SA could host Grand Prix ‘as soon as 2022’
FORMULA ONE/ Scheckters and co believe they have the funding problems licked, and Kyalami will soon be back on the calendar, writes Denis Droppa
It is being claimed that SA could host a Formula One race as soon as 2022, bringing the country back into the Grand Prix fold for the first time in nearly three decades. SA last hosted an F1 race at Johannesburg’s Kyalami circuit in 1993.
Local fans of the sport have become sceptical about such announcements after a number of initiatives to return SA to the calendar have failed mainly due to the high hosting fees. But Warren Scheckter, founder and CEO of South African GP (SAGP), believes an F1 race at Kyalami could be imminent with combined corporate and taxpayer sponsorship.
Scheckter, who is the son of former F1 driver Ian’ Scheckter and nephew of SA s 1979 F1 world champion Jody Scheckter, established SAGP in 2015 with the intent of bringing F1 events back to SA.
With a background as a commercial director for racing teams overseas, he has been working for the past four years to make an SA Grand Prix a reality with the assistance of UKbased Jody, who is president of SAGP, and local businessmen Jabu Mabuza and Keith Doig, chairman and executive director respectively.
The funding of a local F1 race has always been a sticking point, as the hosting fee demanded by organisers has been too high to attract corporate sponsorship and the government has been unwilling to support what was seen as a “white elitist” sport.
However, Scheckter told Motor News he is close to securing the necessary sponsorship from private and government sources.
“This is not just a sporting event but an economic driver for the country,” he said. “The tax revenues generated from Grand Prix events alone far outweigh the costs.”
It is a message he has been pitching to the government, particularly over the tourism income and job creation opportunities such an event could bring, and he says the venture has received positive support.
As for the “elitist” tag, an SA Grand Prix would be affordable to spectators with ticket prices expected to start from about R200 for the Friday practice session, Scheckter said.
“The desire and the buy-in for an SA Grand Prix is there, although there are many details to work out because of so many stakeholders,” he said.
Scheckter would not quote the hosting fee but said it would be less than the $31m (R509m) usually demanded by Formula One’s organisers. The sport’s new promoters, Liberty Media, are keen to bring F1 back to Africa and “are working with us to make it more cost effective”.
In May 2019, F1’s commercial MD, Sean Bratches announced that the sport wanted to go back to Africa and named Johannesburg and the Moroccan city of Marrakesh as possible host venues.
“We race on five continents now and the last habitable continent we don’t race in is Africa,” he said at the time. “We’ve been having very productive conversations in SA and, to a lesser extent, in Morocco about bringing a Grand Prix … we’re on it. It’s really important to us.”
Morocco and SA have hosted world championship Grands
Prixes in the past, Casablanca in 1958 and SA in East London in the 1960s and Kyalami 20 times between 1967 and 1993.
Scheckter believes SA is the frontrunner for a Grand Prix on the continent due to its long Formula One history and its experience in hosting major events such as the football and rugby world cup tournaments.
Kyalami is the most suitable venue after being purchased by new owners in 2014 and extensively revamped, though the circuit requires some additional investment to bring it up to F1level grading.
Scheckter is confident that this won’t be another stillborn attempt to get the country back on the Formula One calendar, and is hoping to confirm a date for an SA Grand Prix within the next year. ● Formula One has announced that due to the continued global prevalence of the virus that causes Covid-19 the Heineken F1 Joburg Festival due to take place on March 29 has been postponed to protect the safety of motorsport fans and participants in the event.
A decision on a rescheduling will be made at the right time from a public safety perspective, it said.
All fans who purchased tickets for the event will be offered a full refund. Tickets can be returned at any Shoprite, Checkers, Checkers Hyper, Computicket outlet or House & Home store for a full refund until April 13 2020.
All uncollected tickets and print-at-home transactions made via the call centre or the web will be refunded automatically, which will reflect within three to seven working days.
For all ticket queries, contact Computicket on 0861 915 8000.
AN SA GRAND PRIX WOULD BE AFFORDABLE TO SPECTATORS WITH TICKET PRICES FROM ABOUT R200