To say that we are motorsport mad here at Double Apex, is a bit of an understatement. If we aren’t writing about racing, we are trackside watching or, best of all, behind the wheel. Now we face a new challenge as we are racing at the 2023 Simola Hillclimb.

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World Class

The Simola Hillclimb has rightly earned its title as one of the premier motorsport events on the SA motorsport calendar. Racers, petrolheads and motorsport enthusiasts descend on the little town of Knysna for one memorable weekend each year.

Last year we watched from the sidelines, and captured a few pics of the action, soaking up the atmosphere and enjoying the colourful celebration of speed. However, we’ll be more than just spectators at the 2023 Simola Hillclimb. 

Click here to check out our gallery of images from last year’s event.

Suzuki Returns

“We entered the 2022 Simola Hill Climb with two Swift Sports – a manual and an auto – to support the Hillclimb and to prove that you do not need deep pockets to have fun and go racing.

“The two Swift Sport models, and their drivers, Greybe and Reuben van Niekerk, performed so well that we decided to add another car to the mix and to add a rookie to our roster to show that you also don’t need experience to get the best out of your Swift Sport,” says Chelsy Pinto, product planning at Suzuki Auto and team manager for the 2023 Suzuki Swift Sport Team at Simola.

Our Turn

This year Suzuki Auto SA has selected us to take the wheel of a standard Swift Sport to represent the brand at the event. Our managing editor, Sudhir Matai, has dusted off his race suit and will be lining up against some truly heavy hitters. 

Matai is a seasoned journalist who has several seasons of track racing under his belt. He has successfully competed in VW Polo Cup and has raced, and won, the Border 100 in a Porsche GT3 Cup car. He is also a past winner in the Fine Cars series in the Western Cape and has a podium finish in a Ford Ranger in the National Off-Road Championships (now the SA Rally-Raid Championship).

“The hillclimb is going to be a completely new challenge for me. In track racing, you have other competitors around you, and you have to race against them for track position. At Simola, you are only competing against yourself and the stopwatch, so it is going to take some getting used to,” says Matai.

Bang-for-Buck

“I attended last year’s Simola Hillclimb as a journalist and reckoned that the Swift Sport models offered the best racing for your money per second up the hill. Any car that set a faster time than the Swift Sport cost hundreds of thousands or even millions more than the Swift Sport. So, I am proud to be racing this car at Simola in 2023,” says Matai.

A power deficit, against our main rivals, from the 1,4-litre engine, standard road tyres, and an inexperienced pilot won’t stop us from having a blast as we add another form of motorsport to our list of racing experiences, and we cannot wait.

A Swift Trio

Matai isn’t the only driver who will be representing Suzuki Auto SA at the 2023 Simola Hillclimb. He will be joined by Wesley Greybe, who also competed last year. A newcomer to the event, and competitive driving, is fellow motoring scribe Kumbi Mtshakazi.

“It’s difficult to describe my emotions. It is a mix of excitement and fear. I have been on the hill as a reporter when other cars have lost control and crashed or rolled, so I know that it will take all my concentration and effort to tame the hill,” says Mtshakazi.

You will be able to keep track of our progress via our Facebook page during the course of the weekend. Please tag us on Instagram or Facebook if you take any pics of the Double Apex Suzuki Swift Sport in action. A livestream of the event can be found here.