Kyalami has a quirk almost no other circuit on the calendar shares: it sits at around 1,500 metres of altitude, on the South African highveld. At that height the air is noticeably thinner, and that changes the car completely: you lose power because the engine breathes worse and you lose downforce because the air supports less. Setups that work at sea level fall short here. In Assetto Corsa EVO it's one of the few places you can experience that difference, which is why it's worth understanding before you drive.
Altitude changes the car. With thinner air you lose grip exactly where you need it most — in the fast corners — and power on the straights too. Setups that work at sea level fall short here.
The layout, anti-clockwise and with elevation change, has a long main straight ending in a heavy braking zone. The middle section climbs and falls through blind corners, and tyre wear is high because of the abrasive asphalt.
Frenada al final de la recta. Con menos aire, frena peor de lo que esperas.
Enlazadas con desnivel. Se pierde apoyo por la altitud: cuidado al confiarse.
Fast and blind. A clear trade-off between risk and time.
How the lap unfolds from start to finish, with the lines and the places where time is genuinely won and lost.
S1The lap starts with a long, slightly downhill straight leading into Crowthorne, a tight right. It's the circuit's heaviest braking zone and its main overtaking spot, and also where the altitude shows most: with less air the car brakes worse than you expect and it's easy to overshoot in the first few laps.
The exit of Crowthorne feeds a downhill stretch where speed comes back quickly.
S2The middle sector chains corners with elevation change, climbing and dropping, some of them blind. This is where the shortage of downforce shows most: corners that would be comfortable elsewhere demand respect here.
The Esses are the heart of the lap: linked, with a change of gradient and no clear references. Being lulled by how good the car feels on the straight is the classic mistake.
S3The final part includes Sunset, a fast and committing corner, and the link back to the main straight. It's the stretch that decides your speed on the straight and therefore whether you'll be able to attack at Crowthorne.
Being anti-clockwise, all the wear is distributed the opposite way to usual and the front-left tyre suffers far more than normal, something you notice especially on long runs.
What each corner is called, what type it is and what it asks of you.
| Nº | Name | Type | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Crowthorne | Derecha cerrada | La frenada del circuito. Con menos aire, frena peor. |
| 2 | Barbecue | Medium left | Enlace en bajada. |
| 3 | Jukskei Sweep | Fast right | Apoyo largo con desnivel. |
| 4 | Sunset | Fast left | Comprometida y con poca referencia. |
| 5 | Clubhouse | Medium right | Enlace hacia la zona alta. |
| 6 | The Esses | Secuencia enlazada | Cambio de rasante. Se pierde apoyo por la altitud. |
| 7 | Leeukop | Derecha cerrada | Última antes de la recta principal. |
| 8 | Ford Kink | Fast left | Se pasa casi de largo hacia meta. |
Taken at Nürburgring GP · 911 964 Turbo rodando por el trazado corto
At 1,500 metres the air weighs less. And your car brakes less, grips less and goes slower.
Altitude shapes everything. With thinner air, the wings generate less downforce at the same speed, so you have to run more wing than you would at an equivalent circuit at sea level just to have the same grip. And even then you'll be running with less than usual.
The engine also makes less power because of the lower oxygen density, and that reduces the penalty for carrying wing: since top speed is already limited, adding downforce costs less than usual. It's one of the few circuits where both factors push the same way.
Cooling deserves attention: with less air, radiators and brakes dissipate worse. On long runs temperatures climb higher than expected and it pays to open up the cooling even if it costs aerodynamically.
Kyalami hosted the 9 Hour endurance race with GT3s and the circuit suits them well: overtaking is possible and the elevation produces entertaining racing.
Going slower, the altitude's loss of grip shows less and the circuit becomes more approachable for learning.
Es donde mejor se percibe la falta de potencia por la altura: los tiempos son notablemente peores que en un circuito similar a nivel del mar.
Spend your first runs recalibrating your braking. Even if you know similar circuits, the distances here are different because of the altitude and the references have to be rebuilt.
