Midrand, Gauteng · ZA
Africa's premier racing circuit, rebuilt and modernized in 2015. Kyalami hosted F1 for decades and now anchors the Intercontinental GT Challenge 9 Hours, bringing world-class GT racing to the African continent.
Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit is a permanent racing circuit, located in Midrand, Gauteng. Drivers cover 4.529 km (2.814 miles) and 16 corners each lap, run clockwise.
The circuit opened in 1961 and holds FIA Grade 2 licensing. It appears on the GT calendar. Around 100,000 spectators can attend.
Kyalami opened on 4 November 1961, a 4.1 km circuit on the highveld designed by Basil Read, a founding member of the South African Motor Racing Club whose construction firm also built it. It quickly became the leading motorsport facility in southern Africa, and from 1967 it was on the Formula 1 calendar, holding eighteen championship Grands Prix on the original layout up to 1985.
Racing then stopped, and the land was worth more than the circuit. The rescue plan announced in 1988 sold off half the site for development and rebuilt the track lower down the hillside on cheaper ground. The redeveloped circuit brought Formula 1 back for 1992 and 1993, and the altitude — roughly 1,500 metres — still costs engines a noticeable slice of their power.
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