The normally tranquil town of Knysna bursts into life this weekend when the premier motorsport event takes place with the running of the 14th edition of the Simola Hillclimb.
There will be a new champion crowned as the sad news came through that the McLaren powered F1 Gould of Andre Bezuidenhout, the car that has dominated this event in recent years, unfortunately won’t be there after its engine blew during final practice at Killarney on Tuesday.
Bezuidenhout’s focus will thus shift to the Classic Car Friday where he will be competing in a 1976 Cosworth powered Lola.
The Eastern Cape will be well represented by East London drivers Martin van Zummeren and his sons Wade and Jody in their powerful Nissans, Darron Gudmanz in his Nissan GTR32 and Gqeberha brothers Aldo Scribante in his Audi S4 and Silvio in his Audi RS3.
All the above drivers with the exception of Wade will be competing in the B5 unlimited class which is for 4-wheel drive race cars with 5 or more cylinders.
Wade will compete in the B4 unlimited class for two-wheel drive race cars with 5 of more cylinders.
Another well-known East London racing driver that will be competing in the brand new B10 streetcar class that caters for Modified Street Cars that are road registered, production based vehicles in 2WD & 4WD form, is Owen Bridger in his lightning quick Honda Civic Type-R.
Rounding out the East Cape entries are regular competitor Gordon Nicholson in his class winning Audi R8 in class A6 (standard production, road going cars, 8 cylinders and up) and debutant Dayaan Padayachey in class A5 in his Porsche Cayman GTS.
The twisty 1.9km Simola Hill becomes the scene of adrenaline-fuelled excitement from 8am on Friday, starting with three practice sessions for the Classic Car Friday competitors, followed by three crucial qualifying rounds.
During the lunchtime break, spectators will be treated to a variety of demonstrations, including Monster Energy-supported South African Car Park Drift champion Jim Macfarlane in action, along with demo runs by Suzuki, BMW and racing motorcycles as well as hot laps in various cars with invited guests.
Then it’s on to the Class Finals and the thrilling all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout to determine who will be crowned Classic Conqueror for 2024.
The prize-giving ceremony will take place in the pit lane directly after the conclusion of the final shoot-out.
For the King of the Hill competitors, scrutineering takes place today at the Hedge Street venue from 8am to 2.30pm, along with Fan Fest activities and race car displays to entertain visitors.
Then the big guns come out for the Parade on Waterfront Drive from 5.15pm to 5.45pm — with lots of tyre-smoking antics adding to the spectacle.
King of the Hill starts on Saturday at 9.05am with four practice sessions leading up to the lunchtime break.
Along with all the other thrilling entertainment that will be provided for spectators at midday on Saturday and Sunday, fans can look forward to seeing the spectacular 1992 Sasol-sponsored Jordan 192 Formula 1 car lighting up the Simola Hill with demonstration runs.
The car, now owned by Ian Schofield, was raced by Stefano Modena in the 1992 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.
While that will certainly get hearts racing, it’s back to the serious matter of the first three qualifying rounds for the competitors during the remainder of Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday morning the event opens with an initial warm-up at 9.05am, followed by the last three qualifying opportunities that will determine which three competitors from each of the classes make it into the Class Finals after the lunch break.
The top qualifying times across all six sessions also decide the finalists for the Top 10 Shootouts as the battle for the King of the Hill titles reaches its climax in each of the three categories: Road Cars and Supercars, Modified Saloon Cars, Single Seaters and Sports Cars.
Though the focus will be on the cars and competitors giving it everything on the tight and twisty 1.9km Simola Hill course, there are plenty of other family-friendly activities and attractions to enthral visitors including a wide range of tantalising food and beverage stalls.
There are exhibitors and other vendors in the Spectator Hubs, the Monster Energy Rig Riot and activations at Turn 2 on Saturday and Sunday, ATK E-Sports Racing simulator competitions where fans can try their hand at racing in the virtual world and win a track experience, as well as helicopter rides that provide a spectacular flip taking in the Simola Hillclimb and through the Knysna Heads, all while enjoying the scenic views of the Garden Route mountains and beautiful Knysna estuary.
Free shuttles, kindly sponsored by PG Glass, will make it easy and convenient to move about the grounds from the parking areas to the main attractions.
The extremely popular Simola Hillclimb live stream — which is watched by large local and international audiences — will once again be available throughout all three days of the event via the website at www.simolahillclimb.com
HeraldLIVE
New King of the Hill to be crowned at Simola
Image: Rob Till
The normally tranquil town of Knysna bursts into life this weekend when the premier motorsport event takes place with the running of the 14th edition of the Simola Hillclimb.
