The Kyalami 9 Hour hasn't been staged since 1982 but this isn't the first time that Intercontinental GT Challenge organisers, SRO Motorsports Group, have raced there…
Back in 2000 we ran the Lamborghini Supertrophy, a one-make series for the new Diablo GTR, which replaced the previous-generation SV. 30 GTRs were built, six of which went directly to private collections. The other 24 raced around the world at the likes of Laguna Seca and the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.
South Africa’s round featured on the undercard of the ISRS / SportsRacing World Cup, which had taken over the event previously known as the Kyalami 9 Hour. Indeed, its 150-minute race was considerably shorter than the nine-hour classic, which was last run to its full duration in 1982.
But back to the Supertrophy, which staged two races at Kyalami in 2000. Formula 3000 ace Emmanuel Clerico teamed up with hairdressing empire boss Benjamin Dessange to win the opener before John Williams and Maxime Martin’s father, Jean Michel, prevailed in the second.
Our very own Stephane Ratel also featured on the podium after finishing second in the Am class alongside Stephane Lang Willar.
The revived Kyalami 9 Hour hosts the final round of 2019’s Intercontinental GT Challenge this Saturday. Watch the race live on the championship’s website and Facebook page, as well as SRO’s Youtube channel from 13:00 CAT (GMT +2). Live coverage is also available across South Africa on Supersport.
Our thanks to John Brooks for supplying the photos.