Ballito’s Reghard Roets crowned King of the Hill in Zwartkops debut
Roets races to split-second glory.
Ballito’s Reghard Roets claimed the inaugural Zwartkops Top of the Hill title by just a few hundredths of a second.
Competing in the modified production car division, Reghard faced off against a stacked field of competitors at the popular Pretoria race track on October 4 and 5. Hill climb racing is a familiar format for the experienced Ballito speedster who has won titles across the country, including the most famous version of the race in South Africa at Simola in Knysna.
For the uninitiated, hill climb racing is exactly what it sounds like, where drivers race individually on an uphill course with the fastest time crowning a winner. It has become a popular format in the racing community, but the recent event was the first time it had been held at Zwartkops.
Photo: Shane Assad.
Familiarity with the general orientation of the track meant little for the drivers, as the event was raced on a modified 2km version of the raceway, running counter-clockwise and starting at turn four. It meant Reghard’s race experience and adaptability gave him a crucial edge over the field.
As did his BB Motorsport Nissan GT-R, a beast of a car that powered him across the finish line in 53.257 seconds, mere moments faster than Peter Zeelie’s time of 53.295. That time was not only the fastest in his division, but also the fastest time registered by any driver over the course of the weekend.
Photo: Shane Assad.
Not only a king of his division, Reghard truly was king of the hill on the day.
“For the first event the Zwartkops Top of the Hill was amazing, all the big names were there, the vibe was great with big crowds and the racing was exciting all weekend,” said Reghard.
“This time attack style of motorsport has real potential, and I look forward to seeing it expand as these events bring out the big cars with the big horsepower and that is what the crowds want to see.”
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