VIDEO: Kyalami back in the day

VIDEO: Kyalami back in the day

The Kyalami motorsport circuit was recently purchased by Porsche SA at an auction.

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The circuit just outside Johannesburg cost Porsche SA R205-million.

Kyalami hosted Formula One races from 1967 to 1985 and again in 1993.

It was also used as a venue for saloon car racing, motorcycling and various other classes of motorsport.

One of my clearest memories of the venue is the tragic and graphic 1977 crash that killed both a fire marshall and F1 driver Tom Pryce.

The fire marshall was torn apart by the impact, while Pryce was struck on the helmet by the 18kg fire extinguisher. It is believed he too died immediately.

Footage of this incident can be found on Youtube, but is not something I want to share here.

Let me rather focus on highlights such as Jody Scheckter winning his home Grand Prix at Kyalami in 1975.

Scheckter went on to win the F1 world championship in 1979 - the year in which he ended second at Kyalami.

It is footage from the 1979 race that I dug out of the archives today.

The race was won by Gilles Villeneuve, who was killed in a crash in Belgium three years later.

His son, Jacques, was F1 champion in 1997.

(File Photo:Gallo Images)

Twitter - @SportswaveAndre

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