The City of Cape Town has formally signed a new lease for Killarney International Raceway operated by Western Province Motor Club (WPMC).

This agreement allows WPMC to plan and commence with investment in its infrastructure and events that will further boost the local economy and job opportunities.

“Motorsport at Killarney is a key component in making Cape Town Africa’s event capital. This new lease, which commenced on January 1, allows WPMC to continue to provide a secure venue, spectator thrills and family entertainment, to actively recruit motorsport events for the benefit of racing fans, the tourism industry and Cape Town’s economy,” says the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Economic Growth, James Vos.

The lease was facilitated by the Property Management Department within the Economic Growth Directorate, which oversees property transactions that help to unlock socio-economic opportunities for the benefit of Cape Town’s communities and economic development.

Killarney, which has been operating as a motorsport facility for 75 years, is the most used multi-purpose event venue in Cape Town with a pre-COVID total of 200 events per year, with 70 of those being charity events.

Events range from motor to motorcycle racing, karting, drifting, drag racing, robot racing, regional, national and international championships. It recently opened a new spinning pitch, a large, safe facility that is available for booking by spinner clubs.

“Killarney contributes R357m (€19.7m) to Cape Town’s economy while supporting an extensive industry and thousands of jobs in race manufacturing, trading, servicing, repairs, parts and accessories,” Vos added.

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 extensive facility.