Records shattered at Simola Hillclimb

KNYSNA, South Africa, 5 May 2024 – There was lots of adrenaline-fuelled action and drama at the 14th running of the Simola Hillclimb which took place in Knysna at the weekend.

Robert Wolk earned his first King of the Hill title in the Single Seater, Sports Car and Sports Prototypes category, while Dawie Joubert claimed the Modified Saloon Car win for the first time. JP van der Walt entrenched his domination of the Road Car and Supercar category by taking his fourth consecutive title.

After several years as one of the Simola Hillclimb’s leading single-seater competitors, Wolk and the InvestChem team battled through a series of technical niggles throughout the weekend with the 1989 Pillbeam MP58 – a specialised hillclimb car, albeit 35 years old, which is now powered by a thunderous modern Infinity Indycar V8 engine.

He posted the Pillbeam’s fastest official time of 37.133 seconds during the Class Finals, despite not completing three of the six qualifying sessions due to electrical issues. His fastest run for the 1.9 km standing start sprint was completed at an average speed of 184.203 km/h. In the thrilling all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout, he crossed the timing beam in 37.403 seconds to take the top prize.

“It was a fantastic weekend, even though we had our issues with the car,” Wolk said. “In the Top 10 Shootout we were dealing with an engine problem, so I couldn’t go as fast as I would have liked, but we made it count in the end.”

It was a clean sweep of the top two places for the InvestChem outfit, as team owner Ian Schofield claimed the runner-up spot in the Top 10 Shootout with an impressive time of 40.938 seconds in the 2018 Mygale SJ Formula Ford – slashing an impressive 1.1 seconds off the time he set in the Class Finals.

Rui Campos posted his best time of 41.379 seconds in the final shootout, finishing third in the Ford V8-powered Shelby CanAm. Unfortunately, six-time winner Andre Bezuidenhout was forced to withdraw from this year’s event after his record-setting Gould GR55 suffered engine damage during pre-event testing, but he retains both the class C and outright Simola Hillclimb record of 34.161 seconds.

Modified Saloon Cars

The most powerful and wildest tin-top cars in the country fall into class B for Modified Saloon Cars. Fans were expecting an almighty battle between the two wild all-wheel drive Nissan R35 GT-R machines of five-time winner Franco Scribante and last year’s runner-up, Reghard Roets.

However, the tables were turned when Dawie Joubert was consistently at the top of the pile in his lightweight Lotus Exige, which is powered by a twin-turbocharged Ferrari 488 engine. Having sorted out the technical issues that plagued the car in previous years, Joubert wrapped up the six qualifying rounds with the fastest time of 38.291 seconds.

He was a mere six-hundredths of a second ahead of brother Charl in the Honda V6-powered Lotus Elise (38.354 sec). The penultimate qualifying runs saw the dramatic retirement of both Scribante and Roets with drivetrain damage on both GT-Rs, leaving the final duel to play out between a trio of rear-wheel drive cars, including 2021 winner Pieter Zeelie in the Toyota MR2 Super GT.

Dawie Joubert’s advantage grew in the Class Finals, finishing 1.095 seconds ahead of Charl, with Zeelie half a second further back due to a turbocharger boost pipe coming loose. Dawie ultimately wrapped up a faultless weekend by securing the King of the Hill title with a time of 38.405 seconds (at an average speed of 178.102 km/h). He finished just a tenth of a second ahead of Zeelie, with Charl Joubert taking the final step of the podium on 39.524 seconds.

This made it first rear-wheel drive car win in three years, and brought Dawie to within 0.276 seconds of Franco Scribante’s current Modified Saloon Car record of 38.129 seconds from 2022 – an astonishing feat, considering the traction advantage the GT-R has with its sophisticated, race-developed all-wheel drive system.

“I’m very happy. The car was exceptionally well prepared by the team and gave me a lot of confidence,” Joubert said. “We were in the fight from the first run, and it was a perfect weekend. This is such a great event that just gets better and better each year.”

In class A for standard production vehicles, JP van der Walt at the wheel of a Porsche was once again an unbeatable combination as he claimed his fourth consecutive King of the Hill victory in a 2021 911 Turbo S.

Having dominated the entire weekend, Van der Walt not only walked away with the prized title, but he set a new record for the class in the process. His final time of 42.935 seconds in the Road Car and Supercar Top 10 Shootout was 1.159 seconds faster than the previous record of 44.094 sec which was set by Reghard Roets in 2019 in a road-legal Nissan R35 GT-R.

“The weekend was actually very stressful, as pushing this fast destroyed the tyres, and I had to skip some of the qualifying sessions and also change my driving style for the last two runs,” Van der Walt said. “The car just didn’t want to turn in properly on the worn tyres, so I had to brake earlier for the corners to get a clean and fast exit. Reghard helped with a lot of tips to get the best time, and Clint Weston gave me a bit of a run for my money, but we had lots of fun.”

Weston was behind the wheel of the mightily powerful but heavy 2023 Mercedes-AMG GT63 E-Performance 4-door hybrid, and he certainly earned the biggest cheers from the record number of spectators with his exhilarating four-wheel drifts through most of the corners up the 1.9 km Simola Hill.

The provisional results placed him second with a time of 44.434 seconds, although he was 0.3 seconds quicker in his prior run in the Class Finals. Garth Mackintosh finished third in his 2017 McLaren 720s.

Class Finals

There were exciting class battles throughout the field for individual honours, including the new class B10 for modified street-legal cars. The 2024 Simola Hillclimb certainly produced a spectacular show for the fans in attendance, as well as the large number of online enthusiasts watching the livestream from around the world.

