In a milestone boost for economic growth, jobs and Cape Town’s destination profile, the City’s Mayoral Committee has recommended the approval of a new lease for Killarney International Raceway, operated by Western Province Motor Club (WPMC).
While the recommendation to approve the lease must still be tabled at a full council meeting on Thursday 18 August for a final decision, the proposed transaction aims to secure the future of motor sport in Cape Town, and celebrates the heritage of 75 years of motor-racing success on the site.
“I am particularly pleased to make this announcement at Killarney on National Women’s Day (9 August),” said James Vos, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, last week.
“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.”
Killarney is the most used multi-purpose 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 and motorcycling events, and also non-motorised 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 domestic competitors, manufacturers, fans, and sponsors for extended stays and investments.”
The WPMC is a non-profit amateur sporting facility. Its operations model is to break even and retain enough income to maintain and improve the facility. The new lease gives WPMC the ability to do long-range planning and actively recruit key international motor-sport events for the benefit of racing fans, the industry, local economy and the tourist destination.
Motor sport at Killarney is a key component in making Cape Town Africa’s event capital, said Vos.
