Powerful cars set to take on 2022 Simola Hillclimb
The annual sporting event is renowned for lining up an exhilarating array of the wildest, most powerful, and fastest tin-top racing cars in the country.
It’s all systems go for the 12th edition of the Simola Hillclimb in Knysna from May 5 to 8.
The annual sporting event is renowned for lining up an exhilarating array of the wildest, most powerful, and fastest tin-top racing cars in the country. The sport requires athletes to let loose in a challenging 1.9km race course.
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.
Zeelie said he is up against competitive machinery and drivers.
“Especially the four-wheel-drive Nissans which gain around one to 1.5 seconds on us from the start to corner one, and I know Dawie Joubert made some extensive changes to his Lotus. All of these drivers have serious intent on winning, so reaching the Top 10 in 2022 will already be a huge achievement. I will certainly do my best and hope to get a top-three position,” said Zeelie.
As indicated by Zeelie, Dawie Joubert is sure to be a formidable opponent once again in his twin-turbo Ferrari V8-powered 2001 Lotus Exige, which has been upgraded since 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.
However, there’s another serious contender that should never be underestimated. 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.
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 Super Car.
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 Cronje remains another driver to watch in his rapid Subaru Impreza WRX STi after he claimed the sixth-fastest time in 2021.
