MOTORING NEWS - The 9-hour endurance race will return to Kyalami next year, contested by a full complement of international sports car teams. The announcement was made by Toby Venter of Kyalami recently.
Speaking at the recent international Total Spa 24-hour race, Venter said the South African nine hour race will take place on 1 to 3 November next year. It will form part of the 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge for sports cars. The Intercontinental GT Challenge is now in its third year, with the recent race being the second round of the 2018 championship.
The other events are the Bathurst 12-hour race in Australia, the Suzuka 10-hour race in Japan and the California 8-hour race. This means that the 2019 championship will visit five continents, with the Kyalami race being the season finale.
A full entry of overseas teams should attend as the race at Spa attracted 68 cars from 13 manufacturers.
Explaining how the return to South Africa occurred, Stephane Ratel of the Intercontinental GT Challenge organisers said, "I was with an old friend from South Africa and told him I would love to go to the new Kyalami. He said I should meet with Toby Venter, the owner of the track, which is what I did. I saw the superb new circuit and said it would be sad to have such a tool and no major international event. Then, the deal was done."
Venter said they are delighted that the new Kyalami facility has been so well received by people in the top echelons of global motor racing. "I am very pleased that the first international race will see a return of the 9-hour endurance race that was such a favourite with fans and drivers in the past. The overseas teams will also have the benefit of being able to stay on after the race to enjoy the wonderful holiday oppor-tunities offered by our beautiful country," he added.
Toby Venter
The 9-hour endurance race was a major component of South African motor sport from 1958 until 1973. John Love and Dawie Gouws won the first 9-hour at Kyalami in 1961 in a Porsche Spyder. Other famous drivers who won the 9-hour were David Piper winning six times, Dickie Attwood, plus South Africans Tony Maggs and Bruce Johnston. Jacky Ickx was a four-time winner, sharing with Jochen Mass, Brian Redman, David Hobbs and Ignazio Giunti.
Reinhold Joest won twice in a Porsche 908 with Mass and Heubert Mueller. Clay Regazzioni won twice in a Ferrari 512 with Brian Redman and once with Arturo Merzario in a Ferrari F312. Gerard Larrousse and Henri Pescarola took the win in a screaming Matra Simca V12 in 1974.
Afterwards, there were many significant endurance races at Kyalami, being either 1 000km or 6-hour events. These included 1 000km rounds in the World Sports Car Championship in 1983 and 1984 with non-championship 500km races being held between 1986 and 1988.
These events were followed by a three-year spell of rounds in the Sports Racing World Cup between 1998 and 2000, with each race lasting 2,5 hours.
However, 2019's GT race will mark the return of a full 9-hour race, to re-establish Kyalami on the international calendar.
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