Kyalami lives up to the 9-Hour bill

Kyalami. Spectacular night racing. Rain. Brilliant driving performances. A large crowd. Happiness.

That is how visitors would describe last Saturday’s Kyalami 9-Hour race, that saw the iconic event return for the first time in 37 years. In itself, that historical fact posed a risk for the circuit and organisers. Most of the spectators they were hoping to attract were not yet born 37 years ago.

That apart, it is tough, these days, to attract large crowds to almost any outdoor sporting event.

But, the Kyalami organisers managed it – more than 11 000 people passed through the gates on raceday.

They were not disappointed. The GT3 cars were fast, noisy, colourful and plentiful.

The racing was incredibly close – after official qualifying, the lap times of the top 16 cars were covered by a second. That status quo was maintained during the race – after nine hours, the top 10 cars were on the same lap.

Those cars were four Porsche 911 GT3s, two BMW M6 GT3s, an Audi R8 LMS GT3, a Mercedes-AMG GT3, a Nissan GT-R GT3 and an Aston Martin Vantage GT3.

Fittingly – with Porsche owning Kyalami, the works Porsche 911 cars came through when it mattered.

The Frikadelli team’s Nick Tandy, Dennis Olsen and Mathieu Jaminet planted their car on pole position during Friday’s qualifying session and ran among the top five for most of the race,

Then, on a streaming wet track, rainmaster Tandy passed three other cars in the last 25 minutes of the race to win, clinching the 2019 Intercontinental GT Challenge’s overall Drivers’ and Manufacturers’ titles for Olsen and Porsche, respectively.

A good message for the South African Porsche board of directors, in the aftermath of the event.

In all the excitement, it would be easy to overlook the efforts of South African drivers and teams.

Seventh overall, driving a Schnitzer BMW M6 GT3, was Sheldon van der Linde, while Kelvin van der Linde (Audi Sport R8 GT3) and Jordan Pepper (Bentley Continental GT3) placed 11th and 12th, repectively.

Impressively, the Amateur class was won by SA’s Gennaro Bonafede and Michael van Rooyen in the Walkenhorst team’s BMW M6 GT3, while Kishoor Pitamber, Lee Thompson and Michael Stephen took their Pablo Clark Ferrari 458 GT3 to the National class win.

All fantastic stuff, with the overseas visitors generous in their praise of the circuit, the organisation and South African hospitality.

Long may the 9-Hour continue as part of local motorsport’s legacy.