Roets pips Zeelie to King of the Hill bragging rights at Zwartkops

Hillclimb competition paid the Zwartkops circuit near Pretoria a successful visit on Saturday, with the 2000 Metre Top of the Hill Challenge event producing ultra-close competition, brilliant driving performances and happy spectators.

Tackling the Zwartkops circuit anti-clockwise is by no means easy and experts predicted the event would be dominated by seasoned hillclimb specialists. And so it proved.

Roets rules the roost

Long-time saloon car expert Reghard Roets emerged as the overall King of the Hill, blitzing the BB Motorsport team’s Nissan GT-R R35 around the 2000-metre track in 53.257 seconds. It was the closest victory of Roets’ career – the second place went to Pieter Zeelie, who took his Zeelie Auditors Toyota MR2 Turbo to second place overall with a time of 53.260 seconds.

The two also grabbed the top two places in the Modified Saloon Car category, followed in the overall and class placings by Charl Joubert, who set a time of 54.323 seconds with his A1 Bakkie Spares Lotus Elise.

Fourth place belonged to Steve Clark, with a time of 54.520 in his Backdraft Racing Cobra Roadster Chevrolet. Aldo Scribante chased him to the flag in his Scuderia Scribante Audi S4 which took fifth place overall and in the Modified Saloon discipline with a time of 55.204 seconds.

ALSO READ: King of the Zwartkops Hill crowned on Saturday

Historics old, but not cold

Ian Schofield took the Historic Car category in his 1977 Investchem March 77B, with his time of 57.072 seconds good enough for the sixth place overall.

Brilliant driving saw Jonathan Mogotsi take the works VW Genuine Parts Polo GTi to seventh place overall, slotting in a time of 57.076 seconds.

Schofield was followed in the category by Mark du Toit (1995 Trans Africa Racing Opel Astra V8), Warren Lombard (Pepboys Automotive 1965 Ford Cobra) and James Temple (1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe).

ALSO READ: Brad Binder reflects on bittersweet weekend at Japan MotoGP

Electric Volvo surprises at Zwartkops

Vic Campher took the Road Car Shootout in his Porsche GT3RS, leading home Courtney Nichol (Mercedes-Benz CLA 45 AMG), Jared Rossouw (VW Golf 6R) and Muhammed Hoossain (AMG Experience Mercedes-Benz C63 SE). Campher surprised many by taking fifth place in the Road Car category with his Tom Campher all-electric Volvo EX30 SUV.

JM Gerber took his KTM-powered Van Diemen Formula M to the Open-Wheeler class victory, followed by Renzo Ribiero (Metal Used Spares VW GTi Swift) and Josef Kotze (Top Products Birkin S3).

Judd Bertholdt won the VW Cup Shootout, leading home the VW Polo GTs of Dhivyen Naidoo and Uzair Khan.