Harry Pierce and Dick Bremner conceived the original Kyalami layout along with a small group of friends and workers. The two men also played a leading role in hosting early visiting race teams from Europe and elsewhere who made the journey to South Africa to test the new facility. Bremner served as chairman of the South African Automotive Racing Association, giving the project institutional backing from the start. The circuit's name derives from the Zulu phrase "Khaya lami," meaning "my home," reflecting the deep connection between the track and its community.
The circuit opened with the Kyalami 9 Hours endurance race and quickly attracted international attention. Its first major international event followed in 1961, and the South African Grand Prix came to Kyalami in 1967, establishing it as a regular stop on the Formula One calendar.
The original layout followed a broadly clockwise direction built around a long main straight and nine named corners. Each corner carried a name drawn from local geography, South African culture, or racing tradition:
Crowthorne Corner was a tight right-hander that greeted drivers immediately after the start-finish straight. It was named after the Crowthorne Hotel located near that section of the circuit. Barbecue Bend followed as a medium-speed right-hand bend, its name nodding to the South African tradition of the braai — an outdoor barbecue that often accompanied race days at the circuit. Jukskei Sweep was a long, fast left-hand curve named for the Jukskei River flowing near the track; the river itself takes its name from the traditional Afrikaner game of Jukskei, a form of horseshoe pitching played by early settlers.
Sunset Bend was among the most celebrated corners on the circuit, a fast right-hander so named because drivers frequently faced the setting sun while navigating it. Clubhouse Bend, a 90-degree left-hander, sat adjacent to the motorsport clubhouse buildings. The Esses formed a linked pair — Esses 1 as an initial left-hander and Esses 2 as a 90-degree right-hander leading uphill. Leeukop Bend, a tight right-hand hairpin, returned cars to the main straight. Its name referenced Leeukop hill (meaning "Lion's Head"), a prominent local landmark, as well as the Leeukop Prison situated on land behind the hill. Finally, a slight right-hand deviation known simply as The Kink divided the long main straight into two sections.
Kyalami hosted the South African Grand Prix from 1967 through 1985, attracting the top drivers of each era. The circuit rewarded bravery on its fast sweeps and precision at its slower corners. Niki Lauda became the most successful Formula One driver at Kyalami, ultimately claiming three victories at the circuit; Alain Prost, Nigel Mansell, and Jackie Stewart each won twice. Ferrari and Williams were the most successful constructors, each recording four victories at the circuit. In 1975, Jody Scheckter became the first — and to date only — South African driver to win his home Grand Prix.
The 1977 South African Grand Prix cast a dark shadow over the circuit's history. Race marshal Frederick Jansen van Vuuren and driver Tom Pryce both died following a collision on the main straight when Pryce struck a marshal who had run across the track to attend to another car that had caught fire.
The 1982 South African Grand Prix became notable for a different reason: the Grand Prix Drivers' Association organised a drivers' strike in protest at new superlicence conditions imposed by FISA, the governing body. The standoff was resolved before the race itself took place.
Political sanctions related to South Africa's apartheid policies led to the loss of the Formula One race after the 1985 edition, bringing one chapter of Kyalami's international story to a close.
Racing at the original Kyalami continued without Formula One through the late 1980s, with the final event on the original configuration held on 26 November 1988. The circuit also hosted the South African motorcycle Grand Prix as well as various domestic and regional series throughout its operational life, including the South African Formula One Championship and the South African Springbok Championship Series.
The original Kyalami layout is remembered as one of the fastest and most demanding circuits of its era, combining high-speed sweepers with technically demanding slow corners. Its nine individually named bends, each with a story rooted in South African life, gave the circuit a character that distinguished it from the more anonymously named venues of the period. When the circuit was rebuilt in 1989 as part of a commercial development, most of the original corners were eliminated or substantially altered, and the character of the track changed fundamentally. Sunset Bend, Clubhouse Bend, and the Esses were partially retained in modified form, but Crowthorne Corner, Barbecue Bend, Leeukop Bend, The Kink, and the original pit straight were all removed.