Prince George Circuit is a race circuit in

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Eastern Cape Province The Eastern Cape ( ; ) is one of the nine provinces of South Africa. Its capital is Bhisho, and its largest city is Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth). Due to its climate and nineteenth-century towns, it is a common location for tourists. It is also kno ...

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. On this course the

South African Grand Prix The South African Grand Prix was first run as a Grand Prix motor racing handicap race in 1934 at the Prince George Circuit at East London, South Africa, East London, Cape Province. It drew top drivers from Europe including Bernd Rosemeyer, Ri ...

was hosted in 1934, and 1936 to 1939 when racing was halted due to

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and then in 1960–1966.

Course layout

The original circuit was long and was run on streets through different populated areas. The start and finish straight ran along the sea shore. After three fast corners the course followed a road – which is now called Molteno Drive – that would later also be part of the shorter new circuit. Moving further east the course entered the West Bank Village on Strand Street before turning north onto Bank Street and then west on Military Road. There the track moved through the areas Fort Glamorgan and Gately. Military Road changed into Settlers Way at the height of Woodbrook and Greenfields. After driving through what is now the

East London Airport King Phalo Airport (; formerly East London Airport () until 23 February 2021) is an airport serving East London, a city in the Eastern Cape province on the southeast coast of South Africa. The airport handles between 20 and 30 flights daily, w ...

(not built at the time), the course turned south at the far west point onto Prince George Street and led with a relatively long series of twisty turns and one hairpin at the end back to the main straight. The circuit was shortened to in 1936. Instead of taking Molteno Drive east, the course followed Potters Pass north to get back onto the original circuit at the begin of Settlers Way. Modified to meet

Formula One Formula One (F1) is the highest class of worldwide racing for open-wheel single-seater formula Auto racing, racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The FIA Formula One World Championship has been one ...

regulations in 1959, the track was built into a seaside

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (American English, U.S. English: amphitheater) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ('), meani ...

with a length of . It hosted three rounds of the F1

in the 1960s. It was later deemed too small for Formula One cars, and the race was moved to

Kyalami Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit (from ''Khaya lami'', ''My home'' in Zulu language, Zulu) is a motor racing circuit located in Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa, just north of Johannesburg. The circuit has been used for Grand Prix motor racing, Grand ...

Layout history

File:Layout of all versions of the Prince George Circuit.png, Layout of all versions of the Prince George Circuit
Brown = 1934, Blue = 1936, Black = 1959 File:East London 1934.svg, Prince George Circuit (1934) File:Prince George Circuit 1936-1939.svg, Prince George Circuit (1936–1939) File:Prince George Circuit.svg, Prince George Circuit (1959–present)

Lap records

As of August 2022, the fastest official race lap records at the Prince George Circuit are listed as:

References

External links

www.kolumbus.fi – Prince George Circuit
{{Formula One circuits Prince George Formula One circuits South African Grand Prix Sports venues in the Eastern Cape Motorsport venues in South Africa East London, South Africa