Phakisa Freeway opens

The Phakisa Freeway located in Welkom, Free State, opened on 10 October 1999.[i] The Phakisa Freeway was constructed by means of combining the traditional oval and road course.[ii] The racecourse hosted the penultimate leg of the 1999 Federation of International Motorcycling Grand Prix in 1999.[iii] The Freeway played host the World Motorcycle Championship Grand Prix in the years 1999, 2000 and 2001.[iv] The Phakisa Freeway has a capacity of 60 000 spectators.[v] The race course comprises of a 4,24 Kilometre road course, and a 2,4 Kilometre oval course with no chicanes.[vi] The oval course of the race track is an exact replica of the Las Vegas Motor Speedway from 1997.[vii] Valentino Rossi described the Phakisa Freeway as one of the most demanding racetracks in the world.[viii] End Notes [i] David van Lill, Van Lill’s South African Sports Trivia (Cape Town: Zebra Press, 2005), p. 210. ↵ [ii] David van Lill, Van Lill’s South African Sports Trivia (Cape Town: Zebra Press, 2005), p. 210. ↵ [iii] David van Lill, Van Lill’s South African Sports Trivia (Cape Town: Zebra Press, 2005), p. 210. ↵ [iv] David van Lill, Van Lill’s South African Sports Trivia (Cape Town: Zebra Press, 2005), p. 210. ↵ [v] The Phakisa Raceway, http://www.southafrica.net/blog/en/articles/entry/article-southafrica.net-the-phakisa-raceway ↵ [vi] Phakisa Raceway, http://www.wheretostay.co.za/topic/5619 ↵ [vii] ↵ [viii] David van Lill, Van Lill’s South African Sports Trivia (Cape Town: Zebra Press, 2005), p. 210. ↵