The class winners were:

Road Cars and Supercars (provisional results, subject to final confirmation)

A1: Thomas Falkiner – Suzuki Swift Sport:                            53.784 sec

A2: Nico Nel – BMW M135i xDrive:                                       56.928 sec

A3: Farhaad Ebrahim – Toyota Supra:                                  45.264 sec

A4: JP van der Walt – Porsche 911 Turbo S:                        43.513 sec

A5: Dayaan Padayachey – Porsche Cayman GTS:              49.322 sec

A6: Gordon Nicholson – Audi R8 V10 Plus:                           47.003 sec

A7: James Temple – Shelby Mustang Super Snake:            47.833 sec

A8: Clint Weston – Mercedes-AMG GT63 E-Performance:  44.134 sec

Modified Saloon Cars

B1: Shuaib Dhansay – Ford Fiesta:                                       57.850 sec

B2: Daniel Rowe – Volkswagen Polo SupaCup:                   44.058 sec

B4: Dawie Joubert – Lotus Exige (Ferrari V8):                      38.966 sec

B5: Aldo Scribante – Audi S4:                                                41.413 sec

B6: Paul Munro – BMW M3:                                                   46.874 sec

B7: Pieter Joubert – Lotus Exige (Mercedes-AMG V8):        43.373 sec

B9: Arnold du Plessis – Nissan Patrol Black Hawk):             54.457 sec

B10: Steve Clark – Nissan R34 GT-R:                                  43.544 sec

Single Seater, Sports Car and Sports Prototypes

C2: Ian Schofield – Mygale SJ Formula Ford:                       42.048 sec

C3: Robert Wolk – Pillbeam MP58 (Infinity Indycar V8):       37.133 sec

C4: Josef Kotze – Birkin S3 (Toyota):                                    54.411 sec

C6: Rui Campos – Shelby CanAm (Ford V8):                       41.826 sec

Spirit of Dave Charlton Award

Each year the special ‘Spirit of Dave Charlton’ award is given to the person or team that reflects South African race legend Dave Charlton’s spirit of impeccable attention to detail, meticulous preparation and commendable performance.

For the 2024 King of the Hill, the award went to Team Scuderia Scribante, headed by brothers Silvio and Aldo Scribante from Gqeberha.

Words: Colin Mileman

Images: Rob Till

https://bit.ly/3Wu92t1

Franco claims King of the Hill

KNYSNA, South Africa, 3 May 2024 – Franco Scribante wrote his name in the Simola Hillclimb record books once again by securing his seventh Classic Conqueror title at this year’s extremely competitive Classic Car Friday on May 3, 2024.

The intense battle between Scribante, who last won the title in 2021, and reigning champion Andre Bezuidenhout proved as thrilling as the thousands of attending fans expected. However, it was Scribante who held the advantage in each of the practice and qualifying sessions throughout the day in his rapid 1970 Chevron B19, and he repeated the feat in the Class Finals when he edged out his rival by 0.328 sec with a time of 41.796 seconds to claim the class H9 win.

In the final all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout, Bezuidenhout’s challenge faltered when the Lola’s gearbox got stuck in third gear coming out of Turn 3, and he was relegated to sixth place overall. In scorching hot conditions, Scribante’s car bogged down slightly as he launched the Chevron off the start line for the crucial last dash, but he gave it absolutely everything on the remainder of the tight and twisty 1.9km Simola Hill course. He recovered to cross the timing beam in 41.937 seconds (at an average speed of 163.1 km/h) to earn a hard-fought Classic Conqueror victory.

“After two challenging years we’re back and I’m very happy to take the win,” Scribante said. “Our game plan for today was to take the fight to our rivals from the first run and that’s what we did by leading every session. It all came together in the end and it’s a fantastic result.”

Charles Arton, the 2015 winner, enjoyed his trip back to the podium with second overall in the Top 10 Shootout with his 1979 March 79A, having set his best time of the day at 43.586 seconds. He also earned third place in class H9, behind Scribante and Bezuidenhout.

Rui Campos made history too by powering his 1974 Porsche 911 RSR to third place in the final shootout with a time of 46.730 seconds – making it the first-ever tin-top car to claim a spot on the Classic Conqueror podium. Campos was rewarded with the class H8 victory too.

James Temple finished fourth in the Top 10 in the roaring 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe and took the class H6 win, with Robert Wolk ending fifth overall in the 1979 Van Diemen RF Formula Ford. With Bezuidenhout having to settle for sixth place as he limped the car across the line, Anthony Rix ended seventh (50.586 sec) in the 1969 Lola T70 Mk3B, while Craig Wessels rounded out the results with a time of 51.179 seconds in his 1983 Porsche 911 RSR IROC.

In the other class results, Rob Prece won H7 in his 1980 Volkswagen Golf (51.170 sec), with H5 going to Ian Kilburn in the 1972 Datsun GX Coupe (53.856 sec) and Porsche specialist Gavin Rooke taking the H4 class win in his 1973 911 (52.204 sec).

While Andre Bezuidenhout endured a difficult 2024 Simola Hillclimb – including the withdrawal of his unbeaten Gould GR55 from King of the Hill due to engine failure during pre-event testing – the family name was held high by his son, Jandre. Driving his dad’s first race car, the 1985 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup, Jandre comfortably took the class H3 win with a time of 52.925 seconds.

In class H1 for the ‘golden oldies’, which is contested on a handicap basis, Callum Price emerged victorious in his 1946 Austin Special, after finishing closest to his target time (101.35%). He narrowly beat Gero Lilleike in the 1931 Ford Model A who ended on 101.83%.

