South African motorcycle Grand Prix

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.

South African Grand Prix
Grand Prix motorcycle racing
VenuePhakisa Freeway (1999-2004)
Kyalami (1983-1985, 1992)
First race1983
Last race2004
Most wins (rider)Valentino Rossi (3)
Most wins (manufacturer)Honda (10)

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 riders 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]

Official names and sponsors
  • 1983: Nashua Motorcycle Grand Prix
  • 1984: Technics Motorcycle Grand Prix[9]
  • 1985: National Panasonic Motorcycle Grand Prix
  • 1992: Nashua South African Grand Prix
  • 1999: South African Grand Prix (no official sponsor)
  • 2000-2001: Gauloises Africa's Grand Prix
  • 2002: Africa's Grand Prix (no official sponsor)
  • 2003: Arnette Africa's Grand Prix
  • 2004: betandwin.com Africa's Grand Prix
  • 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 Freddie Spencer 500 cc 1983
250 cc 1985
Eddie Lawson 500 cc 1984, 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
  1. "MotoGP - South African 500cc GP - Kyalami - 1983". YouTube. 22 April 2012. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  2. "MotoGP - South African 500cc GP - Kyalami 1985". YouTube. 14 June 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  3. "Kyalami". Motorsportmagazine.com. 12 June 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  4. "Alle Grand-Prix uitslagen en bijzonderheden, van 1973 (het jaar dat Jack begon met racen) tot heden". Archive.li. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  5. "1999 500cc South African GPk". YouTube. 21 February 2018. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  6. "CNN.com - Rossi celebrates a welcome victory - Apr 18, 2004". Edition.cnn.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  7. "Top ten historic moments of 2004: no. 1 - MotoGP". Motogp.com. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  8. "Moto Gp Sirkuit Welkom 2004". YouTube. 10 January 2017. Retrieved 19 July 2018.
  9. "1984 500cc Class (FIM Grand Prix World Championship) Programmes | The Motor Racing Programme Covers Project". www.progcovers.com.
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