With the possible return of a South African Grand Prix in 2023, it seems a good time to focus on the potential legacy that such an event might provide for its 60 million population, 80% of whom are non-white. However, I believe that there is a much more compelling reason that can be put forward for staging a South African Grand Prix. Back in 1975, I’d flown to South Africa from Heathrow to watch the SA Grand Prix. A meeting with the Principal of Cape Town college further confirmed the excitement about the potential of a thriving South African motorsport industry. At the end of 2010, it seemed time for a South African to take over from me at the helm of SAMIA. There was every reason to believe that SAMIA would be the platform to develop a successful motorsport industry.

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