Spirit of Dave Charlton Award

Each year the special ‘Spirit of Dave Charlton’ award is given to the person that reflects South African race legend Dave Charlton’s spirit of impeccable attention to detail, meticulous preparation and commendable performance.

For the 2024 Simola Hillclimb, the award went to Farouk Dangor, the owner of Speedy Car Sales and a former competitor in the South African Touring Car and Production Car championships. Dangor’s passion for racing is embodied in the Speedy Car Sales motorsport museum which features many of the cars that he raced over the years, as well as a host of racing memorabilia.

Words: Colin Mileman

Images: Rob Till

https://bit.ly/4bFXFTl

Colin-on-Cars - King Andre crowned at Simola thriller

Andre Bezuidenhout is King of the Hill for the sixth consecutive time following a thrilling final day shootout at the Simola Hillclimb in Knysna, Eastern Cape.

With some 17 500 spectators cheering him on earned his title in the Single Seater and Sports Prototype category in the 2007 Gould GR55. Several rainy spells had thrown curveballs at the crews throughout Sunday with the final all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout taking place in mostly wet conditions on the challenging 1,9 km Simola Hill course.

Nevertheless, Bezuidenhout produced a masterful demonstration of strategy and focused determination to power the Gould to a winning time of 37,580 seconds. This was some 3,4 seconds off his outright record from last year’s event, but an impressive result considering the ever-changing weather and the unpredictable levels of grip across the hillclimb course.

Unfortunately, the challenge from Robert Wolk in the Indycar Infinity V8-powered 1989 Pillbeam MP58 failed to materialise when his engine blew on the final qualifying run. However, Bezuidenhout had maintained a healthy advantage over Wolk throughout the weekend, and was faultless on his way to victory, earning a clean sweep after also claiming his first Classic Car Friday title two days earlier.

“I tried for six years to win Classic Car Friday, and only managed it this year, so that’s motorsport,” Bezuidenhout said. “On King of the Hill, I thought Rob had a good chance this year until his car broke down, so it was an easier run for me until it rained, and it was quite a challenge to get the car over the line in the wet conditions.

“Prior to the final run, I hadn’t driven on the wet tyres, because every time we fitted the wets it stopped raining, so I didn’t have a single practice on these tyres and I’m very lucky that I made it.”

Bezuidenhout was very enthusiastic about the growing international interest in the Simola Hillclimb, and the great exposure being generated by Salo and the Solberg brothers attending this year’s event.

 “For several years the Simola Hillclimb has been knocking on the doors of world hillclimb racing. People have been talking about it, and reaching out to ask about it,” Bezuidenhout said. “Having someone like Petter Solberg here is going to take this event to the next level because in World Rallycross he is the Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen. It’s lovely for the event to have Petter, Henning and Mika here, and it’s great for Knysna and South Africa.”

While Bezuidenhout ruled supreme once again, the runner-up in the Top 10 Shootout with a time of 40,794 seconds was Devin Robertson in the 1992 Radical Pro Sport, which is powered by a 1 300 cc Suzuki Hayabusa motorcycle engine. Andrew Rackstraw took the podium’s final step with a time of 41,589 seconds in the Formula VW single-seater.

Modified Saloon Cars

Petter Solberg was undeniably the highlight of the mighty race-tuned saloon cars, combining his effervescent personality and exceptional talent with the remarkable performance of the 2018 title-winning Volkswagen Polo R WRX Supercar.

Solberg last drove this car in 2019 at the Goodwood Festival of Speed, after which it was placed in the Volkswagen Museum in Germany. Despite the car simply being dusted off, given a quick service and running on tyres that were more than three years old, the Norwegian ace raised more than a few eyebrows when he posted an astonishing time of 40,867 seconds on his very first run up the Simola Hill.

He slotted into second place with a margin of just 1,3 seconds from the leader, Reghard Roets, in a much more powerful and highly modified 2014 Nissan R-35 GT-R, known as ‘Armageddon’.

Through the two days of fierce competition, it became a three-way tussle for the title between Solberg, Roets and four-time King of the Hill, Franco Scribante in his radical time attack-inspired GT-R, called ‘The Sheriff’.

Having sorted out the series of technical niggles that plagued his car last year, Roets seemed well placed to secure his first Modified Saloon Car win after dominating the times in almost every session. He posted the fastest-ever unofficial time for a tin-top car during Saturday’s final qualifying run on 38,045 seconds – eight-hundredths quicker than Scribante’s current official record of 38,129 seconds from the 2022 event.

However, the title slipped from his grasp at the final hurdle when he braked a moment too late on wet tyres going into Turn 3, and he had to settle for second place with a time of 40,539 seconds.

In contrast to the largely hassle-free weekend that Roets experienced, reigning champion Scribante had to navigate through several problems, including having to replace a destroyed rear prop shaft on his mighty GT-R.

He produced a storming drive in unpredictable and greasy conditions on the final run to snatch his fifth Modified Saloon Car King of the Hill title with an astonishing time of 39,877 seconds on wet tyres.

“I probably had less pressure on me than Reghard did, because he outperformed me the whole weekend,” Scribante said. “My team did an amazing job, as we changed things chronically and put everything into getting the package right for that final run. But it finally all came together at the end.”

To rousing applause from the thousands of spectators, Solberg completed his final dash up the Simola Hill in a series of full-attack power slides in the Polo R WRX Supercar, and he was rewarded with third place in the Top 10 Shootout on 41,281 seconds.

