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- Reigning King of the Hill double champion JP van der Walt aims to make it a hat-trick of victories with a 2021 Porsche 911 Turbo S this year.
- Shelby South Africa has six competitors lined up, including two standard Ford Mustangs and four powerful supercharged models.
- The 2023 event also sees several manufacturers-backed entries from BMW, Suzuki, Volkswagen, Honda and Toyota, while Hyundai also supports the event with transport shuttles.
The Simola Hillclimb has become one of the most thrilling motoring events of the year as enthusiasts make their way to the sleepy and picturesque town of Knysna for a weekend of roaring adrenaline.
The King of the Hill challenge in the Road Car and Supercar category at the 2023 Simola Hillclimb will deliver all the expected speed and adrenaline that car enthusiasts dream about – albeit in various forms.
The 13th edition of the Simola Hillclimb takes place from 4 to 7 May 2023.
Endless variety
Automotive hedonism certainly comes in an endless variety of shapes and sizes, from light and agile hot hatchbacks to sleek supercars that seem to defy the laws of physics with their outrageous performance. And, of course, we must recalibrate our minds for a new type of silent speed, courtesy of the rapid rise of electric vehicles.
Leading the charge for this year's Road Car and Supercar King of the Hill challenge is the reigning double champion JP van der Walt, who has one thing in mind – and that's to make the class his own for a third consecutive year in a trio of different Porsches. This year Van der Walt will drive a 992-generation 2021 911 Turbo S after taking the title in a 2016 version last year and claiming his first win in 2021 with a 2016 911 GT3 RS.
Van der Walt says: "The 992 Turbo S will probably only really gain time up the hill after Turn 2 with its additional power compared to the old generation I drove last year, but launching off the line is always the biggest challenge for a road car on standard tyres.
"The road tyres don't grip on the rubber laid down on the start line as slicks do. They tend to wheelspin, making the launch difficult, but I hope to go quicker than last year.
"The Simola Hillclimb is an extraordinary motorsport weekend with the best atmosphere you'll find in the country," he adds.
No room for mistakes
"It's also a real challenge for the driver as you can't go and practice, and there's no room for mistakes. You need to progressively build up your speed and leave a bit in the tank."
Along with the overall title, Van der Walt will be vying for class A4 honours for four-wheel drive cars with turbocharged/supercharged five or six-cylinder engines. The only other competitor in the class is Wilhelm Kuun in a 2021 Audi TT RS.
Numerous rivals from other classes will go head-to-head in the Top 10 Shootout for the King of the Hill crown, including last year's runner-up, Farhaad Ebrahim, in a 2020 Toyota Supra that slots into class A3 for two-wheel drive force-fed five/six-cylinder cars.
Ebrahim will have Piet Potgieter (2017 Alfa Romeo Guilia QV) for company in A3, along with the official BMW South Africa entry of Rob Gearing in the all-new 2023 BMW M2 and the privately entered 2019 BMW M240i driven by Martin Wiid.
Simola Hillclimb regular Gordon Nicholson finished third last year and took the class A6 win (naturally aspirated eight cylinders and above). He will return in action in his screaming 2017 Audi R8 V10 Plus. Garth Mackintosh is sure to be hot on his heels again in the rapid 2017 McLaren 720s that he powered to the fourth-fastest time overall and the class A7 win for force-fed eight-cylinder cars and above.
An impressive contingent
Shelby South Africa is bringing an impressive contingent of customers and their Ford Mustangs to the 2023 Simola Hillclimb. Two naturally-aspirated V8 Mustangs are entered in class A6, along with three supercharged Shelby Super Snakes and the rare Shelby Terlingua competing in A7 – the latter driven by Paige Lindenberg.
They will be joined by MasterDrive's Eugene Herbert in another Ford Mustang, with the driver training company supplying the event's safety cars for the third year in a row. MasterDrive is also conducting an exciting driver search programme for a young driver who will compete in class A1 for four-cylinder, two-wheel drive cars. This class will also feature two Suzuki Swift Sport entries and an official Honda entry that will be announced closer to the event.
Class A2 for four-cylinder four-wheel drive cars will present an intriguing battle between the official Volkswagen South Africa entries, comprising a pair of Golf Rs driven by the company's top racing drivers – Jonathan Mogotsi and Daniel Rowe. Toyota has also joined the party with an exciting new challenger – the highly anticipated turbocharged four-wheel drive GR Corolla, which will be seen for the first time in South Africa at the Simola Hillclimb, driven by Toyota Gazoo Racing's young GTC driver, Nathi Msimanga.
BMW electrified
The new BMW M2 isn't the only interesting car the German manufacturer is bringing to this year's Simola Hillclimb. Following the impressive performance of BMW's all-electric i4 M50 last year, driven by motoring journalist Ciro de Siena to an impressive ninth place overall in King of the Hill, the automaker is throwing its weight behind a brace of high-tech 2023 models that will compete in class A8 for hybrid and electric vehicles.
Well-known motoring journalist and News24 Cycling contributor Ashley Oldfield is a regular racer and will drive the 480kW plug-in hybrid BMW XM on its South African debut – the first bespoke M performance car since the iconic M1 that debuted in 1978. He will be up against two all-electric vehicles – a 400kW i4 M50 driven by fellow motoring scribe Thomas Falkiner and the new 210kW iX3 piloted by BMW SA test engineer and dynamics driver Bradleigh Boshoff.
Where can you buy tickets?
Tickets can be purchased on the event website (click here), with the prices for General Entry remaining unchanged from last year at R150 per day. Upgrades are available for Pit Access, Turn 2 Grandstand seating and VIP Parking.
For the ultimate VIP experience, the Le Mans Hospitality Lounge provides mouth-watering catering, an unbeatable viewing point overlooking the start line, General Entry and Pit Access.
2023 General Entry Ticket Prices
- 2023 Online Price (Please note: tickets bought at the event ground will cost a minimum of R10 more)
- Friday- R150
- Saturday- R150
- Sunday -R150
- 3-Day Pass- R380
More information on the Simola Hillclimb is available on the website.
