The last major GT race of 2019 takes place in South Africa this weekend when the Intercontinental GT Challenge stages its season finale at Kyalami.
The historic nine-hour contest has been resurrected following a 37-year absence from the international calendar and will complete an IGTC campaign that has seen five races on as many continents. The season began back in February with the Bathurst 12 Hour and was followed in March by the California 8 Hours at Laguna Seca. The marquee Total 24 Hours of Spa and the Suzuka 10 Hours were run in July and August respectively.
Mercedes-AMG and Porsche will dispute the manufacturers’ title, while 2016 Blancpain GT Series champion Maxi Buhk leads the drivers' standings ahead of the finale. Raffaele Marciello sits second, but with the Italian partnering Buhk this weekend it is Audi ace Frederic Vervisch who poses the major threat to the Mercedes-AMG man's championship aspirations.
A total of 84 drivers will contest the Kyalami 9 Hour, with eight brands represented on the starting grid. German heavyweights Mercedes-AMG, Porsche and Audi lead the charge and are joined by domestic rival BMW. Ferrari and Bentley will bring further European flavour, while Nissan and Honda add Japanese representation to the field.
Paid testing and practice take place today (Thursday) followed by qualifying on Friday and the race on Saturday. Friday’s three qualifying sessions and Pole Shootout, plus Saturday’s race, will be shown live across South Africa on SuperSport TV. The same coverage is also available globally without restrictions on the Intercontinental GT Challenge website and Facebook page, as well as SRO’s GT World YouTube channel. Further updates can be found on intercontinentalgtchallenge.com and across the championship's social media accounts.
KYALAMI 9 HOUR TIMETABLE (all times local)
THURSDAY 21 NOVEMBER
10:00 – 12:00: Paid Test Session 1
14:00 – 16:00: Paid Test Session 2
18:00 – 19:30: Free Practice (night session)
FRIDAY 22 NOVEMBER
10:50 – 12:35: Pre-Qualifying
14:45 – 15:00: Qualifying 1 (Driver 1)
15:07 – 15:22: Qualifying 2 (Driver 2)
15:30 – 15:45: Qualifying 3 (Driver 3)
16:25 – 16:40: Pole Shootout (top-10 cars)
SATURDAY 23 NOVEMBER
13:00 – 22:00: Race