Before the rain disrupted the proceedings, Solberg had posted his best practice time of 39,848 seconds, and wrapped up qualifying on 40,165 seconds.

“I didn’t have the right tyres, so my last run was just okay, but I’m very happy with the result,” Solberg said. “I’m very lucky that the wet weather arrived just in time so I could get the podium. The car was perfect, and to finish in the top three with a four-cylinder Polo against some serious hillclimb cars isn’t bad.

“The fans and the atmosphere have been amazing, and it has been really special to meet all the people, sign autographs and feel so appreciated,” he said. “We came here to make a great show of it and have fun, and the racing side of it went a lot better than I expected. I would really like to come back next year, so we’ll see what the future holds.”

Road-going Saloon Cars and Supercars

JP van der Walt stamped his authority on the standard production car category by scoring his third consecutive King of the Hill title in a 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S with a Top 10 Shootout time of 44,991 seconds in wet conditions.

This was a remarkable feat, considering it was just 0,4 seconds off his winning time from last year, and only three-tenths slower than his quickest run in the dry this weekend.

This was the most difficult one by far,” Van der Walt said. “We’ve had electrical issues with the car since the parade started on Friday, and I have to say a big thanks to the Scribante team, BB Motorsport and Volkswagen Motorsport who all came to assist. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get all the problems resolved and I had to drive around them, so I gave it my all and I’m happy with a 44-second time in the wet.”

Garth Mackintosh was the closest rival in his 2017 McLaren 720s, coming within 0,3 seconds of Van der Walt in the dry. However, the rear-wheel drive McLaren was no match for the all-wheel drive Porsche in the wet, but Mackintosh held on to finish second in the Top 10 Shootout on 47,261 seconds.

Finnish Formula 1 driver Mika Salo delivered a tenacious drive in the wet conditions to claim third place in the 2023 Mercedes-AMG A45S, crossing the timing beam in 47,876 seconds.

“This was something different for me as I’ve never done a hillclimb before,” he said. “It was not easy to get to know the course and I was quite cautious at the beginning, but I saved the best for last when I pushed the limits. It was a nice event with a great atmosphere, and I really enjoyed the experience.”

Class Finals

While the qualifying runs determined the Top 10 Shootout contenders for all three King of the Hill categories, they also decided which drivers would contest the penultimate Class Finals which were conducted in rainy conditions.

Andrew Rackstraw took the class C2 victory for four-cylinder single-seaters (44,946 sec) after an intense battle with Formula VW compatriot Byron Mitchell, with C3 (unlimited single-seaters) going to Andre Bezuidenhout on 41,872 seconds in the 2007 Gould GR55.

Tom Barrett earned the C4 win for four-cylinder naturally aspirated sports prototypes with his 2006 Lotus 7 Replica (58,730 sec), and the unlimited four-cylinder C5 title went to Devin Robertson in the 1992 Radical 1300 Pro Sport (43,842 sec). Rui Campos powered his way to the class C6 title for the large-capacity sports prototypes, recording 48,896 seconds in the V8-powered Shelby CanAm.

In the Modified Saloon Cars, it was a racing debut and class B1 (naturally aspirated, four-cylinder) win for MasterDrive/Castrol driver search winner Bevin Harris in the 2007 Ford Fiesta ST (1:17,478), with Graeme Nathan taking B2 (four-cylinder, 2WD unlimited) in the VW Polo SupaCup on 50,664 seconds.

B3 for unlimited four-cylinder 4WD cars went to Petter Solberg (43,383 seconds) in the 2018 VW Polo R WRX Supercar, while Pieter Zeelie earned the B4 crown (five-cylinder and above, 2WD) on 44,656 seconds in his 2002 Toyota MR2 Super GT.

Although he missed out on the overall King of the Hill title, Reghard Roets was able to take the trophy for class B5 (five-cylinder and above 4WD) home in the 2014 Nissan R35 GT-R (40,565 sec), completing this session 1,649 seconds faster than second-placed Franco Scribante.

Geoff Goddard Jnr took the B6 honours for six-cylinder naturally aspirated cars in the iconic 1989 Stannic Group N BMW 325i Shadowline, with B7 (eight cylinders and above, naturally aspirated) claimed by Pieter Joubert in the bright yellow Mercedes-AMG V8-powered Lotus Exige (48,947 sec).

Renowned circuit and rally-raid driver Anthony Taylor took the B9 win for unlimited SUVs and bakkies (pick-ups) in the new twin-turbo V6-powered Ford Ranger Raptor with a wet time of 1:02,064, after having gone as low as 54,747 seconds in the dry qualifying sessions.

In the Road-going Saloon Car and Supercar category, Deon Joubert led the charge in class A1 (2WD, four cylinders) in the latest Honda Civic Type R on 55,368 seconds. Clint Weston settled the tight squabble with Mika Salo in the pair of Mercedes-AMG A45S entries by winning the A2 title for 4WD cars on 49,134 seconds.

Farhaad Ebrahim took A3 (five-cylinders and above, 2WD) with a time of 50,223 seconds in his 2020 Toyota Supra, while JP van der Walt was untouchable in A4 for the 4WD cars (48,449 sec). Sean Mackay earned the A5 win (five cylinders and above, naturally aspirated) in the 2000 Porsche 911 GT3 (1:03,799), with the A6 trophy (eight cylinders and above, naturally aspirated) handed to Gordon Nicholson in the 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus (50,462 sec).

Garth Mackintosh powered the 2017 McLaren 720s to the A7 win for force-fed cars (eight cylinders and up) on 52,800 seconds, while Ashley Oldfield scored the victory in A8 for hybrid and electric cars with the BMW XM that made its South African debut at the Simola Hillclimb, achieving a time of 49,134 seconds.

