| Phakisa Freeway | |
| Time: | SAST |
| Location: | Odendaalsrus, Free State, South Africa |
| Coordinates: | -27.905°N 26.712°W |
| Opened: | 1970 Re-opened: |
| Closed: | 1997 |
| Former Names: | Goldfields Raceway (1970–1997) |
| Events: | Former: Grand Prix motorcycle racing South African motorcycle Grand Prix (1999–2004) Free State 500 (2010) South African Formula One Championship (1971–1975) South African Springbok Championship Series (1971–1972) |
| Layout1: | Grand Prix Circuit (1999–present) |
| Length Km: | 4.242 |
| Length Mi: | 2.636 |
| Turns: | 14 |
| Record Time: | 1:33.208 |
| Record Driver: |  Max Biaggi |
| Record Car: | Honda RC211V |
| Record Year: | 2004 |
| Record Class: | MotoGP |
| Layout2: | Speedway (1999–present) |
| Length2 Km: | 2.414 |
| Length2 Mi: | 1.500 |
| Turns2: | 4 |
| Banking2: | 3 – 12º |
| Layout3: | Short Circuit (1999–present) |
| Length3 Km: | 3.199 |
| Length3 Mi: | 1.988 |
| Turns3: | 10 |
| Layout4: | Goldfields Raceway (1970–1997) |
| Length4 Km: | 4.168 |
| Length4 Mi: | 2.590 |
| Turns4: | 10 |
| Record Time4: | 1:23.000 |
| Record Driver4: |  Dave Charlton |
| Record Car4: | McLaren M23 |
| Record Class4: | F1 |
Phakisa Freeway is a motor racing circuit located between Welkom and Odendaalsrus, South Africa. It is one of the few oval speedways outside of the United States and the only one in Africa.
Phakisa Freeway was built on the same site as the former Goldfields Raceway, which closed in 1997.[1]
The current track opened in 1999.[2] [3] It consists of a 4.242km (02.636miles) road course and a 1.5adj=onNaNadj=on oval course.[2] The road course uses the oval's pit lane as its backstraight and crosses the oval's backstretch on two times.
The oval track is similar to the Las Vegas Motor Speedway in its 1997 configuration: 12 degree banking in the turns, nine degrees on the tri-oval and three degrees on the back stretch.[2] It was built to attract American oval racing like NASCAR or IndyCar.
From 1999 to 2004, the venue hosted the South African motorcycle Grand Prix of the MotoGP championship.
The Superbike World Championship announced their intention to run at Phakisa Freeway from 2014 onwards.[2] Due to homologation issues the series never raced at the circuit.[2]
Since 2014, Phakisa Freeway has only hosted national events.[4] [5] [6] [7] [8] [9]
The only event held on the oval was the Free State 500 in 2010.[2] The American Speed Association imported stock cars to South Africa for the race.[10] Various drivers from South Africa, Europe and the US competed – including former NASCAR driver Geoff Bodine.[2]
As of April 2004, the fastest official race lap records at the Phakisa Freeway are listed as:
| Category | Time | Driver | Vehicle | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phakisa Freeway Grand Prix Circuit: 4.242 km (1999–present) | ||||
| 1:33.208 | 2004 South African motorcycle Grand Prix | |||
| 1:35.508 | 2001 South African motorcycle Grand Prix | |||
| 1:35.593 | 2004 South African motorcycle Grand Prix | |||
| 1:40.711 | 2004 South African motorcycle Grand Prix | |||
| Goldfields Raceway: 4.168 km (1970–1997) | ||||
| 1:23.000[11] | ||||
| 1:30.200[12] | 1971 Die Volksblad 3 Hours | |||
| 1:28.000[13] | 1972 Goldfields 3 Hours | |||