Cape Town – The City of Cape Town’s mayoral committee has recommended the approval of a new lease for Killarney International Raceway operated by Western Province Motor Club (WPMC).
According to the mayoral committee member for economic growth, Alderman James Vos, this is only a recommendation and the lease still has to be tabled at a full council meeting for a final decision on August 18.
The proposed transaction is set to secure the future of motorsport in Cape Town and celebrates 75 years of motor racing success on the site.
“The retention of racing as the predominant use of the site is a tribute to women’s car and motorbike racers and women working behind the scenes without whom racing would not happen here. They are an integral part of Killarney’s success story,” Vos said.
He said Killarney is the most-used multipurpose event venue in Cape Town with a pre-Covid total of 200 events per year, 70 of those being charity events.
It hosts a range of motor racing and motorcycling events and other sports events such as cycling, duathlons, and marathons.
“The sport contributes R357 million to Cape Town’s economy while supporting an extensive industry and thousands of jobs in race manufacturing, trading, servicing, repairs, parts, and accessories. It also draws international and South African competitors, manufacturers, fans, and sponsors who come for extended stays and investments,” Vos said.
WPMC is a non-profit amateur sporting facility.
Vos said the WPMC’s operations model was to break even and retain enough income to maintain and improve the extensive facility.
“I believe that this new lease gives WPMC the ability to do long-range planning and actively recruit key international motorsport events for the benefit of racing fans, the industry, Cape Town’s economy, and the tourist destination. Motorsport at Killarney is a key component in making Cape Town Africa’s event capital,” Vos said.
IOL