Classic Friday
"The Classic Car Friday almost became an aquatic event due to the un-invited downpour. But regardless of the weather, a lot of fun was had by all. Resourceful entrants were seen waiting at the start with huge umbrellas protecting them against the elements," said Speed Festival organiser, Ian Shrosbree.
The day was filled with nostalgia as a diverse field of vehicles graced the Hillclimb track with their presence, from a tiny 1937 DKW F7 Meisterklasse Cabriolet to large, proud and splendid Bentleys from the 1920s. They were not the fastest cars of the weekend, but certainly some of the most memorable for many spectators and fans. Overall honours for the day went to Corban Slabbert who defied the elements in her small 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S in a time of 1:00.740.
Renault Simola Hillclimb
The loud and noisy brigade reigned supreme on Saturday and Sunday (May 19 and 20) in beautiful sunny weather.
Competition was fierce in all classes and fortunately the casualties were cars and not drivers. "There was one particularly popular spot on the track where two cars at different times tried to plant themselves in the most spectacular fashion. A media cameraman who almost became part of the action is rumoured to have changed his hair colour from brown to pure white," smiled Shrosbree.
On the Saturday the big fight was between the Nissan and the Mitsibushi vehicles, and it was unfortunate that 2011 champion, Wilhelm Baard could not compete on Sunday due to technical problems, since he's racing was spectacular on Saturday.
The title King of the Hill was finally an all-Nissan Skyline battle, with eventual victor Jade Gutzeit, closely followed by his father Des, with Jaki Scheckter close behind them. The closeness of the racing can be seen in the final times - 41.993, 41.945 and 42.020 seconds.
Spectators were treated to a weekend of exciting racing. "The Legends cars were awesome to watch and very fast considering their small 1300cc motor, and spectacular driving by all four drivers, with Gugu Zulu a fearless crowd pleaser," said Shrosbree. The exotic cars like Ferrari, Lamborghini, McLaren, Jaguar and Porsche were all very quick and so civilised in attaining highly competitive speeds.
Deon Joubert, driving the Jaguar XKRS, gave a spectacular display in how not to conserve tyres! The stands were shrouded in black rubber smoke after he had finished spinning the Jaguar around the track in a crowd-pleasing display of driving skill.
The Renaults never failed to please and were quick up the track. Deon Joubert won Class A1 (The Hot Hatch Class). Lance du Plessis of Algoa FM achieved an excellent time in the DJ Challenge, "but then went farming off the track", and Arod of Jacaranda FM won the event with some exciting driving.
"It was a memorable weekend, and the racing was world class," concluded Shrosbree.
Pieter Zeelie
ARTICLE: FRAN KIRSTEN, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
PHOTOS COURTESY OF ELLE PHOTOGRAPHY AND KNYSNA SPEED FESTIVAL