Try configurations with more wing than you'd normally use and compare them. It's an exercise that teaches a lot about how downforce works as a function of air density.
Do long runs watching temperatures. It's the circuit in the game where cooling causes the most trouble, and finding out during the race is too late.
Highveld storms are intense and brief. In the wet, the altitude's shortage of downforce adds to the lack of grip and the circuit becomes very difficult, especially through the Esses.
It isn't a regular night-racing venue. Lighting is limited outside the main area and the middle sector's corners, already short of references in daylight, get considerably harder.
Kyalami poses an unusual challenge for a simulator: reproducing the geometry isn't enough, you have to reproduce the air density. Assetto Corsa EVO models that effect, which is why the same car with the same setup is slower here than at sea level, exactly as in reality.
The laser scan provides the layout's real elevation, which was thoroughly rebuilt in the 2010s in pursuit of international homologation.
The altitude lesson. Understanding that you have to run more wing and that everything cools worse is genuine engineering knowledge, and it applies at any high-altitude circuit.
Also the braking references at Crowthorne, which is the best-signposted zone on the lap.
The physical sensation of altitude. Real drivers feel the difference in their own breathing and effort, especially in long races.
And the highveld sun, which punishes the asphalt and makes grip vary a lot between morning and afternoon sessions.
The circuit is in Midrand, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, in the economic heart of South Africa. It was thoroughly rebuilt in the 2010s and now has modern facilities.
It runs track days and national events all year, and hopes to win back international dates. It's the benchmark circuit of the African continent. [Confirm calendar and access on the official website.]
| Official name | Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit |
|---|---|
| Location | Midrand, Gauteng, South Africa |
| Length | 4,522 km |
| Corners | 16 |
| Direction | Anti-clockwise |
| Altitud | Aproximadamente 1.500 metros sobre el nivel del mar |
| Opened | 1961 |
| Significado del nombre | “My home” in Zulu |
| Main races | Formerly the South African GP; the Kyalami 9 Hour (GT3) |
| In Assetto Corsa EVO | Laser scanned, rebuilt layout |
Kyalami means ‘my home’ in Zulu. And it drives like a home you don't know.
The original 1961 Kyalami hosted the South African Grand Prix until 1985 and, after a rebuild, in 1992 and 1993. Its name means “my home” in Zulu.
It was thoroughly rebuilt in the 2010s in pursuit of international homologation. Today it's once again Africa's benchmark circuit and hopes to win back world championship dates.
The circuit was built on the highveld near Johannesburg and soon became the benchmark of African motorsport.
Kyalami hosted the South African Grand Prix for almost two decades, on the original layout, faster than today's.
After a rebuild, the circuit returned to the world calendar for two seasons before disappearing again.
A complete overhaul restored the circuit to international standards, allowing top-level racing such as the 9 Hour to return.
Kyalami is in Midrand, between Johannesburg and Pretoria, very close to the international airport. It's Africa's benchmark circuit and its facilities are modern following last decade's rebuild.
It runs national championships, track days and club events all year. The highveld climate means you can drive there in practically any season.
The most notable international event of recent years has been the Kyalami 9 Hour, a GT3 endurance race. [Confirm calendar and access on the circuit's official website.]
It's 4.522 kilometres with 16 corners, and it runs anti-clockwise.
It's at around 1,500 metres, so the air is thinner: the engine loses power, the wings generate less downforce and brakes and radiators cool worse. You have to run more wing than usual just to have the same grip.
It means “my home” in Zulu, one of South Africa's official languages.
Mainly at Crowthorne, the tight right at the end of the main straight, which is the heaviest braking zone on the lap.
No. It hosted the South African Grand Prix until 1985 and again in 1992 and 1993. It hasn't returned since, though the circuit has been rebuilt with that return in mind.
Because it's anti-clockwise: the load is distributed the opposite way to most circuits and the front-left tyre suffers far more than usual.
Screenshots taken by the community in Assetto Corsa EVO. Each caption says which circuit it's from.
Kyalami is in the 24/7 server rotation. Subscribers vote on each week's track.
assettocorsaevo
