Kyalami track lost to developers
One of the world's most famous racing circuits, Kyalami in South Africa, appears to have held its last international event following a decision to cut its length by half, according to a report in this week's AUTOSPORT magazine
Circuit owners the South African Automobile Association will sell off some of the land currently used by the track for an industrial development. The changes will mean that the track will turn left immediately after the pits and reduce the circuit's length to just over one mile.
The SAAA bought the track for two million pounds in 1993 and will sell part of it off for 33 million pounds.
Kyalami regularly hosted the Formula 1 World Championship between 1967 and '85, and made a brief return to the calendar in 1992 and '93. In recent years it has been occasionally used as a test venue by Formula 1 teams.
South Africa's likelihood of hosting a Grand Prix now appeared to be limited to a track in Welkom, but its remote layout and twisty layout will hinder its chances.
The recent collapse of the South African rand on the international market is also likely to mitigate against a Grand Prix being held there in the near future.
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