MOTORING NEWS - The Simola Hillclimb celebrated a significant milestone in 2025 with the hosting of its immensely successful 15th edition.
Although it’s still a recent memory, the wheels keep on turning, and the window has now opened for aspiring competitors to submit their entry applications for the 2026 event, which takes place from 30 April to 3 May 2026.
The Simola Hillclimb is a strictly invitational event, with all requests for invitation submitted via the website.
Each application undergoes thorough scrutiny and assessment by the organisers – all to deliver the very best spectacle and competition for the fans and the drivers. Applications close on 31 January 2026, and the accepted drivers will receive their invitations to participate by 14 February 2026.
“Over the past 15 editions, the Simola Hillclimb’s growth in support and popularity has been achieved by keeping the line-up and variety of cars and drivers fresh and interesting. This has made it the must-attend event of the year for local and international crews, as well as spectators,” says Leon Smith, Simola Hillclimb’s sporting director.
“The event continues to evolve, and we have expanded the eligible dates across most of the classes in Classic Car Friday for next year to broaden the scope of entries. We have specifically adapted the regulations to accommodate the legendary Stannic Group N Production Cars that produced thrilling battles across the country’s circuits during the 1990s and early 2000s, and established the careers of many of South Africa’s top racing drivers,” Smith says.
A total of 65 slots are available for Classic Car Friday, which takes place on 1 May 2026. The entrants are spread across 10 classes based on vehicle type, age and engine capacity.
This accounts for road-going cars, racing saloon cars, open-wheel single-seaters, as well as racing sports cars and GTs. All of these compete against the clock for the fastest times up the tight and twisty 1.9 km Simola Hill.
There’s also a special class for pre-World War II cars. It relies on a handicap format to ensure a level playing field for these Golden Oldies that typically have vastly different levels of performance.
Charles Arton is the reigning champion, earning his second Classic Conqueror title this year with a time of 44.436 seconds behind the wheel of his 1979 March 79a – a decade after his first win in 2015.
Ian Schofield - 1977 March 77B
King of the Hill
As a two-day event, taking place on Saturday 2 and Sunday 3 May, King of the Hill features the wildest, most powerful and spectacular cars in South Africa, and an equally impressive list of the country’s top racing drivers.
They have gone head-to-head with several international stars and an impressive selection of cars too, including the likes of eight-time World Rallycross (WRX) champion for Volkswagen, Johan Kristofferson, WRX and World Rally Champion Petter Solberg, and former F1 star Mika Salo.
Of the 84 slots available, the field is split into three distinct categories. Class A is for standard production road-legal cars, with eight classes featuring everything from compact hot hatches and supercars to cutting-edge hybrids and electric vehicles.
Clint Weston is the reigning King of the Hill in this category, having powered the Mercedes-AMG GT 63 SE E Performance to a winning time of 43.174 seconds on this mighty car’s pre-launch debut in South Africa.
Weston’s time was a mere 0.239 sec off the current Road Car and Supercar record of 42.935 sec achieved by JP van der Walt in 2024 with a Porsche 911 Turbo S. Accordingly, it will be enthralling to see if the current record will be broken in 2026.
It’s a case of the big guns battling it out in class B for Modified Saloon cars, with race-tuned machines of all types vying for class titles and overall honours.
There are 10 classes catering for a wide range of cars and engines, including a class for alternative energy vehicles (hybrids and EVs), and one for bakkies and sport utility vehicles. This category is also home to Modified Street Cars, enabling highly-tuned street-legal machines to compete against each other.
Regular international hillclimb competitor Pieter Zeelie earned his place in the history books in 2025, setting a category record-breaking time of 37.090 seconds to secure his second King of the Hill title in his Toyota MR2 Super GT. The car is currently undergoing further aerodynamic upgrades, and he will be the man to beat.
However, five-time Modified Saloon Car winner Franco Scribante will undoubtedly be going all-out to reclaim the class record and victory in his mighty Nissan R35 GT-R, as will regular front-runner Reghard Roets, who is still aiming for his first win in this category in the BB Motorsport Nissan R35 GT-R.
Cristiano Verolini - 2025 BMW M4
Single-seaters, Sports Cars and Sports Prototypes
Thoroughbred single-seaters, sports cars and sports prototypes slot into class C, with seven individual classes based on vehicle type and engine capacity. One of the classes also accommodates electric, hybrid and other alternative energy vehicles.
Andre Bezuidenhout and Robert Wolk have been the key protagonists in this category for several years. Bezuidenhout holds the outright record of 34.161 seconds in his Gould GR55 hillclimb racer, completing the 1.9 km standing-start sprint at an astonishing average speed of 200.228 km/h in 2022.
After being ruled out of the 2024 and 2025 events due to engine issues on the Gould, Bezuidenhout is expected to be more determined than ever to be back in the fray in 2026.
However, he will have to contend with a much more fervent challenge from Wolk, who was on track to claim the 2025 win in the InvestChem team’s similar Gould GR55 that was acquired from the UK and rebuilt just before this year’s event.
A failed electronic sensor put him out of action on day two, but with a full year to prepare the car for the 2026 Simola Hillclimb, fans will hopefully be treated to an almighty tussle at the top for victory.
Byron Mitchell is the current King of the Hill champion in this category in his Reynard Formula VW, achieving a winning time of 41.770 seconds.
The 16th edition of the Simola Hillclimb takes place from 30 April to 3 May 2026.
For more information, visit the website.
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