Words: Colin Mileman * Images: Rob Till

https://bit.ly/3pagn2a

Solberg to star at Simola

Rallycross ace Petter Solberg will be adding spice to the upcoming Simola Hillclimb behind the wheel of the fiery Volkswagen Polo R WRX Supercar.

“We are very excited Petter Solberg will be making his way to South Africa to race in the Polo R WRX Supercar. Solberg’s partnership with Volkswagen started in 2017 where he set up the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team in partnership with Volkswagen Motorsport. Solberg won the Team's Championship in both 2017 and 2018 before his retirement from full-time racing. We are thrilled to have Petter come out of retirement to race for us in South Africa,” says Mike Rowe, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport.

Petter Solberg

The Simola Hillclimb is renowned as South Africa’s premier motoring and motorsport lifestyle event, garnering significant interest from local competitors and petrolheads, and from around the worldand takes place in Knysna from 4 to 7 May 2023.

Solberg is one of the best-known drivers in the World Rally Championship (WRC), becoming the first Norwegian to win the title in 2003 and wrapping up his career in 2009 with a total of 13 wins. Aside from his success on the WRC stage, Solberg stamped his mark on the World Rallycross (WRX) scene by claiming its first-ever championship crown in 2014, which he went on to repeat in 2015.

Two years later Solberg partnered with Volkswagen Motorsport to create the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team, which dominated the sport by scoring an astonishing 19 wins from 24 events over the course of 2017 and 2018. Solberg finished third overall in 2017, while the team won both the Driver and Team championships on both occasions – a remarkable success story.

It's not just Solberg’s participation at the 13th Simola Hillclimb that’s of great interest, but also the car he will be driving. Volkswagen is shipping the Polo R WRX Supercar that the team campaigned in the 2018 season to South Africa for this event. Rated as one of the most successful cars of the modern Rallycross era, it is a 419 kW/650 Nm monster that is capable of launching from a standstill to 100 km/h in a mere 1,9 seconds – so it’s guaranteed to shake things up for this year’s King of the Hill challenge in the Modified Saloon Car category!

“Having a star driver of the calibre of Petter Solberg competing in this year’s Simola Hillclimb is a thrilling prospect which significantly elevates the status of our event,” says Ian Shrosbree, MD of the Knysna Speed Festival which owns the Simola Hillclimb. “We appreciate the immense amount of work Volkswagen SA has put into securing Solberg and the remarkable Polo R WRX Supercar, and its commitment as one of our partners for 2023.

“Solberg has a huge following around the world, and it will be great to see him in action in Knysna,” Shrosbree says. “For many people, it will be fascinating to see how the championship-winning Polo R WRX Supercar performs on the 1.9 km Simola Hill, and how it fares against the wild locally-developed cars that dominate the Modified Saloon Car category.

“The participation of Solberg and the Polo, together with another six car brands having official entries in the event, is a vindication of our change of strategy in 2020 to facilitate greater involvement by South African OEMs in the Hillclimb.”

Fierce home-bred competition

The Solberg VW entry certainly ramps up the excitement and anticipation for the epic King of the Hill battle set to play out in the Modified Saloon Car category, but it will be up against a formidable armada of some of the world’s most extreme and powerful tin-top race cars, many of which are purpose-built for the Simola Hillclimb.

Franco Scribante’s radical Nissan GT-R is already a hillclimb legend around the world, using its time attack-inspired multi-wing design along with huge power (estimated to be capable of around 1 500 hp) to devastating effect by claiming the 2019 and 2022 King of the Hill titles. Last year Scribante threw down the gauntlet and set a new record of 38,129 seconds at an average speed of 179.4 km/h – from a standing start!

And, as a four-time King of the Hill (and six-time Classic Car Friday winner), Scribante arguably knows the tight and twisty 1,9 km Simola Hillclimb road course better than anyone.

“We have continued with the development of the GT-R since last year and hopefully sorted out the gearbox so that we can add more boost,” Scribante says. “The competition is always tough, but I believe that a 37-second time is possible, so that’s what we will be striving for this year.”

Scribante’s most fervent challenge is once again expected to come from Reghard Roets in the mean BB Motorsport Nissan GT-R, referred to by the team as ‘Armageddon’. As a three-time Road Car and Supercar King of the Hill winner, Roets had his first outing in the Modified Saloon Car category in 2022 and was regularly trading fastest times with Scribante. Unfortunately, several technical problems hampered the car last year, and Roets wasn’t able to contest the all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout.

Dawie Joubert

“Although the chink in our armour has been reliability issues, there is no team or driver that has spent so much time over the last year ironing out the niggles with many late nights and early mornings toiling in the workshop, and long days at the track getting Armageddon to turn lap record times for lap after lap,” Roets says. “The engine power, suspension and aero package have been optimised, with car and driver going on a diet to boot. I believe this year is going to be one of the biggest battles yet.”

There are numerous other Nissan GT-Rs sure to be in the mix for the overall title and the class B5 honours for unlimited four-wheel drive cars, including the wild Nissan GT-Rs driven by Martin and Jody van Zummeren, competing against the pair of highly tuned Audi S4 machines of Aldo and Silvio Scribante, and a turbocharged Audi R8 V10 driven by Dayne Riley.

Class B3 is home to the four-cylinder 4WD beasts – and yes, the headline act will be Petter Solberg in his VW Polo R WRX. He will be up against regular Top 10 contender Anton Cronje in his powerful Subaru WRX STi, along with Pierre Bester in a Mercedes-AMG A45 and Knysna resident Tanya Watts in her Subaru Impreza.

