HISTORIC SA

RACE CIRCUITS
MOTORSPORT

Historic SA race circuits

RACING
BY THE
SEASIDE
A new series of articles looking back at some
of South Africa’s famous race tracks. This
month, the second part looks at the EAST
LONDON circuit post WW2. The track is
the birthplace of the SA GP and where the
country’s first F1 races took place featuring
some of the sport’s most iconic drivers

F
WORDS MIKE MONK

OLLOWING THE END of WW2, South Africa began looking

for ways to bring normality back to everyday life and motorsport
enthusiasts were as eager as anyone to revive the good times.
The 1930s had seen East London become a hot bed of motor
racing, hosting no less than five grands prix, the first on a
24.5km Marine Drive circuit with the remainder on a revised
18.27km route that included Potters Pass and named the
Prince George Circuit in commemoration of the Duke of Kent’s
visit to SA.
As described last month in Part 1 of this story, the races attracted some heroic
drivers – male and female – driving some famous cars, not least the legendary Auto
Union ‘Silver Arrows’. But the ’50s and ’60s heralded a new era in the sport that
started in South Africa in 1950 on East London’s dangerous Esplanade circuit that
existed from 1951 to 1957 before being closed down after a number of driver
deaths had occurred. But bigger things were in mind. In 1954 a plan to incorporate 1959 Winter Races: Mark Zoccola (MGA twin-cam)
leads the Alfa Romeo Giulietta Sprints of Austin Dabbs
the Prince George Circuit’s main straight between Potter’s Pass and Leaches Bay and Pierre Kelfkens
into a new layout was scuppered when plans for a new housing estate on much of
the same land were approved. A proposed all-new track at Amalinda was dismissed Steve Mellett’s 4.3-litre Mirage
as too expensive but then The Daily Dispatch editor Vernon Barber proposed a Mk.2 in the 1966 Sports/GT
championship race
circuit that included running from Potter’s Pass towards West Bank through Rifle
Bend before turning right along the seafront at Cocobana Corner, a layout that
created a perfect amphitheatre setting. The City, Divisional and Provincial councils
backed up their collective approval of the idea with a grant of £30 000. Work began
immediately on a 2.436-mile (3.9213km) circuit and the RAC (then the controlling
body of local motorsport) gave its approval for a grand prix to be held at the new venue.
In July 1959 the first meeting on the new circuit was held featuring the Winter

106 TOPCAR.CO.ZA I JUNE 2014

 Start of the 6th SA Grand Prix – South Africa’s first
post-war GP – on 1 January 1960. Stirling Moss Cooper-
Borgward (7) leads Paul Frère Cooper-Climax (2), Chris
Bristow Cooper-Borgward (6), Don Philp Cooper-Climax
(9) and Syd van der Vyver Cooper-Alfa Romeo (12)

1 January 1960: massive crowd watching Don Philp Cooper-

Paul Frère’s Cooper-Climax kicks dust in the face of eventual winner Climax cornering ahead of Tony Kotze Lotus Climax, Eric
Stirling Moss’ Cooper-Borgward in the 1960 SA GP Glasby (Tojeiro-Bristol) and Tony Maggs (Tojeiro-Jaguar)
MOTORSPORT

Historic SA race circuits

Mike Spence being

congratulated after
winning the 12th and
Hard-charging Mustangs last SA GP held at
of Basil van Rooyen and East London
Koos Swanepoel at the 1966
Border 100 saloon car race

Fanie Viljoen’s LDS-Climax

being overtaken on the outside
by Jo Bonnier’s Porsche 718 at
the 8th SA GP in 1961

POTTERS PASS
Peter de Klerk Brabham-
Climax (15) and Peter Arundell
Lotus-Climax (2) on pit lane at
the 12th SA GP in 1966 POTTERS PASS CURVE

