Porsche SA wants to return Kyalami racetrack to its glory days

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After paying a record R205m at auction last month for the iconic circuit that has hosted local motorsport, Formula One, MotoGP and World Superbikes, Porsche SA CEO Toby Venter says he intends to bring the track back to its former glory. After paying a record R205m at auction last month for the iconic circuit that has hosted local motorsport, Formula One, MotoGP and World Superbikes, Porsche SA CEO Toby Venter says he intends to bring the track back to its former glory.

Porsche South Africa CEO, Toby Venter wants to return Kyalami racetrack to its glory days as the motorsport track will be repaired and the structures painted.

After paying a record R205m at auction held in Joburg last month for the iconic circuit that has hosted local motorsport, Formula One, MotoGP and World Superbikes, Mr Venter says he intends to bring the track back to its former glory.

“The purchase was driven by passion and emotion, but it was underpinned by business,” he says. “It is a perfect fit for our businesses.”

Porsche SA’s racing department is relocating to the circuit after some housekeeping, and Mr Venter promises a revitalised Kyalami will take shape before the end of the year.

The track will be repaired and the structures painted.

The track has to bring in about R800,000 a week to be sustainable, let alone profitable. Despite the decay, it was still being rented out for more than R100,000 a day.

“We are not looking at Kyalami as a developer would. We are looking at it as an arm of our business,” Mr Venter says.

So does that mean it will be renamed Porsche Kyalami, or even Ventersdorp or Carreralami, as some have joked?

No, Mr Venter laughs. It will remain Kyalami, a name that is entrenched both locally and internationally.

He wants to return the track to its glory days. “We have a framework idea, but the details will have to be filled in. We want to bring the old spirit of the track back where you can park alongside it and have a braai,” Mr Venter says.

There is the possibility that fancy buildings with hospitality suites will be constructed. The bomas — most of which have been abandoned — will have to go. The circuit was “over boma’ed”, Mr Venter says.

There were plans to build a massive shopping centre alongside the track, a multistorey pit lane complex and even a hotel that would straddle a stretch of the track to create a Monacostyle tunnel.

Mr Venter says he has no intention of “overdeveloping” the facility. He is planning to travel to some international circuits for inspiration.

He is keen to plant thousands of trees, to offset Porsche SA’s carbon footprint, as was done at the McLaren factory in England.

He wants to create a park-like environment similar to that at the Monza track in Italy and the circuit in Melbourne, Australia.

He also wants to visit Silverstone, a track that was also in dire straits just a few years ago, which was completely revamped.

Silverstone is also home to a Porsche Experience Centre, which includes a restaurant, fitness facilities, hospitality and one of the brand’s advanced driving schools.

Mr Venter is keen to build the same type of facility at Kyalami. He says he would also like to establish a motoring and motorsport museum at Kyalami, possibly in the old pit complex.

He wants Kyalami to become a home to all things motoring and motorsport in SA, emphasising that he wants other manufacturers to return to the facility. “The support has been overwhelming; people will now start creative thinking,” he says.

There are also plans to talk to the banks, most of which have a long history of association with SA motorsport and some have already shown an interest in getting involved at the circuit again.

Then there are car launches, which Mr Venter regards as a potentially significant contributor to the circuit’s revenue. “The facilities lend themselves to vehicle launches,” he says.

Will photographers be pushing their long lenses through the fences to spy on prototypes of future Porsche models on the track?

Possibly, Mr Venter grins.

One thing that is not on the cards is Formula One. The track is no longer suitable for Formula One without significant changes, and this is not a high priority on Mr Venter’s list.

Other international championship events will be considered — motorbike racing is a possibility and there is an obvious fit with the Porsche Carrera Cup.

Other options could be World Touring Cars or even a round of the World Endurance Championship, but these events are not currently being considered.

Once the transfer of ownership is completed, the real hard work will begin and Mr Venter is adamant that he is in it for the long haul.

“Collectively, as a motor industry, there is an effort to try to return to the halcyon days motorsport had before,” says Porsche SA spokesman Christo Kruger.


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