More big-hitting modified saloon cars at Hillclimb

KNYSNA NEWS - The Modified Saloon Car category at the annual Simola Hillclimb is renowned for lining up an exhilarating array of the wildest, most powerful and fastest tin-top racing cars in the country.

The 12th edition in two weeks' time promises to be no different.

Simola Hillclimb regular Pieter Zeelie threw a spanner in the works last year when he claimed his first King of the Hill crown in his highly modified 2002 Toyota MR2 Super GT, powered by a turbocharged 3,5-litre V6 Toyota engine.

His faultless performance in the all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout secured a winning time of 40,402 seconds, knocking 2019 champion and pre-event favourite Franco Scribante off the top step of the podium.

Whether Zeelie will be able to write his name in the Simola Hillclimb record books for a second time remains to be seen, but he certainly faces a stern challenge - most notably from Scribante, behind the wheel of his time-attack-inspired Nissan R35 GT-R with its distinctive massive front and rear wings.

In 2021 Scribante set a new official record time of 39,303 seconds for the Modified Saloon Car category in the Class Finals. However, a less-than-perfect run in the Top 10 Shootout saw him cross the line in 40,522 seconds, which relegated him to second place for King of the Hill.

Dawie Joubert is also sure to be a formidable opponent once more in his twin-turbo Ferrari V8-powered 2001 Lotus Exige, which has been upgraded since its debut last year.

Joubert notched up an impressive time of 39,888 seconds during his best qualifying run in 2021, and will be aiming for an even better time when it counts in this year's Top 10 final.

The Van Zummeren family always draws a crowd in their loud and wild Nissan GT-Rs, and Martin returns to the fray in his explosive four-wheel drive 2002 R34 after missing the 2021 event.

He will be backed up by his two sons, with Wade stepping back into his rear-wheel drive R34 GT-R after delighting the crowds in Dad's car last year, along with brother Jody in a four-wheel drive 1994 R32 GT-R.

However, there's another serious contender who should never be under-estimated.

With three consecutive King of the Hill titles in the Road and Supercar category (2017-2019), Reghard Roets has taken over the reins of the BB Motorsport Nissan R35 GT-R formerly campaigned by Wilhelm Baard.

Roets certainly knows his way up the 1,9km Simola Hill and has been doing extensive testing in his new steed, which powered Baard to victory in 2017 and 2018.

If reliability issues with the car don't hamper his efforts, the popular production car ace is sure to be in the thick of the battle until the final flag drops on Sunday afternoon.

Several other competitors are likely to be slugging it out in the thrilling Top 10 Shootout, including Franco di Matteo, who recovered from a crash last year to power his way into the Top 10 final in the NOS-boosted Jaguar XKRR V8 supercar.

Charl Arangies finished third last year in a Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, but returns this year in a similarly powered V10 Audi R8 LMS GT3, while Anton Cronjé remains another driver to watch in his rapid Subaru Impreza WRX STi after he claimed the sixth-fastest time in 2021.

Franco Scribante in his 2016 Nissan R35 GT-R.