Creventic will organise a 24-hour race at Kyalami, South Africa in January, replacing its blue-riband 24 Hours of Dubai.
The event will take place on 8th to 10th January 2027, the date initially named for the 22nd 24H Dubai, and will run as Creventic’s winter offering in place of its now-traditional 24H Series Middle East Trophy.
The 2026/27 24H Series Middle East Trophy, which was set to made up of three races across the UAE’s Yas Marina Circuit and Dubai Autodrome, has been postponed as a consequence of the ongoing uncertainty in the Gulf region and the related impact on the cost of logistics and reliable transport planning.
Creventic therefore joins the Asian Le Mans Series in having had to establish an alternate format for its 2026/27 campaign.
The 12H Yas Marina and 6H Abu Dhabi are both set to feature on the 2027/28 Middle East Trophy schedule.
The Michelin 24H Kyalami will be the highest-profile endurance race in Africa since the most-recent occasion the Kyalami 9 Hours featured on the Intercontinental GT Challenge schedule in 2023.
Since then, the Kyalami 9 Hours has formed part of the South African Endurance Series, with Middle East Trophy competitor Into Africa Racing winning each of the past two years. The 2026 Kyalami 9 Hours will take place on 13th to 14th November, two months before the venue hosts South Africa’s first international 24-hour hour.
Helen Roukens, general manager at Creventic, said: “Changing our long-established Middle East calendar was an extremely difficult decision. We greatly value our relationships with Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit and are very grateful for their cooperation and understanding.
“At the same time, we are incredibly excited to bring the Michelin 24H Series to Kyalami for the first time. We always offer our teams new experiences, while retaining the quality and familiar character of our events. With its rich history, impressive facilities and iconic circuit, Kyalami has all the ingredients for a special event and we cannot wait to race in South Africa in January.”
Toby Venter, Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit CEO, commented: “We are delighted to be the hosts for the Michelin 24H Kyalami race. This event continues the success of Kyalami in hosting premium international racing events. Whilst Kyalami has a rich history of endurance racing, including the legendary Kyalami 9 Hour, this will be the first international 24-hour event hosted in South Africa.”
Image courtesy of SRO/Dirk Bogaerts Photography
