2021 Modified Saloon Car winner Pieter Zeelie conquered the hill again in 2025.
Image: Supplied
The 2025 Simola Hillclimb event in Knysna was marred with tragedy as seasoned racer Pieter Joubert lost his life in an accident on the hill while performing a qualifying run on Sunday morning.
At the request of the family, Sunday's King of the Hill challenge continued in a shortened format to honour Joubert. And honour him they did, with drivers putting on a spectacular display of driving skill in the final Top 10 shootout.
This culminated in a new record in the Modified Saloon Car category, with 2021 winner Pieter Zeelie performing a best run of 37.090 seconds in his Toyota MR2 Super GT, slashing 1.039 seconds off Nissan R35 GT-R driver Franco Scribante's previous record.
Zeelie was the first saloon car competitor to break through the 40-second barrier during qualifying with an astonishing time of 37.553 seconds. While an unexpected electrical glitch during the Class Finals ended that run prematurely, more importantly he put on a faultless performance in the final run of the day to secure the 2025 King of the Hill victory. He finished 1.280 seconds ahead of Roets.
“We worked hard on the set-up of the car, and everything just came together today,” Zeelie said. “We turned the boost up for the Class Final, but we couldn’t find out what caused the engine to cut out, so I decided to turn the boost down for the Top 10 Shootout, so I’m confident that a 36-second time is definitely possible after today,” the winner added.
Reghard Roets finished second overall with a time of 38.370 seconds in his BB Motorsport Nissan GT-R.
The 2025 event also saw some electrified action, with seven-time World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson blitzing the electric vehicle record with a fastest time of 39.001 seconds in the Volkswagen Polo RX1e, while also securing third overall.
Although the silent motor did little to excite, the WRX champion did manage to mesmerise the crowds with perfectly controlled four-wheel drifts through many of the corners, which Kristoffersson put down to tyre choice.
WRX champion Kristoffersson caused a buzz of a different kind at Simola.
Image: Supplied
"We obviously use special rallycross tyres and tried a radial pattern which didn’t appear to be the fastest way up the hill, so we switched to the cross-pattern tyre which allows the car to move around more and that worked well," Kristoffersson said.
"With this car you have to drift it just enough for the fastest speed through the corners but not too much or you lose lots of time, and we got it perfect in the end."
Franco Scribante, experimenting with a new suspension set-up for the race, struggled to find any decent pace and had to settle for fourth in the Top 10 Shootout with a best time of 39.631 seconds. Silvio Scribante was fifth in his Audi RS3 (40.409 seconds), ahead of Wade van Zummeren in the Nissan R34 GT-R (41.037 seconds).
Production Car Action
Standard production cars also saw numerous exciting entries as well as a new winner in the form of Clint Weston, head of the Mercedes-AMG Driving Academy, who managed 43.174 seconds in the newly debuted Mercedes-AMG GT 63 SE E Performance hybrid sports car.
Weston is the new King of the Hill for production car drivers.
Image: Supplied
Cristiano Verolini from the BMW Driving Experience was in hot pursuit during every session in the latest BMW M4 Competition, but the huge power difference between the two cars put paid to his ambitions. However, the BMW driver still wrapped up his weekend with a superb time of 43.872 seconds and the runner-up spot.
Courtney Nicholl, also from the AMG Driving Academy, was third-quickest in the Mercedes-AMG C63 SE E Performance at 44.599 seconds, while BMW’s Leyton Fourie was fourth in the latest two-door M2 (45.932 seconds).
There were some wildcard entries too, such as a Suzuki Jimny that drew adoring glances from the crowds while delivering a better-than-expected time of 1:6.04 with motoring journalist Sean Nurse behind the wheel, while securing a podium in Class B9.
Scintillating Single Seaters
The Single Seater and Sports Car category also saw a new King of the Hill crowned as Byron Mitchell surged to victory with a best time of 41.770 seconds in his Reynard Formula VW. His steady performance throughout the weekend ensured his victory was well-deserved, especially with two heavyweight contenders absent from the race.
Reigning champion Robert Wolk was expected to defend his title as he tested the Investchem team’s freshly acquired 2005 Gould GR55B. Wolk reported a strong qualifying run, posting an impressive time of 36.140 seconds during the second qualifying session on Saturday. However, despite his best efforts, a failed electronic sensor forced him to retire before the competition even began on Sunday morning.
In a close battle for the podium, Rick Morris clinched second place overall, crossing the finish line with a time of 47.444 seconds in his Formula Ford. Just 0.258 seconds behind him was the promising Klayden Cole Ensor-Smith, a 16-year-old talent making his debut driving the newly introduced MSA4 - South Africa’s new premier single-seater championship vehicle, which had its first outing in March at Kyalami.
You can view all the action in the livestream below:
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