How Porsche Saved Iconic South African Race Circuit
Daily Slideshow: Kyalami, one of the world's greatest racing circuits has been reborn with the help of South Africa's 'Mr. Porsche'.
Not a flat race track
Since opening in 1961, Kyalami has always been regarded as one of the world’s most challenging circuits. The name itself means ‘home’ in Zulu and for decades, it was the home of F1 and top-tier motorsport in Africa.
A fearsome circuit, which climbs and drops, it also features exceptionally tricky corners and daringly fast sweeps. Thirteen corners are distributed within a total circuit distance just short of 2.7 miles and if it was not for the vision of one man, this legendary high-altitude racing venue in Johannesburg would be no more.
Located in Africa’s most industrialized city, Kyalami has been desired by property developers for years, and with mismanagement having pushed the facility nearly to the brink, it appeared that bulldozers would soon clear it.
In the midst of Africa's wealthiest city, a celebrated circuit
The man who intervened had spent many weekends of his youth watching international superstars racing the pre-1988 version of Kyalami. He would later race there himself, a hobby which paralleled his primary career: as a sportscar marketeer without rival in Africa.
That man is Toby Venter, known simply as ‘Mr. Porsche’ in South Africa. The only independent Porsche distributor in the world, Venter’s passion for performance motorcars and motorsport is genuine and deep. And back in 2014, whilst bidding per mobile phone from a Porsche media launch event, he bought the effectively bankrupt Kyalami racing circuit for $19.5m. And the idea was not to resell it.
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A simply world class African race and motoring venue
Venter’s vision was to resurface the track to international standards, broaden it a touch and completely reconstruct all pit and hospitality facilities.
After nearly two years of construction, the circuit’s appeal as a venue is nearly unrecognizable from its neglected state when it was purchased in 2014. Corporate clients now rent the facility for conferences and many brands use it as a venue for launching high-performance motoring products.
Fittingly, Porsche uses Kyalami for high-altitude testing, and being located at just shy of 5000ft above sea level, it is one of the best places to finetune high-performance road and racing engines to ensure they run perfectly for customers who live in the Alps or the Rockies.
>>Join the conversation about Porsche saving Kyalami in South Africa right here in Rennlist.com!
Legendary corners renamed to what they were
True to his close history with Kyalami, Venter was adamant that its legacy be retained in a renaming of corners.
When corporate entities purchase a racing circuit, they usually rename corners after their own products or sell the naming rights to other companies. It grates traditionalists, who believe – quite rightly – that a circuit should only have a corner renamed in honor of a racing driver.
Venter renamed some of the ‘corporate’ corners that Kyalami’s previous owners had sold-off naming rights to in the late 1990s. This has meant that the circuit has reverted to many of the original corner names from the 1960s. ‘Barbeque’ bend is called such because spectators would always set-up their barbeques on its grass embankment. ‘Jukskei’ sweep is named after a river in the area. And a new name has been added. The last corner which leads onto the pit straight is now named ‘Ingwe’, which is the Zulu word for leopard.
>>Join the conversation about Porsche saving Kyalami in South Africa right here in Rennlist.com!
The man with the plan
Where others have purchased racing circuits and turned them into guarded venues, Toby Venter has revolutionized Kyalami by making it a venue for any and all motoring enthusiasts in South Africa’s most populous city.
Venter remembers going to his first race at Kyalami aged 12, in 1967, to witness an F1 Grand Prix. It was an experience that set him upon a path in life which would make him Porsche's key dealmaker in Africa and eventually, the savior of one of the world’s most revered old-school layout racing circuits.
>>Join the conversation about Porsche saving Kyalami in South Africa right here in Rennlist.com!
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