Kyalami festival for the senses
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Two-wheeler enthusiasts also get their day in the sun.
This year’s Extreme Festival circuit racing series will come to life at Kyalami this month, with the venue to host its annual Kyalami Motorsport Festival. The series, South Africa’s premier motorsport travelling show, will retain its tried and proven formula this season – that of combining national championship spectacle with regional racing at eight separate circuits all over the country.
Kyalami’s event on Saturday, March 24, will accommodate eight separate racing categories.
Officially, it will be topped by two races for Sasol Global Touring and GTC2 Cars.
The teams from Engen Xtreme Audi, Sasol BMW and Volkswagen will all bring works cars, while rumours have a new privateer team joining the fray.
The GTC category should bring about 15 turbocharged two-litre front-wheel drive cars to the party, ensuring close racing throughout the field.
The event’s biggest crowd drawcard will probably be the races for G&H Transport Extreme Supercars, with Ferraris, Porsches, Lamborghinis, an Aston Martin, a Dodge Viper, a variety of really wild turbocharged BMWs and possibly a Bentley GT3 taking to the tarmac.
Of huge interest will be the first races for new Engen Polo Cup cars.
The new cars, of which 24 should race at Kyalami, are powered by turbocharged two-litre GTI engines with push-to-pass abilities setting drivers an entirely new strategy challenge.
Also racing for high stakes will be the Investchem Formula 1600 category, where drivers will compete for a R200 000 overall cash prize, plus a chance to compete in the 2018 Mazda Road to Indy shoot-out in Phoenix, Arizona, in December.
The single-seater cars will be using a new sequential gearbox, to bring them more in line with similar overseas categories.
Every year, the V8 Supercar contenders turn out in their numbers at this Kyalami event, and the organisers expect some 16 of the massively winged and tyred machines.
For two-wheeler enthusiasts, there will be races for the Red Square Kawasaki ZX 10 Masters Cup, Bridgestone Thunderbikes and Sub-10 National Challenge Superbikes.
There will be plenty of off-track entertainment, with Pirelli in action on the Dynamic Handling Track, good food and beverages on sale and entertainment all-round.
Tickets for the March 24 Kyalami Motorsport Festival are already on sale via iTickets at www. kyalamigrandprixcircuit.com at R70 for general admission, while kids under the age of 12 go in for free.
For the wealthy, there is the R650 premium package.
It includes a full-day pit pass, access to the premium area viewing deck with live streaming on a LED screen, lunch menu and drinks available for purchase, a complimentary race programme, a complimentary twin-pack of Kyalami wine and vehicle access to centre circuit VIP parking.
Interested parties can find out more about that at www.kyalamigrandprixcircuit.com.