South African Grand Prix
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| Kyalami Circuit | |
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| Race information | |
| Laps | 72 |
|---|---|
| Circuit length | 4.261 km ( mi) |
| Race length | 306.792 km ( mi) |
| Number of times held | 33 |
| First held | 1934 |
| Last held | 1993 |
| Most wins (drivers) |  Jim Clark (4) |
| Most wins (constructors) | Lotus (6) |
| Last race (1993): | |
| Pole position |  Alain Prost Williams-Renault1:15.696 |
| Podium | 1. Alain Prost Williams-Renault 1:38:45.082 2.  Ayrton Senna McLaren-Ford+1:19.824 3. Mark Blundell Ligier-Renault+ 1 lap |
| Fastest lap | Alain Prost Williams-Renault 1:19.492 |
The South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London, Eastern Cape Province. It drew top drivers from Europe including Bernd Rosemeyer, Richard "Dick" Seaman, Richard Shuttleworth and the 1939 winner Luigi Villoresi.
World War II brought an end to the race, but it was revived in 1962 as part of the Formula One circuit. It was a popular F1 event, but racing was put on hiatus there right after the controversial 1985 race due to the policy of apartheid. [1]
The first South African F1 race was held on December 29, 1962 at the East London track. It was held there again in 1963 and 1965. In 1967, the race was moved to Kyalami, where it would remain as long as the South African Grand Prix was on the official Formula One calendar. A total of 23 F1 Grands Prix were held between 1962, and the final event in 1993.
This was the location of one of the most gruesome crashes in history. As Tom Pryce was killed when he hit and killed track marshal Jansen Van Vuuren at full speed in 1977.
The 1981 event was a victim of the FISA-FOCA war. As agreement could not be reached with FISA for the Grand Prix to be run as a round of the Formula One World Championship or as a non-championship Formula One race, it was officially staged as a Formula Libre event. Consequently it was contested only by the FOCA-aligned teams, with cars which did not strictly comply with the 1981 Formula One regulations.[2]
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[edit] Hiatus of racing because of apartheid
The 1985 race was mired in international controversy as nations began boycotting South African sporting events because of racial segregation in the country, called apartheid. Some governments tried to ban their drivers from going[3], and the Ligier and Renault teams did boycott the race in line with the French government's ban on sporting events in South Africa[4]; however Alain Prost, who had wrapped up the 1985 championship in the previous race[5], did take part[5].
1985 was the final South African Grand Prix until the end of apartheid, with FIA president Jean-Marie Balestre announcing days after the race that a Grand Prix would not return to the nation because of apartheid[1].
After the end of apartheid in 1991, Formula One returned to Kyalami for two Grands Prix in 1992 and 1993.
[edit] Winners of the South African Grand Prix
A pink background indicates an event which was not part of the Formula One World Championship.
[edit] References
- ^ a b AUTO RACING; [3 STAR Edition] Compiled from wire reports by Ken Paskman. Orlando Sentinel. Orlando, Fla.: Oct 24, 1985. pg. B.2
- ^ The one that didn't count Retrieved from forix.autosport.com on 9 February 2010
- ^ Martin, Gordon. "The Apartheid Controversy Reaches Formula 1 Racing". San Francisco Chronicle [FINAL Edition]. San Francisco, Calif.: Sep 17, 1985. pg. 63
- ^ Walker, Rob. Road & Track. "Tiger, Tiger" New York: Feb 1986. Vol. 37, Iss. 6; pg. 122
- ^ a b Newswire; [Home Edition 2] Los Angeles Times (pre-1997 Fulltext). Los Angeles, Calif.: Oct 20, 1985. pg. 20
- ^ There were two South African Grands Prix in 1960. Reference
[edit] Resource
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