Kelvin Race Track

I have noticed that many people are trying to establish the location of the Lord Howe Race Track in Kelvin. It is possible that the borehole is still there so if one can find it the rest may fall into line (see sketch below). Another clue that could assist the heritage enthusiast is that the main straight was at the top of a hill and finished in a dip. I can recall these details as I spent quite a bit of time in the pits and in the grandstand as a child as my dad, Prosser Roberts, was a fearsome racer during the 1930s. He raced the Bugatti pictured above.

Sketch of the Lord Howe Race Track in Kelvin, Sandton

Memories of the Lord Howe Circuit

The borehole was a godsend in the summer months as the track got stinking hot. I can remember walking from the grandstand to the borehole for a drink of that cold clear water but by the time I got back to the grandstand I was thirsty again! It had an old reciprocating pump driven by a Villiers two stroke motor with no silencer. The crack of the motor’s exhaust hurt my ears. The drive was a flat belt which was looked after by a kind hearted old man who was liked by everybody. When you arrived for water he would give the belt a pull to start the motor and when you were done he would...

It is hard to imagine that there was once a Grand Prix Race Track in Kelvin, Sandton. The article below, compiled by Ted Steyn, uncovers some remarkable local racing history. The piece appeared in the 1992 annual magazine of the Sandton Historical Association.

Until 1936 all the area now known as 'Kelvin' was farmland and it included the farms of Lombardy and Bergvalei (or Bergvlei). In 1936 the South African Motor Racing Company was formed by enthusiasts who wanted a race track near Johannesburg in order to promote their sporting activities.

Location of Kelvin (Google Maps)

The Kelvin area was chosen for this purpose and, at the substantial cost of £32 000, a 2.5 mile race track was built on a 195ha site, which had its centre at the present junction of Sunnyway and Fairway. The land was bought for £13,244.22 from Michele Angelo Zoccola and comprised portions of the farms Lombardy and Bergvlei. The racing track development was financed by Sir Ernest Oppenheimer, F.A. Unger and others, and was named the 'Lord Howe Circuit' commemorating the racing driver son of the Earl of Athlone who had been Governor-General of South Africa between 1923 and 1931.

Sunny Way and Fair Way Kelvin (Google Maps)

In...