Anton Cronje

At the opposite end of the 4WD performance car spectrum is the unusual unlimited SUV and bakkie (pick-up) class. This year sees Ford South Africa taking up the Simola Hillclimb challenge with its recently launched Ranger Raptor, which employs a 3,0-litre twin-turbo petrol engine to produce an astonishing 292 kW. Ford has teamed up with a media partner for its showroom-spec Ranger Raptor entry, and called on circuit racing and cross country ace Anthony Taylor to occupy the driver’s seat.

A second Ranger Raptor V6 will also take to the start line, driven by Knysna’s Fred van Heerden.

The two Fords will face off against BB Motorsport’s Arnold du Plessis in the mean-looking modified Nissan Patrol Black Hawk, which features a 396kW supercharged 5.6-litre V8 engine.

Two-wheel drive action

Several of the two-wheel drive unlimited class B4 entrants will be vying for the King of the Hill crown against the most extreme 4WD machinery, including last year’s runner-up, Charl Joubert in the turbocharged 3,5-litre V6 Honda-powered Lotus Elise, his brother Dawie in the Ferrari 488-engined Lotus Exige, as well as 2021 winner Pieter Zeelie in this Toyota MR2 Super GT.

With constant improvements Zeelie has developed his car into a serious challenger for overall honours and his experience of racing the car, and winning his class, in an international hillclimb in Germany will stand him in good stead for this year’s event.

For the most spectacular on-the-ragged-edge driving, you won’t find much better than Wade van Zummeren in his manic rear-wheel drive Nissan GT-R which he powered into an impressive third place last year.

Two-wheel drive four-cylinder cars slot into class B2, featuring Graeme Nathan who will be back again in the VW Polo SupaCup car, Hyundai South Africa’s Josh Lowe who will compete for the first time in the Hyundai i30N that he races in the Vilaca time attack series, Clare Vale in her Subaru BRZ, and another Knysna local, Mike Verrier, who returns to the Simola Hillclimb this year in a hot VW Golf GTi.

The naturally aspirated race cars in class B7 (eight cylinders and up) comprise Ricky Giannoccaro’s Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo, Giacomo Giannoccaro’s BMW Z4 GT3 V8,  Pieter Joubert’s thundering 6,2-litre V8 AMG-powered Lotus Exige and a 1985 7.0-litre Cobra.

As the lone entrant in class B6 for six-cylinder cars, Geoff Goddard Jnr will be behind the wheel of the iconic BMW 325i Shadowline that was raced by the likes of his father, Geoff, and Tony Viana during the heydays of Stannic Group N.

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Colin-on-Cars - Simola Hillclimb gains new backing

Since inception, the size, status and relevance of the annual Simola Hilclimb has grown exponentially along with the speed, ferocity and technical innovation of the vehicles that clamour for inclusion – with all available slots taken up well before the event itself.

This motoring and motor sport lifestyle event has been given a further boost for this year’s 13th edition, as a record number of vehicle manufacturers are set to join the action. The 2023 Simola Hillclimb, which takes place from 4 to 7 May, will see six manufacturers supporting the event with official entries, with four of the brands also signing up as event partners.

“For the past three years we have been working exceptionally hard to expand the manufacturer support and participation in the Simola Hillclimb to broaden its appeal for spectators and competitors, and give the vehicle brands an unrivalled platform to highlight their latest products,  performance and heritage,” says Ian Shrosbree, managing director of the Knysna Speed Festival which runs the Simola Hillclimb.

“Moving away from having a manufacturer as a title sponsor from the 2021 event onwards allowed us to engage with other brands, and we have been encouraged by a steady growth in involvement each year,” Shrosbree says. “We are delighted to have six manufacturers lined up for this year, which elevates the profile and status of the Simola Hillclimb to even greater heights.”

Suzuki

Suzuki Auto South Africa is a Tier 1 partner for 2023, marking its third consecutive year of sponsoring the event.

“The Simola Hillclimb provides a platform to showcase Suzuki’s fun, exciting and passionate personality that stretches beyond our repertoire of providing affordable, fun and sporty compact cars and motorcycles,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager at Suzuki Auto SA.

“Globally, the Suzuki brand has a very strong heritage and enviable reputation of building crazy, and often record-breaking, high-powered hillclimb monsters such as Monster Tajima’s Suzuki Escudo Pikes Peak and the Suzuki SX4 Pikes Peak Special,” Carpenter says. “The Simola Hillclimb gives us an opportunity to dabble in the South African motor sport scene, and has become a highlight on our annual event calendar.”

Along with its Tier 1 sponsorship, for the second year in a row Suzuki will feature two standard Swift Sport entries competing in the standard production class. The company will also display the latest addition to its SUV line-up, and fans can look forward to demonstration runs with its newest motorcycle offerings.

BMW

Following its participation as an entrant last year, BMW South Africa has stepped up its involvement to become a Tier 1 partner for the 2023 Simola Hillclimb.

“We had a very enthusiastic response from the BMW team last year, and we are delighted to welcome the company on board as a Tier 1 partner for 2023,” Shrosbree says.

While the vehicle and driver line-up is still being finalised, fans can be assured there will be lots to look forward to.

“BMW’s presence at this year’s Simola Hillclimb will be a celebration of our heritage in South Africa on Classic Car Friday, as well as a look towards our future and our expanding electromobility portfolio in the King of the Hill Shootout,” says Thilosh Moodally, General Manager: Group Communications and External Affairs, BMW Group South Africa.

