Anatomy of the world-class Simola Hillclimb

KNYSNA NEWS - From its humble beginnings in 2009 to making its mark on the international stage, the Simola Hillclimb has always had one overriding mission: to draw more visitors to the scenic and welcoming Garden Route town of Knysna to enjoy an unmatched blend of motorsport, entertainment and natural beauty - all while boosting the local economy and supporting the community.

It has achieved all of this and much more over the past 15 iterations, and very quickly earned the status of being South Africa’s premier annual motoring and motorsport lifestyle event.

The Simola Hillclimb has drawn significant global interest, too, due to the exceptional level of competition, top-tier local and international drivers, and a dazzling array of classic and mild-to-wild road and race cars that you won’t see elsewhere.

That it’s renowned as the world’s fastest hillclimb has further added to the allure, positioning it as one of the top hillclimb events globally.

Although the Simola Hillclimb takes place over a single extended weekend at the beginning of May each year, putting together an event of this calibre and scale is a truly gargantuan task.

It requires year-round planning and co-ordination, combined with mind-boggling logistics, to transform more than two kilometres of a normal public road and surrounding areas into an adrenaline- and petrol-fuelled haven for enthusiasts.

We delve into what it takes to host the Simola Hillclimb, and some of the fascinating facts and figures that help make this the must-attend event of the year for competitors, spectators, vehicle manufacturers and importers, as well as event partners and sponsors.

Facts and figures

The Simola Hillclimb is the world’s fastest hillclimb, with the current record holder completing the 1.9km run at an astonishing average speed of 200.228km/h - from a standing start!

This remarkable feat was achieved in 2022 by Andre Bezuidenhout in the Gould GR55, with a winning time of 34.161 seconds.

At an average speed of 175km/h, the 1.9km Goodwood Festival of Speed is the closest, also achieved in 2022 when Max Chilton set the current record of 39.08 seconds in the revolutionary McMurtry Spéirling electric fan-car.

12 to 18 months of planning

It takes an entire year, and in some cases more than 18 months, of planning to put the Simola Hillclimb together.

Every year, the organising team does an extensive debrief with all the stakeholders, including Motorsport South Africa (MSA), the day after the event.

This addresses any challenges and areas of improvement, and sets the objectives for the following year. Regular meetings throughout the year with MSA, the local municipality, emergency personnel, suppliers, partners and sponsors ensure a seamless top-class event.

Event build-up

Planning changes to be made start around October the year prior to the event, with the on-site preparations, construction and build-up starting more than two months before the event.

The team transforms this normally quiet public road to the Simola Hotel Country Club and Spa into a world-class hillclimb haven.

In 2025, this involved installing:

67 FIA-specification concrete barriers with catch fencing strategically placed and bolted together with specially developed steel plates, bolts, washers and nuts
7 000+ used car tyres bound together with 1.4km of stainless-steel strapping and buckles according to stringent FIA and MSA specifications, and used at various parts of the track as additional safety measures
41 MSA-approved apex markers fixed into the tar to demarcate track limits
73km of additional speed and safety fencing to ensure the safety of spectators
2 153m² decks and grandstands, which include providing 500 seats at the Turn 2 Grandstand and 300 seats at the Esses Grandstand
43 marquees covering 2 587m² for the pit lane and VIP hospitality areas
22 pits, accommodating up to 84 competitor vehicles, plus additional marquees for the track experience and demonstration vehicles
13 containers rented for offices, timing, livestream production, storage, catering and refrigeration.

Competitors

The event typically sports 65 competitors for Classic Car Friday over 10 classes, covering vehicles up to 2005.
There are 84 competitors in King of the Hill over 25 classes across three categories: Road-going Saloon Cars & Supercars; Modified Saloon Cars; and Single Seaters, Sports Cars & Sports Prototypes.
The pit lane is populated by more than 550 competitor support crew and mechanics.
No less than 1 400 timed runs up the 1.9 km Simola Hill are carried out over the three days of competition, including warm-up, practice, qualifying, Class Finals and Top 10 shootouts.

Most successful competitor

Classic Car Friday:

Seven Classic Conqueror titles - Franco Scribante

King of the Hill:

Six Single Seater, Sports Car & Sports Prototypes wins - Andre Bezuidenhout
Five wins (two overall - 2009 to 2016), three Modified Saloon Car (from 2017 onwards) - Franco Scribante
Four Road-going Saloon Car & Supercar wins - JP van der Walt

Organisers and officials

Six full-time and 31 part-time Simola Hillclimb staff
12 Motorsport South Africa officials, including clerk of the course, stewards, timekeepers, safety officer, environmental officer, event secretary, scrutineers, consultants and observers
14 track marshals located at seven marshal points along the track
25 pit lane marshals
Seven medical, ambulance, fire and rescue personnel on-site throughout the event
90 safety and security personnel per day, working a total of 360 shifts

Spectators

1 500 spectators attended the first Simola Hillclimb in 2009
20 244 spectators in 2025 - the largest crowd to date
5 000+ spectators at the Knysna street parade and Fan Fest, with free access to the public on Thursday for Classic Car Friday, and Friday for King of the Hill

Media

157 media accredited for 2025 Simola Hillclimb, encompassing print, website, social media, journalists, photographers, video crews and content creators
150m² Castrol Media Centre located adjacent to the pit lane

Livestream

The Simola Hillclimb revolutionised the way motorsport events are broadcast by introducing a limited livestream in 2017.

It has been enhanced each year, and since 2019 provided complete coverage of all three days of competition.

This dramatically expanded its local and international reach and audience, and significantly bolstered exposure and value for competitors, partners and sponsors.

19 livestream crew, including presenters, camera operators, production and support staff
22 cameras covering the pit lane and 1.9km Simola Hillclimb course
120 countries in which the livestream has been viewed
546 000 livestream viewers in 2025: 54% international and 46% South African
75 million minutes viewed on Simola Hillclimb YouTube channel and Facebook page
Hillclimb Monsters - Simola Hillclimb-related videos between February and May 2025:

Facebook: More than one million views
YouTube: More than three million views
Five million hits on Simola Hillclimb website in May 2025