Mpho Mahlangu
Pretoria – With the 13th edition of the Simola Hillclimb set to take place from 4 to 7 May, the annual motorsport festival promises to be bigger than ever this year.
Attracting competitors, spectators and broadcast viewers from around the world, the Simola Hillclimb takes place in the picturesque town of Knysna, on the 1.9km Simola Hill.
The action kicks off with ‘Classic Car Friday’ where historic, classic and vintage cars will be on display for the public at the Fan Fest, followed by a parade on Waterfront Drive. Friday will see the cars from pre-war to 1985 taking on the Simola Hill.
While the classic cars take on the hill, the King of the Hill cars will be on display followed by their own parade at the Fan Fest. The exciting King of the Hill Shootout gets under way on Saturday and Sunday, and includes some of the country’s fastest cars.
This year’s entries are more exciting than before and attendees can look forward to seeing cars such as the all-new 2023 BMW M2, BMW XM, 2023 Toyota GR Corolla, 2023 Ford Ranger Raptor, 2023 Volkswagen Golf R, Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo, McLaren 720s coupe, and many more thrilling cars to keep petrolhead spectators entertained.
A particularly exciting entry is that of Volkswagen Motorsport with their Polo R WRX Supercar, to be driven by none other than retired Norwegian rally driver Petter Solberg. The Polo R WRX Supercar boasts 419kW and 650Nm, with a 0-100km/h sprint time of 1.9 seconds.
Honda will also be participating in the King of the Hill Shootout, and although they have not officially announced their entry car, we strongly suspect that the all-new 2023 Civic Type R could be making its debut appearance on the hill.