Volkswagen

Volkswagen has progressively stepped up its participation in the Simola Hillclimb over the past couple of years, and has signed up as a Tier 2 partner for 2023.

“This event is the most fun one can have in Knysna! It is a showcase of both driver capability and the incredible engineering in our Volkswagen products,” says Mike Rowe, Volkswagen Driving Experience Manager. “We use it as an opportunity to entertain important guests as well as to demonstrate new Volkswagen products and motorsport drivers to the elite motoring fanatics.”

The Volkswagen line-up will include the powerful Polo SupaCup race car that featured in the 2022 event, along with two Golf R entries in the production vehicle class.

“There will be a fourth very exciting car, but we can’t reveal the details yet,” Rowe says.

Honda

Joining the fray for the first time as a Tier 2 partner is Honda Motor Southern Africa.

“This is the first time that Honda will be participating in the Simola Hillclimb, and we are delighted to be a Tier 2 partner for this prestigious event,” says Letitia Herold, Marketing and PR Manager, Honda Motor Southern Africa.

“For King of the Hill, we are entering a highly anticipated new performance car that will be launched just before the Simola Hillclimb. It will be driven by one of South Africa’s best-known racing drivers, so we expect that there will be lots of interest from the enthusiastic spectators. Fans can look forward to demo runs up Simola Hill as well, and we will be involved in the Fan Fest activities too, so there will be lots to look forward to.”

Hyundai

Hyundai South Africa returns as the media shuttle partner for the second consecutive year, supplying the Staria buses to transport the press contingent to designated photographic locations along the Simola Hill course.

More noteworthy for hot hatch fans, though, is the official entry of the Hyundai i30N, which will be driven by Joshua Lowe, Hyundai’s Regional Sales and N-sport Manager.

“Hyundai N products such as the i30N and Kona N closely align themselves to motorsport and were developed to be track stars for the road,” Lowe says.

“We have entered our i30N which we raced in the Johannesburg-based Vilaca Racing time attack series in 2022, where it finished second in the FWD modified class in stock form,” Lowe says. “For this year the vehicle has a few basic modifications for the track, but is essentially what you can expect from the factory vehicle. We look forward to showing the South African public what the i30N is capable of.”

Ford

Fresh from its South African launch, the new V6-powered Ford Ranger Raptor will provide an unusual twist on the performance vehicle theme with the backing of Ford South Africa, and will compete in the unlimited class for sports utility/activity vehicles and bakkies.

“We are excited about participating in the 2023 Simola Hillclimb for the first time with a media partner,” says Minesh Bhagaloo, General Manager, Communications at Ford South Africa. “The Simola Hillclimb is a fantastic event, and fans will get to see the exhilarating Next-Generation Ranger Raptor in action. It is powered by a 292 kW 3,0-litre V6 EcoBoost engine which makes it our most powerful Ranger yet. We are confident that the Next-Gen Ranger Raptor will be a great attraction at this year’s event, and on our media partner’s social platforms.”

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Colin-on-Cars - Tough challenge expected at Simola Hillclimb

There is plenty of competition in the offing for the Road-going Saloon Cars and Supercars category for the upcoming Simola Hillclimb in Knysna and reigning champion Jean-Pierre van der Walt knows defending his title will be a tough call.

The Road-going Saloon Cars and Supercars (Class A) are street-legal machines that mirror what you would find on a showroom floor. Only standard road tyres are permitted that match the original manufacturer’s specification, and the limited changes allowed are restricted to safety-critical features such as a racing seat with harness, and a roll cage if applicable.

JP van der Walt

Headlining the field is reigning King of the Hill Jean-Pierre van der Walt who will return to defend his crown this year, but is making the switch from the title-winning 2016 Porsche 911 GT3 RS to a 911 Turbo S (991.2-generation) of the same year, competing in Class A4 for six-cylinder four-wheel drive cars.

Monsters

Van der Walt set a winning time of 45,858 seconds in the GT3 RS – a mere 5 seconds off the fastest fire-breathing monsters that dominated the Modified Saloon Car category for pure-bred race cars.

As an established Polo Cup Masters racing driver who has moved to the GTC series this year driving a VW Polo Supa Cup car, Van der Walt has no intention of relinquishing the overall title.

“Last year I managed to do a 44,5-second time during practice in the GT3 RS, and the Turbo S will be quicker off the line with the benefit of four-wheel drive, but it won’t have the aerodynamic downforce that is crucial through the Esses at the top of the course,” he says. “But I’m hoping to beat my time from last year, and aiming for the 43-second mark.”

Gordon Nicholson

One of Van der Walt’s most fervent challengers is likely to be last year’s runner-up, Gordon Nicholson in a 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus, competing in Class A6 for naturally aspirated cars with eight cylinders and above.

Winning

Nicholson finished 1,269 seconds off the Porsche driver during the all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout, and was less than a second adrift of the winning time during the Class Finals – so all eyes will be on these top contenders again this year.

However, there will be several other serious contenders emanating from Class A7 for force-fed turbo-charged or supercharged cars with eight cylinders and above. The McLaren 720s is renowned as an extremely rapid machine, and Simola Hillclimb regular Garth Mackintosh is likely to be a formidable rival in his 2017 model.

Shelby Mustang Super Snake

He is joined in A7 by Jacques Wheeler in a 2013 McLaren MP4-12C, along with the supercharged 2017 Shelby Mustang Super Snake entries of Paige Lindenberg and Charles Needham, and a Shelby Mustang Terlingua driven by James Temple.

