KNYSNA NEWS - The 2016 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb will host the country’s largest and most spectacular gathering of road and race cars when Knysna is transformed into South Africa’s motorsport capital from May 6 to 8.
• 30 manufacturers represented, including Jaguar, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Porsche.
• Over 80 entries spanning eight classes, road and race cars.• New SuperCar Shootout for exotic sports cars and supercars.
• Des Gutzeit back to defend King of the Hill title in radical Nissan GT-R.
• Current 40.148-second lap record under threat from numerous challengers.
Of particular interest to motorsport enthusiasts from far and wide is the King of the Hill challenge, along with the all-new SuperCar Shootout, which sees a jaw-dropping line-up of over 80 cars from 30 manufacturers being driven up the 1.9km hill climb course at breathtaking speeds on the Saturday and Sunday. The entries include everything from hot hatchbacks to performance sedans, exotic supercars and even Le Mans and Formula One racers.
The current lap record of 40.148 seconds was set by last year’s winner, Des Gutzeit, in his highly modified 1400 hp Nissan GT-R, achieving a staggering average speed of over 170km/h from a standing start for the challenging 1.9km road course.
While Gutzeit will be back to defend his title and aims to break the 40-second barrier, he will face off against a brace of rivals, including Anton Cronje and Geoff Mortimer in their heavily modified Mitsubishi Lancer Evos in Class B1 for four-cylinder turbocharged cars. Cronje finished a close second to Sarel van der Merwe in 2009, while Mortimer won the event in 2010, thus they will both be formidable competitors.
Once again Nissan GT-Rs will be out in force in Class B2 for modified six-cylinder racing cars. Gutzeit will be going up against 2011 winner Wilhelm Baard, last year’s third-placed finisher Darron Gudmanz, as well as Reghardt Roets – all driving highly tuned GT-Rs with around 1 400 horsepower on tap! Last year's runner-up Sav Gualtieri will also be back in his rapid BMW 335i racer.
Class B3 caters for turbocharged and supercharged eight-cylinder vehicles, and features the wild Jaguar XJR (otherwise known as "The Beast") driven by Rory Beattie, along with Thouca Mechanicos in his raucous and distinctive chrome Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG, and Paige Lindenberg in a new Shelby Super Snake Ford Mustang GT.
A wide range of cars are spread across classes B4 to B6 for four-, six- and eight-cylinder race cars respectively. The latter class includes the thundering WesBank Modifieds-era 6.3-litre V8 Opel Rekord of Willie Hepburn, and rally ace Enzo Kuun in a Ford-powered V8 Masters car.
Single-seater and sports racing cars make up Class C, spread across five categories based on engine size. The main interest will be focused on Class C5 with 2014 champion Franco Scribante launching his bid for a second King of the Hill title in a 1972 Chevron B29. This lightweight sports racer is powered by a specially developed 2.9-litre V8 derived from two Suzuki motorcycle engines.
Another headline act is the first-ever Formula One car to take on the Simola Hill. Avid motorsport enthusiast and racer Andre Bezuidenhout will make his Hillclimb debut in a 1989 Dallara F189, powered 3.5-litre Ford V8 engine – a special treat for F1 fans.
While the dazzling array of race-bred machinery will dominate the overall fastest times throughout the weekend, there’s plenty on offer from the road car field too. Class A1 for four-cylinder two-wheel drive cars features the all-new Jaguar XE sports sedan that was unveiled at the Hillclimb last year, and will be driven by a selection of SA’s fastest motoring journalists.
A2 caters for faster two- or four-wheel drive four-cylinder entries, and includes two modified VW Golf Rs, a Porsche 944 Turbo and a Subaru Impreza WRX STi. With no entries for A3, next up is Class A4, which is dominated by road-legal Nissan GT-Rs.
Class A5 is home to normally aspirated four-cylinder models, while A6 is for six-cylinder nonboosted entries such as the Porsche 911 GT3. Exclusivity steps up several notches in Class A7 which is the playground of the exotics, comprising a Lamborghini Aventador, Ferrari 458 Italia and Mercedes-Benz CLK63 Black.
Turbocharged and supercharged sports cars are grouped in Class A8, headed by the two official Jaguar F-Type Coupe R entries, driven by Dawie Olivier and Gary Formato. The class also features a McLaren 650s and, for a bit of a twist, a supercharged 5.0-litre V8 Shelby Ford Ranger pickup driven by Peter Lindenberg. New to this year’s event is Class A9 for hybrid cars, which features the BMW i8.
An exciting addition to this year’s Jaguar Simola Hillclimb is the SuperCar Shootout, which runs in conjunction with King of the Hill. On completion of the respective class finals, drivers of road going, street legal, supercars that have registered to compete in this special category instead of the King of the Hill will take to the hill, thus creating a whole new level of excitement as the exotic supercars battle it out for glory.
* For more information on the event visit www.jaguarsimolahillclimb.co.za
Simola speed festival price packages
Admission prices for the 2016 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb have been finalised and offer attractive value for this local adrenaline-fuelled motorsport event from May 6 to 8, as follows:
Day passes:
• R80 pp per day for adults, R50 pp per day for children three to 11 years old.
• Free for children under three years old.
• Children free on Friday.
Day and pit access passes:
• R180 pp per day for adults, R150 pp per day for children (3-11), all include general entry.
Weekend passes:
• R140 pp for adults, R80 pp for children (3-11). Includes general entry Saturday and Sunday.
• R320 pp for adults, R250 pp for children (3-11). Includes pit access and general entry Saturday and Sunday.
Details of a taxi shuttle service running from the Waterfront Area into the Hillclimb circuit and return will be announced when finalised.
The 2016 event is set to be the biggest and best yet, featuring a record number of entries spread across three days.
This is the third edition with Jaguar South Africa as title sponsor of the country’s premier motorsport event, which was recently awarded Knysna’s Best Tourism Activity at the 2016 Sanlam Knysna Awards – and the seventh running of the event which was first held in 2009.
The action kicks off on May 6 with Classic Car Friday. This popular category features no less than 60 iconic and historically significant cars competing for the fastest time up the challenging 1.9km hillclimb course.
The excitement builds further on the Saturday and Sunday when more than 80 competitors – including several of SA’s top motorsport legends – battle it out for supremacy in the final shootout for the 2016 King of the Hill title. An innovation this year is a special category for exotic supercars.
Aside from witnessing a dazzling array of the fastest, most powerful and exotic road and race cars in action, visitors will also be enthralled by the numerous other attractions, including the bustling Gasoline Alley, parade laps, stunts and aerobatic displays.
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