EAST LONDON HT
R AIG
GRAND PRIX I NS
T
MA RI
CIRCUIT
ST

FL
AR

E
COX’S CORNER BE
T

ND ND
STA THE ESSES
D
FIN

AN
GR
ISH

S CO
PIT
THE SWEEP
END
C ON B
BEA
BACKSTRAIGHT
Handicap and the 2nd Border 100, after which
improvements were made to the Esses/Cox’s
Corner complex before the grandiosely titled 6th
International RAC South African Grand Prix was
run on 1 January 1960, a non-championship
Formula Libre event over 60 laps. South Africa’s
first ‘tyre bridge’ was erected at the circuit, and
excitement reached fever pitch – special trains
were laid on for up-country enthusiasts. The SABC
agreed to broadcast the race (radio – no TV in
those days!).
Overseas participants were Brits Stirling Moss,
Chris Bristow, Bruce Halford and Dick Gibson plus
Belgians Paul Frère and Lucien Bianchi, all in
1.5-litre F2 Coopers. In first practice, every runner
beat the lap record set at the Winter Handicap,
and in final practice Moss posted the first
90mph (144.8kph) lap with a time of 1min37.3secs
to gain pole.
At 14h00 Frank Hoal dropped the flag in front of
24 cars as grand prix racing came alive again in
BUTT CO
S BEN BA
D NA
CO
RN
ER
BEACH
STRAIG
HT
East London in front of thousands of spectators
(reports of the day vary from 50 000 to 75 000).
The race ran pretty much as expected with the
overseas drivers at the head of the field led by
Moss, who by lap 49 was almost a lap ahead of
second-placed Frère when his Borgward-engined
car’s fuel line split. The Belgian’s Climax-engined
car gave chase and three laps later took the lead.
More drama was to come when Bianchi’s car
developed a misfire and on the last lap was passed
for third place by local hero Syd van der Vyver in
his Cooper-Alfa.
On 27 December 1960 the 7th SA GP took
place, this time with the added excitement of two
1.5-litre F1 Porsche works entries for Stirling
Moss and Joakim Bonnier and Jack Brabham
driving the latest factory Cooper, the latter being
the first reigning world champion to race in SA.
The GP – sponsored by Caltex and Ford – was
dominated by the Porsches with Moss winning
ahead of Bonnier and Brabham, who raced for the

108 TOPCAR.CO.ZA I JUNE 2014


most part with a piece of glass in his eye after his
goggles had been broken by a stone and his car
close to overheating. Van der Vyver was fourth,
two laps behind.
For 1961, the RAC, the sport’s local controlling
body created the first Springbok Series consisting
of the 4th Rand GP (Kyalami), 1st Natal GP
(Westmead), 8th South African GP (East London)
and 3rd Cape GP (Killarney) to be held between 9
December and 2 January 1962. With Lord Howe
making representation on SA’s behalf, the CSI
sub-committee of the world motor racing’s
governing body the FIA was approached to make
the East London round a world championship
event, which was approved for the 1962 race. In
view of this, a new control tower and pits, some
track widening and other improvements were made
in preparation. Nevertheless, a glittering overseas
entry for the 1961 race was received including the
return of Moss (in a Lotus-Climax this time) and
Bonnier, Edgar Barth (Porsche), Jim Clark and his
team-mate Trevor Taylor and Masten Gregory, all in
Lotus-Climaxes. A ding-dong battle between Clark
and Moss ensued with the Scot just beating his
rival with Bonnier third and local racer Tony Maggs
fourth in a Cooper-Climax. Local man Neville
Lederle won a championship point by finishing 6th
in his Lotus-Climax.
The 9th SA GP was the final round of the 1962
F1 Championship and amongst the top teams and
drivers present were first-time visitors Graham Hill,
Innes Ireland, John Surtees and Bruce McLaren.
The race was a grand prix classic with both drivers’
and manufacturers’ championship titles at stake.
Race order changed continually until Clark took
hold of matters and seemed on his way to title
glory when an oil seal came loose on lap 61,
forcing him to retire. This left Hill in his BRM to reel
off the remaining 21 laps to take the chequered
flag, winning both the drivers’ and manufacturers’
crowns in the process. A race worthy of its stature!
Clark – already world champion – won the 10th
SA GP held in December 1963 beating Dan
Gurney’s Brabham-Climax, and Hill’s BRM, the
latter’s third place earning him second place in the
driver’s championship ahead of Richie Ginther.
There was no SA GP on the 1964 calendar as the
Spoils of victory: Jim
Clark after winning the
12th SA GP in 1966
Early talent on view: Jim
Clark drifting his Lotus at
the 9th SA GP in 1962
Pre-digital era timing board at the
1960 SA GP
Front row of the grid for the 7th SA GP. Jack Brabham
Cooper-Climax (1) with Jo Bonnier (6) and Stirling Moss
(7) alongside in their Porsche 718 RSKs.
event was rather made the opening round of the
1965 season. Starting from pole, Clark won the
11th SA GP ahead of Surtees’ Ferrari and Hill’s
BRM, and the Lotus driver went on to regain the
championship title lost to Surtees in 1964.
But 1965 was the last time the East London SA
GP was a championship event as the 1 January
1966 race (the 12th GP) was deemed too early
– and the venue too far away from Europe – for the
FIA to grant it full F1 status given a new 3.0-litre
formula was being introduced. So a non-championship
race was held with victory going to Mike Spence
(2.0 Lotus-Climax) from Jo Siffert (1.5 Brabham-
BRM) and Peter Arundell (1.5 Lotus-Climax). The
race was the last GP to be held at the seaside as
future SA F1 races were relocated to Kyalami.
Thankfully, the challenging East London GP
Circuit continues to host motor racing and is at the
hub of the region’s motorsport activity organised by
the Border Motorsports Club, and also hosts a
round of the national Super Series – this year on 5
July. This year’s Border 100 marks the 80th
anniversary of the East London’s circuit’s longest
running race and takes place on 1 November, a
fitting testimony to this track’s long, illustrious and
legend-filled existence. Long may it survive! tc
Thanks to Ken Stewart for providing advice and archive
material in the compilation of this article.
JUNE 2014 I TOPCAR.CO.ZA 109
FROM
ALEX TO
ROY
The second in a series of articles looking
back at some of South Africa’s famous
circuits and the races and racers who took
part. This month we look at Pietermaritzburg
and its two tracks, ALEXANDRA PARK
and ROY HESKETH
WORDS MIKE MONK

