The 2022 Simola Hillclimb will take place this coming weekend. This is the 12th edition of the event that has grown into SA’s premier motorsport event. Spectators will be allowed to view the time trial from trackside for the first time since Covid-19 struck. Ticket sales available online at simolahillclimb.com

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“We are looking forward to, once again, having spectators at the Simola Hillclimb, as they are such an important part of the event,” says Ian Shrosbree, MD of Knysna Speed Festival. “Although we managed to put on a good show last year, including lifting the game as far as our livestream of the entire event was concerned, it didn’t have the atmosphere and excitement that comes with having enthusiasts and fans present. Based on the latest government restrictions for COVID-19, we will be able to accommodate a maximum of 3 300 spectators per day.”

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Diverse line-up

The event, as per tradition, will start with Classic Car Friday on May 6. During the day’s proceedings vintage and classic road and racecars will compete to be the quickest. Spectators can watch the likes of old Ford, BMWs and Alfas all vying for top honours. Saturday and Sunday will consist of practice and qualification runs in preparation for the final King of the Hill shootout on Sunday afternoon.

View our Simola Hillclimb gallery at this link.

There will be all manner of machinery competing in the road and sportscar classes. Modern Mercedes and Porsches will test their mettle against McLarens and several highly modified Toyotas and Nissan GT-Rs. 

Click here to read about a classic Audi S2 that will be competing at the event.

Suzuki power

There are several Suzuki powered machines on the entry list. These include two Speedcar tubular-framed racing cars, both powered by Suzuki motorcycle engines. There will also be a Suzuki Hayabusa-powered Radical SR1 and a bone-stock Suzuki Swift zooming up the 1,9-km course.

The man to beat on Sunday is Andre Bezuidenhout. The racing advocate holds Simola Hillclimb’s outright record at 34,965 seconds. He set this time in 2021 driving a 2007 Gould GR55. Bezuidenhout has entered the 2022 event with the same car this year. He will be competing against several hotshot drivers in similarly specialised race machines.

If you aren’t lucky enough to be in Knysna this weekend you can follow all the action live on the Knysna Speed Festival official YouTube channel.