KNYSNA NEWS - The Modified Saloon Car category is set to deliver another high-octane spectacle at the 2026 Simola Hillclimb, with over-1 000kW machines battling for King of the Hill honours from 30 April to 3 May.
Reigning champion Pieter Zeelie returns as the man to beat after claiming his second title last year in a rear-wheel drive Toyota MR2 Super GT.
His record-breaking run of 37.090 seconds - at an average speed of 184.4 km/h - stunned a field dominated by four-wheel drive rivals.
Zeelie's lightweight, highly refined MR2 has proven to be a formidable package, particularly in the technical upper section of the 1.9km course. "We've made further improvements," he says.
Top challengers include Reghard Roets in the BB Motorsport Nissan R35 GT-R 'Armageddon', who finished second last year, and Franco Scribante in 'The Sheriff'. Both will be aiming to close the gap, although harnessing their immense power off the start remains a key challenge.
The Scribante stable is also expanding, with Aldo Scribante debuting a new Audi TT, while Silvio Scribante returns in his Audi RS3. Wade van Zummeren is expected to thrill fans again in his extreme Nissan R34 GT-R.
One of the biggest announcements for this year's 16th Simola Hillclimb is that Volkswagen Motorsport is going all out to build a serious Modified Saloon Car contender, set to be driven by SupaCup champion Jonathan Mogotsi.
The 2026 event will mark the car's debut, where it will compete in Class B5 (four-wheel drive turbocharged cars, five cylinders and above) and for King of the Hill honours against the mighty GT-Rs and other fierce rivals.
Multiple class battles will add to the excite-ment, including a father-son duel between Giacomo and Ricardo Giannoccaro in Class B7, while a variety of modified street cars and SUVs will compete across the remaining categories.
Spectators can look forward to some intriguing challengers for the class B9 title for SUVs and bakkies.
Red-Lined Motorsport has entered five of its thoroughbred off-road racing machines, ahead of the opening round of the South African Rally-Raid Championship at Louvain Guest Farm in the nearby Outeniqua Mountains from 8 to 10 May.
The line-up comprises a trio of its Revo T1+ cars driven by team owner Terence Marsh, along with Philip Botha and Abrie Olivier. There will also be the two Red-Lined VK50s of Peet Victor and Tyler Botha. They will compete against last year's class winner, Janus Janse van Rensburg, in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and Arnold du Plessis in the BB Motorsport Nissan Patrol Blackhawk.
With new builds, proven contenders and ever-increasing performance levels, the 16th Simola Hillclimb promises another fierce fight for supremacy on the iconic Knysna course.
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