There will be a new champion crowned as the sad news came through that the McLaren powered F1 Gould of Andre Bezuidenhout, the car that has dominated this event in recent years, unfortunately won’t be there after its engine blew during final practice at Killarney on Tuesday.
Bezuidenhout’s focus will thus shift to the Classic Car Friday where he will be competing in a 1976 Cosworth powered Lola.
The Eastern Cape will be well represented by East London drivers Martin van Zummeren and his sons Wade and Jody in their powerful Nissans, Darron Gudmanz in his Nissan GTR32 and Gqeberha brothers Aldo Scribante in his Audi S4 and Silvio in his Audi RS3.
All the above drivers with the exception of Wade will be competing in the B5 unlimited class which is for 4-wheel drive race cars with 5 or more cylinders.
Wade will compete in the B4 unlimited class for two-wheel drive race cars with 5 of more cylinders.
Another well-known East London racing driver that will be competing in the brand new B10 streetcar class that caters for Modified Street Cars that are road registered, production based vehicles in 2WD & 4WD form, is Owen Bridger in his lightning quick Honda Civic Type-R.
Rounding out the East Cape entries are regular competitor Gordon Nicholson in his class winning Audi R8 in class A6 (standard production, road going cars, 8 cylinders and up) and debutant Dayaan Padayachey in class A5 in his Porsche Cayman GTS.
The twisty 1.9km Simola Hill becomes the scene of adrenaline-fuelled excitement from 8am on Friday, starting with three practice sessions for the Classic Car Friday competitors, followed by three crucial qualifying rounds.
During the lunchtime break, spectators will be treated to a variety of demonstrations, including Monster Energy-supported South African Car Park Drift champion Jim Macfarlane in action, along with demo runs by Suzuki, BMW and racing motorcycles as well as hot laps in various cars with invited guests.
Then it’s on to the Class Finals and the thrilling all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout to determine who will be crowned Classic Conqueror for 2024.
The prize-giving ceremony will take place in the pit lane directly after the conclusion of the final shoot-out.
For the King of the Hill competitors, scrutineering takes place today at the Hedge Street venue from 8am to 2.30pm, along with Fan Fest activities and race car displays to entertain visitors.
Then the big guns come out for the Parade on Waterfront Drive from 5.15pm to 5.45pm — with lots of tyre-smoking antics adding to the spectacle.
King of the Hill starts on Saturday at 9.05am with four practice sessions leading up to the lunchtime break.
Along with all the other thrilling entertainment that will be provided for spectators at midday on Saturday and Sunday, fans can look forward to seeing the spectacular 1992 Sasol-sponsored Jordan 192 Formula 1 car lighting up the Simola Hill with demonstration runs.
The car, now owned by Ian Schofield, was raced by Stefano Modena in the 1992 South African Grand Prix at Kyalami.
While that will certainly get hearts racing, it’s back to the serious matter of the first three qualifying rounds for the competitors during the remainder of Saturday afternoon.
On Sunday morning the event opens with an initial warm-up at 9.05am, followed by the last three qualifying opportunities that will determine which three competitors from each of the classes make it into the Class Finals after the lunch break.
The top qualifying times across all six sessions also decide the finalists for the Top 10 Shootouts as the battle for the King of the Hill titles reaches its climax in each of the three categories: Road Cars and Supercars, Modified Saloon Cars, Single Seaters and Sports Cars.
Though the focus will be on the cars and competitors giving it everything on the tight and twisty 1.9km Simola Hill course, there are plenty of other family-friendly activities and attractions to enthral visitors including a wide range of tantalising food and beverage stalls.
There are exhibitors and other vendors in the Spectator Hubs, the Monster Energy Rig Riot and activations at Turn 2 on Saturday and Sunday, ATK E-Sports Racing simulator competitions where fans can try their hand at racing in the virtual world and win a track experience, as well as helicopter rides that provide a spectacular flip taking in the Simola Hillclimb and through the Knysna Heads, all while enjoying the scenic views of the Garden Route mountains and beautiful Knysna estuary.
Free shuttles, kindly sponsored by PG Glass, will make it easy and convenient to move about the grounds from the parking areas to the main attractions.
The extremely popular Simola Hillclimb live stream — which is watched by large local and international audiences — will once again be available throughout all three days of the event via the website at www.simolahillclimb.com
HeraldLIVE
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