In anticipation of Formula 1 possibly returning to South Africa in 2023, this weekend’s Festival of Motoring at Kyalami will see four F1 cars from multiple generations race around the track in a series of exhibition laps.
The cars comprise a Ferrari A1 GP, Renault 3.5, Cosworth-powered Minardi F1 M189, and Pilbeam MP58 with an Infiniti Indy engine.
The four vehicles will make their appearance on the Kyalami Circuit at the following times:
- Saturday 27 August – 09h50 to 10h20
- Sunday 28 August – 09h45 to 10h05
Spectators will be able to enjoy the show from the balconies of the main expo hall, as well as from various viewing areas dotted around the track.
Ferrari A1
The Ferrari A1 was specially designed to compete in the A1 Grand Prix from 2008 to 2009, the idea behind this series being that every team gets a standardised car to level the playing field.
Originally, the vehicles were equipped with a 3.4-litre, V8 powerplant delivering 388kW while weighing only 120kg.
According to Autosport, all 21 of the Ferrari-powered A1 GP cars built for the 2008/2009 seasons were bought by South African firm Afrix Motorsport in 2015 for a series of local demonstrations.
Minardi F1 M189
The Minardi M189 was a fully-fledged Formula 1 car designed and developed to compete in the 1989 F1 championship.
The M189 ran a Cosworth-built 3.5-litre, V8 power unit in partnership with a manual gearbox, scoring several points for the Minardi team in its debut championship before being updated to the M189B the following year and discontinued the year thereafter.
Pilbeam MP58
The Pilbeam MP58 is not so much an F1 car, but rather a specialised hillclimb racer.
Case in point, this particular 1989 MP58 powered by a beefy V8 Infinity Indycar engine and four-speed manual gearbox recently tackled the Simola Hillclimb with Robert Wolk at the wheel.
The result is that the hillclimb expert scored an overall second place in the single-seater category with an impressive time of 36.335 seconds at an average speed of 188.248km/h.
Renault 3.5
From 2005 to 2015, the Formula Renault 3.5 Series saw these vehicles battle it out at events around the globe including Brazil, France, Italy, Portugal, and Spain.
This particular example that will be visiting Kyalami this weekend was in contention for the 2005-2007 seasons.
It features a Dallara-built chassis with a power unit from Renault in the form of a 3.5-litre V6, generating a good 317kW.
Ferrari A1 GP
Minardi F1 M189
Pilbeam MP58
Renault 3.5
