of relief last week when the Kyalami circuit was purchased by Porsche SA.
EVEN F1. In 1992, the South African Grand Prix filled Kyalami to capacity. Picture: Tony Alves
The deal erased many nightmares that the hallowed ground would become factory fodder.
Porsche SA boss Toby Venter sent out the right signals when he said the company planned to restore Kyalami to a spectator-friendly, happy place where families could enjoy racedays – as it has been in the past.
We fervently hope that Porsche and Toby succeed with their vision.
Meanwhile, we reflected on the fact that every fan has his or her favourite memory of the circuit.
And to aid in our reflections we delved into a collection of photographs by Tony Alves. He has trudged many, many kilometres behind a camera lens around Kyalami in its current form.
The pictures aren’t set out according to an exact timeline. And yes, we know Jody Scheckter won the South African Grand Prix in a Tyrrell at Kyalami some years before.
However, most of our readers will surely remember Kyalami better in its current form.
People who still remember Crowthorne and Barbeque Corners are, like this writer, coffin dodgers. We probably won’t be around for much longer.
So we offer these memories to people who are still young and strong enough to visit Kyalami in the future.
We were there when all of these photographs were taken – maybe some of you were too.
Here’s to a new chapter in Kyalami’s story. May there be many more memories, come 2030.
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