TRIUMPH AND TRAGEDY

The 15th Simola Hillclimb was arguably the most successful episode in the event's history, but also a stark reminder of the risks racers must face

- By: Kyle Kock

Impressive as it was, when I last attended the Simola Hillclimb 13 years ago, it was a mere fraction of its present scale. The event grew exponentially in just a few short years to even include a soapbox derby, charity golf day and a host of other sideshows. Although, more recently, the organisers have tightened the schedule to focus solely on the Hillclimb, separating those running the classic cars to two days on the Thursday and Friday, with the three remaining categories of single-seaters, modified saloons and sportscars competing on the Saturday and Sunday. It is far more professional now, with sophisticated registration of media, different-tier guest passes and limited entries. Renault's position as title sponsor that year meant media guests at the event could compete in a gymkhana with Twingo RS models, and got the chance to run up the 1.9 km Simola Hill in the King of the Hill shootout with a Mégane RS.

On the first weekend of May 2025 the Western Cape coastline was a drenched affair. Those disembarking the flight from Cape Town to George were greeted by some turbulence down through the heavy clouds and a slick runway as the heavens leaked.

The drive to Knysna did nothing to inspire much confidence either, as the sky had darkened quickly and the only ray of light in this dreary scene was the Mercedes-AMG convoy passing by our rental through Sedgefield. More on them later.

Suzuki South Africa, our host for this year’s event, announced it would launch the Suzuki 8R Cup in South Africa - a one-make motor-cycle championship, which aimed to level the playing field using the GSX 8R as part of the South African Endurance Series. This series will see competitors run controlled ECUs, sealed engines and Ohlins suspension. Tyres will be restricted to a single pair for qualifying, race one and race two.