Simola's back and ready to welcome SA's craziest drivers

Simola's back and ready to welcome SA's craziest drivers

Every petrolhead has a hidden racing driver deep within. Sadly, racing is not cheap, and no, I'm not referring to the rising petrol cost. So, to satisfy our need for unrestricted exhausts and turbos, which would make traffic cops froth at the thought of chasing quotas, there’s one event that offers intimate close-up action and real racing drama unlike any extreme festival. It’s one that turns the quaint and quiet town of Knysna into a racing fan's dream.

The Simola Hillclimb is a unique event on the South African motorsports calendar in more than just its location. Hillclimbs provide a playground for the wealthy and insane to build the most power-hungry machines with some of the most ambitious downforce figures and loudest noises in the sport. It upholds the sentiment that boys never grow up, but their toys only get more expensive. The goal is to be the fastest on a 1.9km stretch of mountain road, and to add the cherry on top, I'm heading down to see how it all unfolds in person.

So what must I expect as I pack my bags for the ear-crushing noises to come? Well, the Simola hillclimb has a touch of everything you would want to see at a racing event. We can start off with the outrageous, but let's first touch on the more conservative categories, namely the road-going saloon cars and supercars.

Supercars are undoubtedly exceptional vehicles, but their speed is significantly less than that of purpose-built time-attack monsters. A few notable unmodified cars in this category include six Shelby Mustangs and numerous Porsches, ranging from the 718 Cayman to the GT3 and GT3 RS. Of course, a number of BMWs will blast through the turns, accompanied by Ferraris, McLarens, and Alfa Romeo 4Cs to mix things up.

Suzuki is one of the most engaging brands at the Hillclimb, and this year is no different. The Suzuki team will host us for our adventure, and the contenders it has chosen for this year's event are quite unique. To start off, a Swift Sport will be tackling the hill with Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger behind the wheel, which is familiar territory for Suzuki. But this is where it gets interesting. Ernest Page, who is a legend in the motoring journalism world and one of the more talented drivers to take on the hill this year, will be driving the new and very standard Swift up the hill. Finally, Sean Nurse, another talented pedalist, will be driving the 3-door Jimny, which will undoubtedly be sluggish but exciting to watch.

Drivers in the next class up, the Modified Saloons, take the term "modified" very seriously. These cars were once street-legal dailies, but their current configuration is nothing short of monstrous. This division features the likes of Franco Scribante's R35 GTR with its impressive aerodynamics. These cars might not be the fastest on the hill, but they are by no means slow. You can modify these cars almost infinitely and produce, in effect, limitless power. In turn, spectators will experience the wildest-sounding race cars around, from Porsche Cup cars and highly engineered touring cars to older Nissan R32s and R34s with widebody kits and four-digit power figures, destroying not only the tar but spectators' ability to hear. The modified saloons will most certainly bring excitement.

The last class on the list is reserved for the fastest cars up the hill, the single-seaters. Effectively, purpose-built open-wheel race cars designed for perfect tar are wrestled up the mountain, and it's always an impressive spectacle. MSA4s and Formula Fords fill up this class, but there is one topic that brings out the child in me. The Gould GR55B is known for being one of, if not the fastest, cars you can drive on a hillclimb. For me, it’s a Formula Hillclimb car with substantial F1 influences that is usually untouchable at Simola.

Andre Bezuidenhout currently holds the record in his own GR55B, but this year's hill climb will be different from previous years. Andre has successfully conquered the hill in his GR55B, clearly demonstrating his speed, but a new name has entered the paddock this year, bringing with him his own GR55B. His name is Robert Wolk, and he has the chance to not only claim the title of King of the Hill but also set a new hillclimb record. This provides a head-to-head battle at the pinnacle of the event and will be watched closely by avid hillclimb enthusiasts.

It's bound to be an action-packed weekend, and we could be heading into a new record-breaking event. It's one that can't be missed. If you're eager to witness South Africa's fastest men and women tackle our most daring road, there's still time to get involved. But we'll keep you updated from Knysna so you don't miss anything.

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