The idea of a street race in Cape Town, South Africa, has been kicking around for a number of years but the authorities in South Africa have not really embraced the idea. There is no question that F1 would like to be in Africa, and Cape Town is the best available option and Cape Town Grand Prix SA is continuing to try to make that happen. The plan is to have a race by September 2014. The circuit being planned would run through the Green Point district around the imposing Cape Town Stadium, including a section inside the facility. The problem is that at least $100 million is needed. In an effort to get things moving the organisers have done a deal with Dave McGregor, the man who promoted last two South African GPs back in the 1990s. They were held at Kyalami, near Johannesburg.

The track being planned would be around 3.5 miles in length and would include sections around Table Bay Harbour and alongside the ocean, all in the shadow of Table Mountain.

The City of Cape Town would obviously be asked to help and there is now a new mayor in Patricia de Lille, who took over from Dan Plato in May, although both are from the same Democratic Alliance party. De Lille says that her administration aims to address poverty through economic growth and by creating jobs. The Democratic Alliance has an outright majority on the council with 135 of the 221 seats. The African National Congress, the national ruling party, has only 73 seats.

Cape Town is the most popular international tourist destination in South Africa, which makes it the also the most popular tourist destination in Africa, thanks to its mild climate, developed infrastructure and spectacular setting. The city boasts 60,000 hotel beds and has hosted a series of international sporting events including the 1995 Rugby WOlrd Cup, the 2003 Cricket World Cup and hosted a number of games for the Soccer World Cup last year. The city has a population of around 3.5 million, which means it is roughly the same size as Melbourne.