Legendary

Joining Van der Walt in Class A4 is legendary SA touring car driver Deon Joubert in the new all-wheel drive BMW M4 xDrive as an official BMW entry – no doubt another key protagonist to look out for.

Newcomers to the Simola Hillclimb are Andre and Alex Johnson in a 2010 Audi TTRS and 2006 Audi A4 2.7 Bi-Turbo respectively, and Simola stalwart Shane Naidu in his iconic 1995 S2 quattro.

The two-wheel drive six-cylinder machines in Class A3 will provide an intriguing battle, as Feroz and Farhaad Ebrahim will be competing in identical new-generation 2020 Toyota Supras. They will be up against Martin Wiid in a 2019 BMW M240i, along with Piet Potgieter in his powerful Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio.

Piet Potgieter

Class A1 for two-wheel drive machines sees the return of Jared Yeo in his turbo-charged Porsche Cayman 718s and two media entries from Suzuki SA will see Reuben van Niekerk and Wesley Greybe behind the wheel of a pair of Suzuki Swift Sport models.

Electric

Adding significant interest is Class A8 for hybrid and electric vehicles where Ciro de Siena will be piloting the all-electric BMW i4 M50, which is credited with 400 kW and a 0-100 km/h time of 3,9 seconds.

Volkswagen will also make its debut in this class with a pair of 100 kW e-Golf entries, driven by GTC racing drivers Daniel Rowe and Jonathan Mogotsi.

Images: Rob Till

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 Epic battle for honours at Simola (Part 2)

The Modified Saloon Car category of this year’s Simola Hillclimb features some exceptional high-performance and race-bred machines across its various classes – and for B7, which caters for naturally aspirated cars with eight cylinders or more, it’s pure supercar territory. 

The line-up comprises several top contenders from Extreme Supercar and endurance racing, including the Lamborghinis of Ricky Giannoccaro (2014 Gallardo Super Trofeo) and the 2019 Huracan GT3 Evos of Charl Arangies and Silvio Scribante. Mixing it up in the class will be Franco di Matteo in his thundering 6,0-litre V8-powered Jaguar from the V8 Supercars championship, and Stiaan Kriel in a Lexus V8-powered Backdraft Cobra raced in the SA Endurance Series.

In class B3 for four-cylinder four-wheel drive cars, Simola Hillclimb regular Anton Cronje is sure to be a Top 10 Shootout contender once again in his powerful 2013 Subaru Impreza WRX STi. He will be competing for class honours against Pierre Bester (2014 Mercedes-Benz A45 AMG), Juan van Rensburg (2001 Audi TT) and Robby Ferroli in a turbo-charged 1980 VW Golf. 

There is also the pair of 2007 Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9s of Capetonians Nic Schwerdtfeger and Shane Naidu. Having competed in every Simola event to date, Naidu is a regular hillclimb campaigner in his quick Evo 9 FQ360.

 “The Simola Hillclimb has become part of our family lives as we have been attending the event since it started in 2009,” Naidu says. 

“The organisers are passionate about the event and inviting not only  the professional  drivers but gentlemen drivers like myself who can come along in their road cars and sports cars and race at South Africa's premier event. The camaraderie amongst competitors is incredible, and the welcome we get from all the other drivers and the teams is rarely found in motorsport these days. It’s like meeting old family once a year.”

Simola regular Clare Vale will be back in action in class B2 for four-cylinder two-wheel drive cars, leading the charge in her distinctive 2013 Subaru BR-Z, along with Owen Bridger (2007 Honda Civic Type R), circuit racing ace Lee Thompson in a 2016 VW Golf GTI GTC2-category race car, and Bob Neill in a 2017 Ford Focus ST.

And now, for something completely different …

Pickups, or bakkies as they are known in South Africa, aren’t typically something you would associate with a motorsport event on a road course, however, they are ingrained in South African culture so it’s no surprise that they will feature at the Simola Hillclimb. 

The Lindenberg family’s brawny Road to Race (RTR) supercharged V8 Savage 660 Ford Ranger will be lighting up its tyres on the Simola Hill once again – but this time Peter Lindenberg and daughter Paige are trading seats, with dad competing in the ultra-rare Shelby Mustang in the Road Car and Supercar category, and Paige aiming to tame the Savage. 

“King of the Hill is the greatest event of the year for me,” she says. “For the past few years I have had the pleasure of racing a Shelby Mustang up the hill, but this year we decided to put a twist in the plans and my dad will be showing us what a Shelby Terlingua can do, whilst I pilot the V8 Savage 660 RTR Ranger up the hill. It will be a huge change and challenge, but one I am looking forward to.”

They won’t have the only bakkie in the line-up, as Francois Fritz will be fulfilling his long-time ambition of competing at the Simola Hillclimb. His weapon is in the form of a 2011 Toyota Hilux that had its normal 3.0-litre diesel engine replaced with Toyota’s Japanese-market 5,0-litre V12 engine, with twin turbos bolted on for good measure. 

At the opposite end of the spectrum, Ryno Scheepers will be back in his vintage 1976 Mazda F1000 – but this won’t be a shrinking violet as the tiny vehicle is powered by a high-revving turbocharged 13B rotary engine with an impressive power-to-weight ratio. Also expect Udo de Beurges to be in contention for class honours with his 2019 Audi RSQ3 performance SUV. 

The 2021 Simola Hillclimb takes place from 3 to 5 September 2021, starting with Classic Car Friday, followed by King of the Hill on the Saturday and Sunday. Due to COVID-19 regulations, no spectators are allowed, but the entire event will be livestreamed.