This past Saturday I was given the opportunity by Pirelli to attend the SEFAC (Southern Equitorial Ferrari Automobili Club) day at Kyalami race track and what a day it was!
Unfortunately it could be the last time we see the Prancing Horse invade Johannesburg’s famous Grand Prix circuit due to the track going on auction on the 24th of July. It will be an extremely sad day if Kyalami is sold to a buyer who has plans to flatten the track, but let’s remain optimistic that the circuit will be bought and revamped so we can still enjoy days like I had on Saturday.
As I arrived in the morning, I immediately made my way to the VIP pit area (thanks again to Pirelli) to get up close and personal with the beautiful machines that were on display. There were a host of old and new Ferraris waiting to head out on track but they were forced to wait a little longer than expected because for one very unfortunate “458 Speciale” owner the weekend had turned into a bit of a nightmare. The poor guy found himself in the barriers just after turn 12. If I shed a small tear you can only imagine how the owner must have felt!!
After the accident had been cleared we got to enjoy a range of different Ferrari’s heading around the track and let’s just say that it was music to my ears. If you haven’t heard a super car roar its engine to the rev-limiter, then you are missing out. We also got the chance witness a classic Ferrari as a 250 GT race car from the sixties blasted its way around the track, and I must say it still had a lot of horses under the bonnet to show off. The organisers also treated us to even louder cars as a host of Ferrari 430 race cars made their way onto track as well as a Formula Renault, which almost burst my eardrums when it got fired up in the pits.
It was a fantastic day out and I would just like to thank Siobhan from Pirelli and Philippa from Harvey Fox for the awesome opportunity to let me run wild, up close and personal to the most iconic sports cars ever produced.