W
HEN IT COMES to sporting connections, in
many people’s minds Pietermaritzburg is
associated with the Comrades Marathon rather
than motorsport but in fact it has been home to
two race tracks. Alexandra Park was the first, a
street circuit 5.472 kilometres in length, the
development of which owed much to the support
of local Chrysler/Plymouth agent Billy Mills. The
race lap began halfway along the 1.2km
Alexandra Road, turned left at Barrack’s Bend onto Princess Margaret Drive
towards the river, then two more lefts at Duzi and Suicide Corners onto the kinked
College Road (passing the Supreme Court) before a right at Angel’s Angle led
onto Topham Road. Another left at the Shimiyan Bend crossroads led onto French
Road then a final left at the Alexandra Road T-junction heading back towards the
pits and start/finish line.
The first race was the Coronation 100 (in honour of the coronation of Britain’s
King George VI) that took place on 31 May 1937, a handicap event that boasted 32
starters and included such iconic cars as the Alfa Romeo Monza, Aston Martin
Ulster, Bugatti 35C, Maserati 8CM and Riley Brooklands. The race proved highly
popular and eight more 100s were held at the circuit, all well subscribed with
entries. Incidentally, Mills took part in the race and finished sixth but died of heart
failure as a result of pneumonia four months later.
Racing continued up until the war intervened and re-started on 18 April 1949
with, appropriately, a Coronation 100 with no less than 47 starters including
Bentleys, a Bugatti 35C, an ERA, a Lagonda LG4 and a rapid Fiat special mixing it
with many local Austins, MGs and the like in front of a huge crowd. The ninth and
last Coronation 100 to be held at Alexandra Park took place in 1953 and was won
from scratch – but second on handicap to Arthur Mackenzie’s Cooper-JAP – by

98 TOPCAR.CO.ZA I JULY 2014

 MOTORSPORT

Historic SA race circuits

The Luki Botha/Dawie Gouws
Elva-Porsche finished third in
the Natal 3-Hour race on 27
December 1965
Start of the Formula Libre race at Hesketh on
7 February 1960. On the front row are Jimmy de
Villiers (Cooper-JAP no.5) and Bill Dunlop (Cooper-
JAP no.7), second row Tony Maggs (Tojeiro-Jaguar
no.8), Bruce Johnstone (Volvo Special no.11) and
Rauten Hartman (Netuar Special no.12)
A typical close dice between
John Love (March-Cosworth 701)
and, on the right, race winner
Dave Charlton (Lotus-Cosworth
49C) at the 1971 Coronation 100

