KNYSNA NEWS & VIDEO - The Jaguar Simola Hillclimb of this past weekend ended in high drama on Monday, May 8 when a truck transporting six racing cars from the event caught fire on the N2.
When the Knysna-Plett Herald (KPH) arrived at the scene between Buffalo Bay and Sedgefield, a blue Mustang Roush was already removed from the scene, while several other cars were destroyed in the fire.
Spokesperson for the event Robin Emslie said in a press release that one of the vehicles reportedly caught fire while in transit, resulting in the fire spreading rapidly and causing extensive damage to the vehicles.
“The cause of the fire is unclear at this stage but will be investigated. The value of the affected vehicles has not yet been determined,” he added.
Managing director of Knysna Speed Festival, organiser and founder of the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb, Ian Shrosbree, expressed his dismay and distress after hearing of the incident on Monday.
“After the resounding success of the last three days where each of the participating vehicles becomes part of the essence of the competition, this disaster impacts on us all. The loss of complete vehicles, some of them one-of-a-kind and literally irreplaceable, and the damage to others cannot be quantified.
“It is much, much more than just the value of what has gone up in flames,” he said.
The driver of the transportation vehicle belonging to PBM Transport in Cape Town, who did not want to be identified, said he was on his way from the event when he noticed smoke coming from one of the vehicles. He stopped the vehicle between Buffalo Bay and Sedgefield and notified the Knysna emergency services.
Irene Benn, owner of the transport company, said on Tuesday, May 9 that her company is also unsure of the cause of the fire, and that the owners of the vehicles are responsible for the insurance in such a situation.
“The owners of the vehicles load and unload the vehicles themselves. I am sure there are guidelines as to how to do this safely, but that responsibility rests with the owners. Our trucks are fitted with fire extinguishers, but as soon as the driver noticed the smoke he pulled over, alerted the emergency services and alerted the owners of the vehicles who were travelling in front of the truck,” she said.
• Number 4 from Classic Car Friday, Charles Arton’s 1979 March Formula Atlantic 79B.
• Number 58 from Classic Car Friday, Anton Rollino’s 1969 MG B GT.
• Number 31 from King of the Hill, Charles Arton’s 2008 V8 Masters Roush Mustang.
• Number 33 from King of the Hill, Kai Goddard’s 2008 V8 Masters Roush Mustang.
• Number 34 from King of the Hill, Steve Kimpton’s 2008 V8 Masters Roush Mustang.
• Number 35 from King of the Hill, Enzo Kuun’s 2015 V8 Masters Roush Mustang.
André Bezuidenhout, who was crowned the ultimate King of the Hill in his 1989 Dallara Formula 1, said on Tuesday that the incident dampened the success of the weekend slightly but that these drivers form such a close-knit community that he is sure they can band together to get these cars back for next year’s Hillclimb.
“I can assure you though, that my Dallara is 100% safe,” he added. He estimated the total value of the damage to the vehicles at approximately R15-million, but said that he wasn’t completely sure.
Enzo Kuun, South African rally champion who finished second in Sunday's Modified Saloon Car Shootout and who's Roush Mustang was destroyed by the fire, echoed the other owners' sentiments that the loss of the cars was not only financial but emotional as well.
He said that these cars are fitted out with such a lot of safety equipment that he does not understand how the fire started.
Watch a video below:
The aftermath.
Number 4 from Classic Car Friday, Charles Arton’s extremely rare 1979 March Formula Atlantic 79B, was destroyed almost beyond recognition in the fire on Monday, May 8. Photo: Wessel van Heerden.
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ARTICLE: STEFAN GOOSEN, KNYSNA-PLETT HERALD JOURNALIST
VIDEO: WESSEL VAN HEERDEN
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