| Pos. | No. | Driver | Entrant | Constructor | Time | Grid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 8 | Jim Clark | Team Lotus | Lotus-Climax | 2.13:58.4 | 1 |
| 2 | 7 | Stirling Moss | UDT Laystall Racing Team | Lotus-Climax | + 31.9 s | 22 |
| 3 | 4 | Jo Bonnier | Porsche System Engineering | Porsche | 88 laps | 2 |
| 4 | 5 | Edgar Barth | Porsche System Engineering | Porsche | 87 laps | 8 |
| 5 | 1 | Syd van der Vyver | Syd van der Vyver | Lotus-Alfa Romeo | 86 laps | 7 |
| 6 | 11 | Doug Serrurier | Scuderia Lupini | Cooper-Maserati | 86 laps | 10 |
| 7 | 25 | Adrian Pheiffer | Adrian Pheiffer | Cooper-Alfa Romeo | 86 laps | 9 |
| 8 | 26 | Trevor Blokdyk | Trevor Blokdyk | Cooper-Ford | 19 | |
| 9 | 19 | Bruce Jennings | Bill Jennings | Jennings-Porsche | 18 | |
| 10 | 20 | John Guthrie | Ecurie Rhodes | Cooper-Alfa Romeo | 13 | |
| Ret | 2 | Bruce Johnstone | Yeoman Credit Racing Team | Cooper-Climax | Accident | 6 |
| Ret | 14 | Don Philp | Don Philp | Quodra-Climax | Engine | 12 |
| Ret | 16 | Helmut Menzler | Ecurie Wolman | Lotus-Borgward | 14 | |
| Ret | 29 | Neville Lederle | Neville Lederle | Lotus-Ford | 15 | |
| Ret | 27 | Bob van Niekerk | Equipe Judette | Lotus-Ford | 16 | |
| Ret | 10 | Ernie Pieterse | Scuderia Alfa | Heron-Alfa Romeo | Suspension | 11 |
| Ret | 23 | Fanie Viljoen | G.E. Mennie | LDS-Climax | 17 | |
| Ret | 15 | Sam Tingle | Sam Tingle | LDS-Alfa Romeo | 20 | |
| Ret | 17 | Dave Wright | Dave Wright | Cooper-Climax | 21 | |
| Ret | 3 | Tony Maggs | Yeoman Credit Racing Team | Cooper-Climax | Overheating | 5 |
| Ret | 9 | Trevor Taylor | Team Lotus | Lotus-Climax | Accident | 3 |
| Ret | 6 | Masten Gregory | UDT Laystall Racing Team | Lotus-Climax | Cylinder head gasket | 4 |
| DNS | 12 | John Love | A.H. Pillman | LDS-Porsche | Practice accident | - |
| WD | 18 | Clive Trundell | Clive Trundell | Cooper-Climax | Car not ready | - |
| WD | 21 | Bill Dunlop | Bill Dunlop | Cooper-Alfa Romeo | Car not ready | - |
| WD | 22 | Gordon Henderson | Gordon Henderson | Cooper-Alfa Romeo | Car not ready | - |
| WD | 24 | Gene Bosman | Scuderia Alfa | Lotus-Alfa Romeo | Car not ready | - |
| WD | 28 | Bernard Podmore | Bernard Podmore | Lotus-Ford | Car damaged | - |
| WD | 30 | Jack Holme | Jack Holme | Lotus-Climax | Car damaged | - |
Date: 17 December 1961
Official Name: I Natal Grand Prix
Circuit: Westmead Circuit
Location: Durban
Circuit Length: 3.62 km
Number of Laps: 89
Race Distance: 322.213 km
Pole Position: Jim Clark, Lotus-Climax, 1:26.1
Fastest Lap: Stirling Moss, Lotus-Climax, 1:24.8