Porsche laps up Kyalami

25 July 2014 - 02:13 By Shaun Smillie
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START YOUR ENGINES: Veteran motor racing marshall Blackie Swart was a relieved man when he heard that Kyalami would continue to echo with the sound of highly tuned motors
START YOUR ENGINES: Veteran motor racing marshall Blackie Swart was a relieved man when he heard that Kyalami would continue to echo with the sound of highly tuned motors

Toby Venter is South Africa's motor sport man of the hour.

He is the CEO of Porsche SA, the company that yesterday won the bidding for Kyalami race track at Midrand, Gauteng.

The auctioneer's gavel fell at R205-million, and when news got out that Porsche had bought the famous circuit a cheer went up.

Like the high speed superbikes that race around the track, the sale was speedy - one minute and 50 seconds.

"We bought Kyalami to save the race track," Venter said afterwards.

Kyalami was the final lot of the day at the property auction at Summer Place in Hyde Park, and there was a lot of excitement ahead of the bidding.

For months motor racing enthusiasts had feared that Kyalami - a casualty of liquidation - would be sold to a developer.

With that, they pointed out, would go 50 years of South African motor racing history and a venue where some of the world's greatest drivers had duelled it out.

Seven bidders registered, said Lance Chalwin-Milton, High Street Auctions managing director .

The bidding started at R200-million and auctioneer Joff van Reenen tried to push it to R210-million before settling on R205-million after Porsche's phone bid from Cape Town.

Chalwin-Milton said this price beat the previous high for an auction property of R120-million, set 15 years ago for a development in Knysna.

"Residents in the area will be happy that Kyalami is staying a race track," said local city councillor Annette Deppe.

"The area can't take more development, there is already a strain on the infrastructure."

One man who was particularly pleased yesterday was Blackie Swart.

He has been a marshal at Kyalami for 40 years. "That is excellent, excellent news. Toby is the hero of local motor racing," he said.

There is also a land claim on the area, but Venter is not too concerned.

"This national treasure belongs to the people of South Africa and I am confident it will be declared a national heritage," he said.

Venter has one plan left to execute: cracking open a bottle of champagne on the hallowed asphalt.

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