Safety first at Knysna’s Simola Hillclimb

As anticipation builds for the Simola Hillclimb in Knysna this weekend, major safety improvements have been completed to ensure the event is safer than ever before for competitors, officials and spectators.

One of the most significant upgrades has taken place between turn 1 and turn 3, where the road has been fully resurfaced by the Knysna municipality. The once uneven section has been transformed into a perfectly smooth racing surface.

In the words of Sparky Bright, chair of the Motorsport South Africa events and circuit safety panel, who has been on site throughout the week inspecting the works, the road is “as smooth as a billiard table”.

Further enhancing safety on the hill, the Knysna Speed Festival has installed a 100m FIA-specification concrete Jersey barrier on the straight leading into turn 3. This important addition will provide increased protection in one of the faster sections of the course.

The improvements form part of a substantial investment exceeding R3m, dedicated entirely to raising the safety standards of the event. It reflects the commitment of all involved to maintain the Simola Hillclimb as one of the premier motorsport events in the country.

Bright has been on site since Monday, closely monitoring every aspect of track safety and working alongside organisers to ensure all standards are met.

Ian [Shrosbree, event promoter CEO] has left no stone unturned in making the event safer and better for everyone. He must be congratulated on what he and the Knysna municipality have achieved for this world-class event
— Sparky Bright, Motorsport South Africa

He praised the dedication of event promoter CEO Ian Shrosbree, who has worked hand in hand with Motorsport South Africa and the Events and Circuit Safety Panel to implement the changes.

“Ian has left no stone unturned in making the event safer and better for everyone,” said Bright. “He must be congratulated on what he and the Knysna municipality have achieved for this world-class event.”

With the extensive upgrades complete, competitors and fans can look forward to an exciting event knowing safety remains the highest priority.

All competitors will be chasing the record of 34.161 seconds held by Andre Bezuidenhout, driving a 2007 model Gould GR55 single-seater, since 2022.

Robert Wolk, who hails from the Border area originally, will be in a similar Gould GR55 and with the improved road surface from turns 1-3, that record is likely to be under serious threat on Sunday.

The event gets under way with Classic Car Friday, where Aldo and Silvio Scribante will be in action for the first time, with Aldo driving a classic Alfa Romeo GTA 156 and Silvio a Ford Escort Mk1.

The action then shifts to Saturday and Sunday for the King-of-the-Hill challenge, and leading the Eastern Cape competitors in the modified saloon class will be Wade van Zummeren and Darron Gudmanz in their Nissan GTR Skylines and Aldo and Silvio in their Audis.

Gordon Nicholson, who is a multiple Simola Champion in the A6 class for road-going saloon cars, returns to defend his title in his magnificent-sounding V10 Audi R8, while Brent Watts will be debuting his brutal limited edition 3.0l Toyota Supra.

Limited tickets for the Simola Hillclimb are available on www.speedfestival.co.za