| 1st | 3 | Jacky Ickx / Jochen Mass | Porsche 956 | Rothmans | 1:13.4300 |
| 2nd | 4 | Derek Bell / Vern Schuppan | Porsche 956 | Rothmans | 1:13.8700 |
| 3rd | 1 | Giorgio Francia / Bob Wollek | Porsche 936/80 | Lindsay Sakers/Joest Racing | 1:16.9800 |
| 4th | 2 | Hans Heyer / Volkert Merl / Dieter Schornstein | Porsche 936C | Lindsay Sakers/Joest Racing | 1:17.9600 |
| 5th | 10 | John Fitzpatrick / Desiré Wilson | Porsche 935/78-81 | Broadway Ford/ABR & MSW Motorsport | 1:19.0400 |
| 6th | 8 | Hans-Joachim Stuck / Siegfried Müller, Jr. / Walter Brun | Sauber SHS C6 Ford | B.A.S.F. | 1:19.3700 |
| 7th | 6 | Alain De Cadenet / Jean-Michel Martin / Giorgio Pianta | Porsche 908/3 Turbo | P.G. Glass | 1:20.0400 |
| 8th | 7 | Gianpiero Moretti / Mauro Baldi | Porsche 935/78-81 | Momo/Autoquip B.P. | 1:20.3800 |
| 9th | 9 | Manfred Winkelhock / Leopold von Bayern | Sauber SHS C6 BMW Turbo | L.M. | 1:21.0900 |
| 10th | 14 | David Hobbs / Masahiro Hasemi / Tony Pond | Nissan Skyline Turbo C | Hasemi Motorsport | 1:22.5500 |
| 11th | 5 | Enzo Calderari / Eddy Joosen / Umberto Grano | BMW M1 Gr.5 | Kreepy Krauly/B.M.W. Italia | 1:23.9300 |
| 12th | 16 | Bernard Tilanus / Ian Harrower / Graham Duxbury | Chevron B31 Mazda | Bernard Tilanus | 1:24.1000 |
| 13th | 17 | George Santana / Errol Shearsby / Colin Burford | Mazda 323 | Autoquip/Momo/B.P. | 1:31.9400 |
| 14th | 20 | Willie Hepburn / Ben Morgenrood | Chevrolet SS | Tiger Wheels/Henneman Hotel | 1:34.7800 |
| 15th | 12 | Billy Maloney / John Gibb | Ford Escort | Datsun-Nissan (Pty) Ltd. | 1:35.7500 |
| 16th | 26 | Fanie Els / Hans Kruger | Volvo 164 | Le Mans Motors/V.S.A. | 1:36.7100 |
| 17th | 25 | Mike O'Sullivan / Paddy O'Sullivan | Rover SDS | P.W.S Car Valet Racing with Eloff Leyland | 1:36.9000 |
| 18th | 24 | Giv Giovannoni / Campbell McKie Thompson | Mazda Capella | Mirage Ride on Lawn | 1:37.4500 |
| 19th | 21 | Robby Smith / Ritchie Jute | BMW 535i | Kaye-Eddie Estates | 1:38.1300 |
| 20th | 43 | Philip Booysen / Louis Nortjie / Geoff Goddard | BMW 530 | Mitchell Cotts Racing | 1:38.7000 |
| 21st | 18 | Johnny Knez / Trevor van Rooyen | Datsun J | Dig & Associates/J. Knez | 1:38.7900 |
| 22nd | 11 | Dieter Selzer / Johan Coetzee / Winni Vogt | Ford Escort BDA | Broadway Ford/Castrol | 1:38.8900 |
| 23rd | 23 | Paddy Driver / Wayne Taylor | Mazda Capella | Duckhams/Pretoria Brick | 1:39.0800 |
| 24th | 22 | Brian Cook / Ken Critchfield | Ford Capri | Autoquip | 1:39.2300 |
| 25th | 27 | Arnold Chatz / Nicolo Bianco | Alfa Romeo GTV6 | Alfa Romeo S.A. | 1:39.8000 |
| 26th | 30 | Hennie van der Linde / George Bezuidenhout | Datsun Stanza | Datsun-Nissan (Pty) Ltd. | 1:40.1000 |
| 27th | 31 | Tony Viana / Dave Charlton | BMW 535i | B.P./B.M.W. Dealer Team | 1:41.6000 |
| 28th | 41 | Abel d'Oliveira / Tommy Dunn | Alfa Romeo GTV6 | Glenwood Motors/Pretoria Brick | 1:42.0000 |
| 29th | 28 | Pat Duckham / Meredith Willis | Ford Escort | | 1:42.3700 |
| 30th | 33 | Cliff Coetzee / Paolo Cavalieri / Giorgio Cavalieri | BMW 535i | Edrich Auto Sales/Metal Design | 1:43.6000 |
| 31st | 32 | John Moni / Peter Lindenberg | BMW 535i | Duckhams/B.M.W. Dealer Team | 1:43.9400 |
| 32nd | 39 | Louis Parsons / Dick Pickering | Alfa Romeo GTV6 | Alfa Romeo S.A. | 1:45.4100 |
| 33rd | 29 | Dick Sorensen / Barry Flowers | Datsun 160Z | Datsun-Nissan (Pty) Ltd. | 1:45.4600 |
| 34th | 40 | Maurizio Bianco / Serge Damseaux | Alfa Romeo GTV6 | V.S.A. Racing | 1:45.5300 |
| 35th | 19 | Don Bruins / Brian Rowlings | Mazda 323 | Team Shell/Comright Motors | 1:47.2000 |
| 36th | 35 | Roelf van Kooij / Colin Clay | Datsun Skyline GTX | Toits Motors/Team Shell | 1:47.7400 |
| 37th | 34 | Charles Brittz / Eric Sanders / Paul Cox | Datsun Skyline GTX | Datsun-Nissan (Pty) Ltd. | 1:48.0700 |
| 38th | 38 | Bobby van Noord / Ralph Lange | Mazda RS Capella | Chris Robinson Racing/Shell | 1:48.3700 |
| 39th | 42 | Willie van Zyl / Jan Hettema | Alfa Romeo GTV 2000 | Glenwood Motors/Pretoria Brick | 1:48.4300 |
| 40th | 37 | Tommy Voget / Johnny Pienaar | Mazda RS Capella | Great South Sigma | 1:48.9800 |
| 41st | 36 | Mike Wentzel / Andy Terlouw / Peter Todd | Mazda Capella | | 1:49.0000 |