Cape Town ‘in pole position’ to become the Monaco of Africa

CAPE Town may soon become the Monaco of Africa, with Motorsport South Africa to decide this month if it will support a bid to bring Formula One racing back to South Africa.

Formula One Group boss Bernie Ecclestone has been reported as saying he wants to see it happen by next year and the bid company, Cape Town Grand Prix SA, has proposed that the race be held through the streets of Green Point.

The design entails the street track going through Cape Town Stadium.

But the government is not waving the chequered flag yet.

Cape Town Grand Prix SA CEO Igshaan Amlay said his team had spent the past seven years working on the bid.

“We believe the event will be a massive cash injection for the economy, and that not a lot needs to be done in terms of infrastructure.”

Amlay said they needed endorsement from the government before the International Automobile Federation, Formula One’s governing body, approved the track design and the funder released money.

He would not name the funder, but said it was a major international car manufacturer that had a team in the Formula One championship.

Amlay, a former political prisoner, said he got the idea for the Grand Prix 16 years ago, while working on Robben Island.

“We’ve done financial projections based on studies overseas. A lot of people underestimate the ripple effect. In those four days [of the event] we will make more money than the World Cup made in 30 days.”

The bid company’s chief operating officer, Bjorn Buyst, said the track would cost between R100-million and R300-million to prepare. “The roads get asphalted to F1 specification. We pay for that. Barriers and seating will cost R80-million. We will use mobile seating that will come down and be reused every year. The costs are much lower than a lot of people imagine.”

The Western Province Motor Club disagrees.

Executive manager Des Easom said the latest cost estimate for assembling and dismantling all the temporary infrastructure for a single Grand Prix was R750-million.

“In addition, there are significant costs involved in the SPEEDSTER: Graham Hill of team BRM on his victory lap in East London in 1962, with fans already on the track actual running of the event — access control, safety measures, staffing, electronics, crowd management and logistics.”

Amlay said the team had made a presentation to the City of Cape Town, but mayoral committee member for tourism, events and economic development Garreth Bloor said the city could make an informed decision only once a formal proposal had been received.

“At the moment we’re looking at a memorandum of agreement as a starting point,” said Bloor.

“Once we have received a proposal, we will take it to the relevant structures of council.”

Sports Minister Fikile Mbalula also said he had not heard about the bid, but Amlay showed the Sunday Times a letter from the director-general of sports, saying the bid team must approach the South African Sports Confederation and Olympic Committee and get a letter of support from Motorsport South Africa before the minister would consider the bid.

Motorsport South Africa CEO Adrian Scholtz confirmed that a meeting was scheduled for early this month. “Once it has heard the presentation, the MSA board will be in a position to make a suitably informed decision.”

The Green Point ratepayers association is not opposed to the race.

“In principle we don’t have a problem . . . We have to look at the infrastructure. It’s also important that the city is on board,” said spokeswoman Jane Meyer, who has met the bid team.

In those four days we will make more money than the World Cup made in 30 days