The old adage that lap times are no guarantee of a thrilling motorsport spectacle will prove itself again with the announcement that Volkswagen South Africa has thrown its support behind a motor racing initiative powered by the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists.
Volkswagen in conjunction with the South African Guild of Motoring Journalists (SAGMJ), Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and Cell C form a skilled partnership to reinvigorate local motorsport through existing portals and reputable media publications.
So which motoring editor will you be shouting for? Is it Denis Droppa from The Star, Sean Nurse from Autodealer, Michele Lupini from Bakkie & Car, Mark Smyth from Business Day, Janine van der Post from Wheels24, Mark Jones from Citizen, Lindsay Vine from Ignition or myself from SA Car Fan?
When the lights go green at Kyalami’s Motorsport Festival 22nd and 23rd October, professional courtesy between peers will dissolve by turn 1 as eight 1.2TSI Volkswagen Polos scramble for the inside line. No confusing rules, no penalty systems and South Africa’s top selling car. The action will be fierce.
“Kyalami’s return to glory is one of several significant aspects that will see local motorsport emerging from its hiatus at last,” SAGMJ Committee Member responsible for Motorsport, Michele Lupini explained.
“With its roots firmly in local motorsport, the SAGMJ has long grappled with ways to recapture the local motoring media’s — and by extension, also the public’s imagination in South African racing through an initiative like this. “We are therefore delighted to confirm that Volkswagen, Kyalami and Cell C have partnered with the SAGMJ to provide top local motoring scribes with a lure that will not only see them racing in the historical first Kyalami meeting since its comprehensive refurbishment, but which will also urge them and their publications to most effectively cover local motorsport news going forward.”
“Volkswagen continues to innovate and lead the field in terms of all things motoring,” Matt Gennrich, General Manager Communications at Volkswagen Group South Africa explained. “In 2009 we ran a Celebrity Challenge which created huge interest and we felt that with our returned focus on circuit racing with our Jetta and GTI GTC entries, that this was the right time to take this concept and expand on it.
“We have built Polo race cars for both a media and a celebrity race at the Kyalami Motorsport Festival, which will be the inaugural race event at the new Kyalami. “Having the SAGMJ support this initiative is an added bonus and we were delighted that major sponsors such as Cell C, Engen and Dunlop amongst others showed no hesitation in becoming involved.
“We are hoping that the success of this event will see sponsors wanting to partner with us to run a series in 2017,” Mr Gennrich concluded.
And while the focus lies initially with the media challenge, the strategic knock-on effect will increase the visibility and sponsorship coverage across all race formulas.
Proudly hosted by the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit, October’s races represent the culmination of a dream for local race fans and for circuit owner Toby Venter in particular, who will also join the weekend’s racing action in his Porsche 911. Venter has invested heavily in the famous racetrack since purchasing it at an auction in 2014, to restore and upgrade the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit into a glorious racing and conference facility for spectators, race fans, and competitors alike.
Race fans can keep abreast with developments via the www.kyalamigrandprixcircuit.com website, where tickets for the historic inaugural Kyalami race weekend are on sale via the Computicket link on the homepage.
