Kyalami 9H Date Moved to Avoid Macau Clash

Photo: Dirk Bogaerts/SRO

The Kyalami 9 Hour looks set to be pushed by back one week to accommodate the expected return of the FIA GT World Cup to Macau, according to SRO Motorsports Group founder and CEO Stephane Ratel.

Originally set for the same weekend as Macau due to an initial misunderstanding in the calendar, the Intercontinental GT Challenge powered by Pirelli season finale is now apparently slated for Nov. 26-28.

The change, which Ratel pledged to make should GT World Cup be confirmed for Macau, is not understood to have been made due to the latest developments in the coronavirus pandemic.

However, it does prevent a clash with the rescheduled Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, which is not set to occur on Nov. 14 as the season-ending round of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.

While not confirming GT World Cup’s return to Macau, which is typically only communicated in the summer, Ratel said measures have already been put into place to avoid the likely conflict of the two SRO-managed events.

“I’m not putting Macau aside at all; that’s not the idea at all,” Ratel told Endurance-Info. “This race is the most important of what is done in GT in Asia [along with] Suzuka. 

“We have postponed the Intercontinental GT Challenge Powered by Pirelli finale so as not to coincide with Macau.”

IGTC could end up being one of the least-impacted championships by COVID-19, as the second round of the globe-trotting GT3 series is not scheduled until the Total 24 Hours of Spa in late July. 

Additional races are scheduled for Suzuka in August and Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October.

Laurent Mercier contributed to this report

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John