Simola crowns its new king

Franco Scribante claimed his title just two days after finishing at the top of the standings in Classic Friday, where he campaigned his Chevron B19 to be crowned Classic Conqueror. Scribante posted a record time of 41.811 seconds on Friday and then raised the stakes to finish in 41.159 seconds on Sunday – not only setting a new record but also making history as the only competitor to win both the Classic Conqueror and King of the Hill titles.

On Saturday morning, a wet and slippery track greeted competitors in the fifth hillclimb event at Knysna. Overnight rain made conditions highly unpredictable and racers started their weekend cautiously.

Sunday dawned with not a cloud in the sky, temperatures steadily increasing and the adrenaline-fuelled antics kept the thousands of motorsport fans entertained. It was, however, not until the sun sat low in the sky, the shadows grew long and temperatures began to drop that the serious business of the weekend started.

After two qualifying sessions on Saturday and five on Sunday, excitement reached fever pitch with just 10 racers making the cut – one car, one driver, one run and one chance to take the title of King of the Hill.

Scribante blazed up the hill in a time of 41.159 seconds to finish ahead of Desmond Gutzeit in the Nissan Skyline GT-R and Darron Gudmanz and his Nissan Skyline GT-R. The margin of victory for Scribante was a very slim 0.546 of a second.

With an entry list that comprised Ferrari, Lamborghini, Porsche, Jaguar, BMW, Nissan, Ariel and Subaru, with a selection of hot hatches thrown in for good measure, the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb provided something for every automotive taste. – Own correspondent