The Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit in Midrand is gearing up to host its biggest motorcycle racing weekend in years, the South African round of the World Superbike Championship on 15 to 17 May. Brought to South Africa by the Gauteng Motorsport Company, SBK returns after an absence of seven years and fans of this exciting and closely-contested form of two-wheeled racing are celebrating all over the country.

The sixth round of the World Superbike Championship is the second of four major international events promised by Gauteng Motorsport Company in 2009 and aimed at showcasing the country’s powerhouse province to tourists, investors and race fans around the world.

South Africa’s most famous motor racing circuit, which for many years hosted a round of the Formula One world championship, is a hive of activity as preparations are made for the three-day race weekend, which will see the Superpole qualifying on Saturday and four races for world championship Supersport and Superbikes on Sunday. There will also be races for local Supersport and Superbikes.

Changes have been made to the circuit to meet SBK safety requirements and a number of upgrades have resulted in a much improved facility that will offer far more to both competitors and spectators.

Tickets can be obtained from Computicket outlets countrywide or online at www.computicket.com and include free access to the Bike Expo.

There will be a dedicated bike park within the Kyalami precinct and a shuttle service will operate between the parking area, the Expo, the different grandstands and general admission areas. A park and ride system similar to the one that operated during the A1GP weekend will ensure that traffic congestion is minimised. Shuttle buses will run from remote parking areas to and from Kyalami and will deliver spectators to their designated grandstand or general admission areas.

Gauteng Motorsport Company was established by the provincial government to attract investment and tourism to the province through international motor sport.

The first of four international motor sport spectaculars planned for 2009 was the South African round of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport, which attracted the biggest crowd seen at Kyalami for many years in February and provided the best single-seater racing seen in South Africa since the last world championship Formula One race staged there in March 1993.

This was followed by the announcement in March of a unique partnership between Gauteng Motorsport Company and the BMW Sauber F1 Team, which will see the BMW Sauber F1 team and its drivers visiting Gauteng in the winter for demonstration runs.

Gauteng Motorsport Company’s domain name GO-GP.ORG, which is a portal for motor racing fans, tourists and investors to access the province’s exciting offerings, is featured on the front wing end plates and nose of the two F1.09 BMW Sauber F1 cars as well as on drivers’ helmets and racing suits, team clothing, pit equipment and team transporters.

The fourth international motor sport event is the first visit to Africa of the international Superstars production car series in November. Based in Italy and with rounds in Italy and Portugal, Super Stars is one of the fastest growing international car series and is for four-door V8-engined production cars with a capacity of 3.0- to 7.0-litres.