JULY 2014 I TOPCAR.CO.ZA 99

 Blast off! 1967 Coronation
100 with Dave Charlton
(Brabham-Repco no.7),
John Love (Cooper-Climax
no.1) and Luki Botha
(Brabham-Repco no.3)
smokin’ off the line
QU
AR
RY
CU
RV
E
HENRY’S KNEE
BEACON DUNLOP BRIDGE
ROY HESKETH CIRCUIT
BP
PIETERMARITZBURG
BE
ND
South African champion Doug Duff in his Riley TT
Sprite. The circuit’s fastest-ever lap is credited to
George Cannell in his Maserati 6C, who registered
an average speed of 122kph.
Post-war, there was increasing general public
enthusiasm for motorsport, which had been kick-
started on 24 January 1948 with the running of
the Pat Fairfield Trophy race on nearby Durban’s
Snell Parade. But the city of Pietermaritzburg was
growing and in 1953 the inevitable happened
when racing at the circuit was prohibited in favour
of urban development. But all was not lost. A
consortium consisting of Doug Aldridge, Clive
Dove, Ossie Fisher, George Finch and George
Shrives developed a purpose-built track at Hay
Paddock, six kilometres south-east of the city and
named Roy Hesketh in honour of a South
African hero – in more ways than one (see
sidebar). The new venue’s topography afforded
excellent spectator viewing as well as scenic
backdrops and the area’s motor racing heritage
looked to be intact.
Starting on the Durban Straight, the track went
down to the left-hander Quarry Curve then along
the Pietermaritzburg Straight to The Link hairpin
that led into the long right-hander at Beacon Hill.
This led onto the Visitors’ Straight that passed over
the inner-circuit pit access road into the long left-
hander Sweep, which had the highest point of the
100 TOPCAR.CO.ZA I JULY 2014
ANGEL’S ANGLE
SWEEP
SUBWAY
track, Angel’s Angle, at its exit, as it led back
towards the pits and start/finish line. Initially the
track measured 2.672 kilometres until The Link
(the lowest point of the circuit) was extended to
create a lap of 2.914km. The main straight (that ran
parallel to Murray Road) was almost a kilometre
long and sloped downwards by 30 metres.
Keeping with a tradition, the first race was the
10th Coronation 100 held in April 1954 and had an
entry of no less than 49 cars, including 500 cm3
Formula 3s and a host of specials, mainly Austin
and MG based plus a couple of Rileys. Pukka race
cars were scarce at the time and those that were
available were of pre-war design, but the racing
was none the worse for that. M Woolridge (Austin)
won from Dennis Cockerell’s (Austin) and Harry
Pierce (MG).
Average speeds steadily improved from Frank
Brodie’s MG’s 108.7kph set in 1955 to the best
short circuit lap of 129.8kph recorded by Jo
Eckhoff’s 2.2 Cooper-Climax in 1961. As more
powerful – and modern – cars appeared, the
average continued to increase despite the longer
track length. At the culmination of the halcyon days
of South Africa’s F1 championship, in 1975 Dave
Charlton drove the fastest ever lap in his McLaren-
Cosworth M23 at an average of 166.4kph.
Prior to the December 1969 race – and in spite
of a threat by the Natal Provincial Administration to
 MOTORSPORT

