South African motorcycle Grand Prix

South African Grand Prix

Grand Prix motorcycle racing
Venue	Phakisa Freeway (1999-2004) Kyalami (1983-1985, 1992)
First race	1983
Last race	2004
Most wins (rider)	Valentino Rossi (3)
Most wins (manufacturer)	Honda (10)

The South African motorcycle Grand Prix was a motorcycling event that had been part of the Grand Prix motorcycle racing world championship, held intermittently from 1983 to 2004.

History

The first South African grand prix was held in 1983^[1] at the Kyalami circuit and was taken off the calendar after the 1985^[2] season due to the Apartheid policies which were in place in the country and the subsequent boycott from many sport associations (such as the FIM and the FIA) that followed.^[3][4]

After the Apartheid policies were abolished and the FIM removed the restrictions for South African riders and venues, the South African round returned on the calendar in 1992 on a new, shortened variant of the circuit. However, the circuit was unpopular with the drivers and was removed from the calendar from the 1993 season onwards.

In 1999, the South African grand prix returned, this time on the Phakisa Freeway^[5] and stayed until the 2004 season. That race was characterised by a hard-fought battle between Valentino Rossi and Max Biaggi.^[6][7][8]

Track gallery

• 
  The old Kyalami track, used from 1983 to 1985.
• 
  The new, shortened Kyalami track, used in 1992.

Winners

Multiple winners (riders)

# Wins	Rider	Wins
		Category	Years won
3	Valentino Rossi	MotoGP	2004
		500 cc	2001
		250 cc	1999
2	Eddie Lawson	500 cc	1984, 1985
	Freddie Spencer	500 cc	1983
		250 cc	1985
	Max Biaggi	500 cc	1999
		250 cc	1992
	Manuel Poggiali	250 cc	2003
		125 cc	2002
	Dani Pedrosa	250 cc	2004
		125 cc	2003

Multiple winners (manufacturers)

# Wins	Manufacturer	Wins
		Category	Years won
10	Honda	MotoGP	2002, 2003
		500 cc	1983, 2001
		250 cc	1985, 2001, 2004
		125 cc	1992, 2003, 2004
8	Yamaha	MotoGP	2004
		500 cc	1984, 1985, 1992, 1999, 2000
		250 cc	1984, 2000
6	Aprilia	250 cc	1992, 1999, 2002, 2003
		125 cc	1999, 2000

By year

Year	Track	125 cc		250 cc		MotoGP		Report
		Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer
2004	Welkom	Andrea Dovizioso	Honda	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	Valentino Rossi	Yamaha	Report
2003	Welkom	Dani Pedrosa	Honda	Manuel Poggiali	Aprilia	Sete Gibernau	Honda	Report
2002	Welkom	Manuel Poggiali	Gilera	Marco Melandri	Aprilia	Tohru Ukawa	Honda	Report
Year	Track	125 cc		250 cc		500 cc		Report
		Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer
2001	Welkom	Youichi Ui	Derbi	Daijiro Kato	Honda	Valentino Rossi	Honda	Report
2000	Welkom	Arnaud Vincent	Aprilia	Shinya Nakano	Yamaha	Garry McCoy	Yamaha	Report
1999	Welkom	Gianluigi Scalvini	Aprilia	Valentino Rossi	Aprilia	Max Biaggi	Yamaha	Report
1992	Kyalami	Jorge Martínez	Honda	Max Biaggi	Aprilia	John Kocinski	Yamaha	Report

Year	Track	80 cc		125 cc		250 cc		500 cc		Report
		Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer	Rider	Manufacturer
1985	Kyalami					Freddie Spencer	Honda	Eddie Lawson	Yamaha	Report
1984	Kyalami					Patrick Fernandez	Yamaha	Eddie Lawson	Yamaha	Report
1983	Kyalami					Jean-François Baldé	Chevallier	Freddie Spencer	Honda	Report

References