From Gold Dust to Dusty Tracks: The Rise of Welkom’s Motorsport Legacy (Goldfields Raceway / Phakisa Freeway)

Nestled in the heart of South Africa’s Free State, Welkom’s motorsport heritage traces its roots to an era of ambition and petrol-headed dreams. What began as a grassroots vision in the late 1960s culminated in the birth of the Goldfields Raceway, a circuit designed to rival global standards.

Spearheaded by motorsport enthusiasts Ian Galloway, Ian Auret, Herman van Hees, Fritz Jaekel and Neville Lederle, founders of the Goldfields Sports Car Club, the project gained traction when the Welkom and Odendaalsrus municipalities rallied behind it. By October 1970, the tarmac roared to life, hosting its inaugural race under clerk of the course Galloway, who was then followed for an unbroken stint covering the last 25 years of the circuit’s life by Zack Lombard.

For 29 years, the Goldfields Raceway became a cornerstone of South African motorsport. Known for its blend of speed and safety, the flat, featureless track carved through the dusty plains, challenging drivers with its long straights and technical esses. It hosted legendary series like the Springbok, Sunshine, and Formula Atlantic, alongside motorcycle and endurance races. The circuit’s financial viability was as steady as its public appeal, managed with precision by secretary Joyce Steyn, whose tenure became synonymous with the raceway’s golden years.

By the late 1990s, however, the allure of international events prompted a bold reinvention. The Goldfields Raceway closed in 1997, making way for the Phakisa Freeway—a dual-purpose complex featuring a road course and Africa’s sole American-style oval track.

Constructed in a mere six months, the R93-million facility, backed by then-Premier Ivy Matsepe-Casaburri, opened in April 1999. Its infield Grand Prix circuit swiftly secured a spot on the Motorcycle World Championship calendar, hosting South Africa’s MotoGP from 1999 to 2004. The dusty, slippery surface became a talking point, as riders like Garry McCoy and Valentino Rossi etched their names into Phakisa’s lore—Rossi notably clinching Yamaha’s maiden victory there in 2004.

Behind the spectacle, Phakisa’s operations were a feat of logistics. The 1999 MotoGP alone deployed 480 marshals, while teams requisitioned hundreds of chairs, tables, and appliances. A helicopter stood ready for emergencies, and St Helena Hospital erected a temporary facility. Yet, despite these efforts, cracks soon emerged. The oval circuit—a replica of Las Vegas Motor Speedway—lay dormant for a decade, its promise of NASCAR-style events unfulfilled until a lone 2010 stock car race.

Despite being designed for Indycar and NASCAR style racing, it lay completely unused for racing for its first decade, with Sarel van der Merwe being the only driver to turn laps in anger during the opening event.

Finally, in 2010 the American Speed Association imported 24 stock cars to the circuit and organised the Free State 500, pitting local drivers against a range of US and European racers, including former NASCAR star Geoff Bodine. Briton John Mickel won the event, passing Californian Toni McCray on the last lap, with Johann Spies best of the locals in fifth. It remains the only race held on the oval to date.

Financial strains compounded these challenges. While MotoGP injected an estimated R160 million per event into the local economy, sustaining the complex proved untenable. Post-2004, dwindling government support and homologation delays saw international events evaporate. A hailstorm in later years exacerbated decay, leaving the track in disrepair. By 2023, Motorsport South Africa withdrew its recognition, symbolising a stark fall from grace.

Critics argue the decline was foretold. As early as 1997, Judge Mervyn King and motorsport figures warned against taxpayer risks, predicting losses exceeding R350 million. By 2004, Phakisa’s costs had ballooned to R424 million against a meagre R7.7 million income—a burden compounded by questionable expenditures, including a CEO’s R532,000 salary despite relocation to the United States.

Yet hope persists. The Matjhabeng Municipality, partnering with provincial departments, seeks revival through public-private ventures. Proposals range from motorsport academies to multipurpose events, aiming to rekindle economic lifelines that once supported 2,500 jobs per race. Local voices, like businessman Kabelo Motsumi, frame Phakisa as a cultural emblem: “It’s a symbol of Welkom’s lost pride. We need something to believe in again.”

Retired race ace Grant van Schalkwyk recalls: “In my opinion one of the most iconic race tracks of South African motorsport where I first competed driving an Opel Kadett GSi in the late eighties that earmarked the start of my professional racing career.

“It was my introduction to how powerful the slipstreaming effect was due to its very fast sweep leading onto a very long back straight. The pit straight was particularly interesting which had right to left esses at the end leading onto the above-mentioned sweep, very challenging that required great precision and courage to take flat out.

“To win races at the Goldfields Raceway required patience and confidence, you never wanted to lead the race on the last lap, unless the slipstream effect could be broken during the race. I won many races on this racetrack, did many thousands of kilometres testing for Nissan Motorsport and Goodyear as well as vehicle development testing for the Ford Motor Company. The adrenaline rush of driving this amazing racetrack lives in my heart forever.

“It was incredibly bold move to build an new oval raceway, inner circuit and facilities at the location of the Goldfields Raceway track. I was upset by this decision at the time and voiced my disapproval to the man who spearheaded this development, Bobby Hartslief.

My unhappiness with the change was unfounded with an incredible facility and amazing racetrack design. I never got to race the oval, which sadly did not transpire into having a NASCAR style series, a lost opportunity in my opinion. The new race circuit heralded wonderful memories for my career, winning many races in the Wesbank V8 Supercar Series, in fact I still hold the lap record for saloon cars, set in 2005.

“The old and new race tracks are personal favourites, not only because of the success achieved but also many wonderful memories with my late father Ockie, who also won many races there with cars he prepared for some of the greatest racing drivers in South African motorsport, namely Mike Briggs, Giniel De Villiers, John Craig, Nic de Waal, Neil Brink and Devon Juby.”

From Goldfields’ gritty origins to Phakisa’s fleeting glory, Welkom’s tale mirrors the highs and lows of motorsport ambition. As restoration plans inch forward, the community clings to a shared memory—a time when engines thundered, dust clouds billowed, and a small Free State town briefly held the world’s gaze.