Historic SA race circuits

HERO HESKETH
BORN IN Pietermaritzburg in
1915, Roy Hesketh grew up as an
all-round sportsman but eventually
concentrated on two- and four-
wheeled activities. A dramatic win
on the 1935 DJ motorcycle run
first brought him public acclaim
before he began racing various
bikes and cars at venues including
Alexandra Park, East London
and the Earl Howe Circuit, which hosted both local and
international grand prix events. With the outbreak of
WW2, Roy – who had privately learned to fly – charmed
his way into the SAAF despite leaving school without the
John Love and Sam Tingle tackle
Beacon Bend in the second heat of requisite Matric to become a pilot (he left to take up a
the 1968 Coronation 100 baker’s apprenticeship with a view to taking over his
father’s bakery in later years), he nevertheless qualified
take over the land to build a major new hospital – and became an instructor before in 1944 answering a
improvements to the circuit were made that call for bomber pilots. However, after only two months in
included numerous safety upgrades for spectators the role, a mid-air formation accident caused by another
and drivers. Verges were widened by 4.5 metres aircraft in the flight striking his plane’s tail caused a fatal
and the removed soil used to increase the height of crash. Along with his three other crew members, co-pilot
the protective banking. The Maritzburg Straight Lieutenant Roy Hesketh, aged 29 and by then married,
died on 19 September, and is buried in Egypt.
and BP Bend were levelled out and rainwater
drainage was improved. A crash barrier was
installed from the top of Beacon Hill and at Angel’s Motor Racing Foundation for R3.25-million. More
Angle where the spectator area was moved back. than three-quarters of the original track was still
During its existence, Hesketh hosted rounds of Arthur MacKenzie in his available and development plans included a 2.5km
the single-seater SA National Drivers 1100cc Cooper-JAP at the track layout, a period reconstruction of the pits and
1957 Coronation 100
Championship and the Springbok Series, as well as control tower and the building of a Hall of Fame,
many classic sportscar/endurance races and the legends cafe and a motor museum. However, in
regular schedule of regional events that included 2010 the circuit was closed down again following
motorcycle racing. In particular, the three-day numerous civil complaints against the noise and in
Easter festival meeting was an annual highlight. 2013 it was put up for sale once more due
But let us not forget that the circuit’s heritage to the foundation defaulting on its SUICIDE
CORNER
holds a piece of motor racing history: it hosted the original sale conditions, a sad finale to
first-ever 3.0-litre Formula 1 race in 1961. Like all an historic landmark in South African
South African race circuits, Hesketh suffered a lull July 1967 Natal Winter motorsport. tc
in activity when the government banned motorsport 100 with Dave Charlton
(Brabham-Repco BT11)
for a while as a result of the global fuel crisis in leading eventual winner
1973. John Love (Brabham-
Repco BT20) at Beacon
ALEXANDRA COLLEGE
ROAD
With Pietermaritzburg’s urban development Hill. The race lead PARK RACE
growing apace, the track was closed for changed five times CIRCUIT
competitive motorsport in 1981, thereafter used for
advanced driver training and track days. In 2002 a ALEXANDRA
campaign was instituted to rally public support to TOPHAM ROAD PARK
turn the venue into an historic motor racing theme ANGEL’S
park and in January 2004 it was sold – with strict SHIMIYAN ANGLE
development conditions – to the Roy Hesketh BEND BARRACKS
ALEXANDRA ROAD BEND
Carnage as Steve
Mellet can only look on
at his blazing LDS-Alfa
while behind Bob Hay’s
Lotus is pushed to safety
during the 1964 Hesketh
120 races

Big Bangers at the

December 1965 Natal
3-Hour: Paul Hawkins Trevor Blokdyk (Team Hoffman
(Lola T70 no.1), David Prophet Cooper-Alfa Romeo) wins the
(McLaren Elva-Ford no.2) and Jackie 1964 August 120 at Hesketh to
Epstein (Ferrari 250LM no.4) record his first F1 victory.

JULY 2014 I TOPCAR.CO.ZA 101

GRAND
The third in a series of articles
looking back at some of South
Africa’s famous circuits and
the races and racers who

AFFAIRS
participated at the venues.
This month we look at some of
Johannesburg’s ‘other’ tracks –
LORD HOWE, GERMISTON,
PALMIETFONTEIN and
GRAND CENTRAL.
WORDS MIKE MONK

M
OTOR RACING IN Before the start of the 2nd
Rand GP at the Lord Howe
the Johannesburg
area thrived long
Circuit on 16 December
1937 with (left to right)
HOWE WHO?
Dougie van Riet (Austin s/c),
before Kyalami was Vernon Berrange (Riley) and EX-BRITISH NAVAL
established in 1961. Roy Hesketh (MG R-Type officer and MP Francis
s/c) visible at the front with Richard Henry Penn
Pre-war, the Lord Buller Meyer (Riley) just
Howe circuit was the behind forming the group Curzon, the 5th Earl
first away on handicap Howe, five-times British
principal venue,
named after the racing champion who
British aristocrat who was a very active driver won the 1931 Le Mans 24-Hour in an Alfa
Romeo 8C 2300, the 1933 Mille Miglia in an
and motor racing promoter around the
MG K3 Magnette, and co-founded the British
world (see sidebar). In the wake of the
Racing Drivers Club in 1928, serving as its
success of the early South African
grands prix held in East London LORD HOWE president until his death in 1964. His
affinity to South Africa included
(see TopCar May 2014), the
instigator of those races, Daily
CIRCUIT marrying Joyce Mary McLean
CIRCUIT
Jack, a Johannesburg student
Dispatch motoring editor Brud EXTENSION 29 years his junior, in 1937 after
Bishop, was encouraged to move a 14-month romance. From
to the Witwatersrand to kick-start CIRCUIT this union Lady Sarah (Sally)
motorsport in the area. In 1936 he EXTENSION
PITS Curzon was born, who later
bought the farm Bergvlei in Kelvin, 15km MAIN married celebrity F1 driver
STR A
north-east of Johannesburg and set about IGHT Piers Courage.
GR A
N DS
TAND
104 TOPCAR.CO.ZA I AUGUST 2014