The 15th edition of the Simola Hillclimb was characterised by difficult emotions matched to brave competition at the highest level during the King of the Hill challenge.
Qualifying for King of the Hill has wrapped up, with each competitor’s best time over the five sessions completed deciding the top three competitors in each class that make it through to the official Class Finals, as well as the King of the Hill Top 10 Shootouts. With Pieter Zeelie not going out in Q6 […]
As per the wishes from the Joubert family, the remainder of the 2025 Simola Hillclimb is being staged in tribute to Pieter Joubert who sadly passed away this morning after a high-speed accident resulting from a mechanical failure on his Lotus. This resulted in the fourth qualifying session being cancelled. In Q5, Pieter Zeelie made […]
KNYSNA, South Africa, 4 May 2025 – Knysna Speed Festival, the organisers of the Simola Hillclimb, have confirmed seasoned competitor Pieter Joubert sadly passed away in an accident today. Joubert was out on his first run on day two of King of the Hill when he lost control of his Lotus on the fast uphill […]
The opening day of King of the Hill at the 2025 Simola Hillclimb delivered all the excitement, drama and intense competition that fans had been eagerly waiting for – particularly in the Modified Saloon Car category where it was a battle of old foes, former winners and title hopefuls.
Two major factors are coming into play during the Saturday afternoon qualifying sessions for King of the Hill – the first being the competitors pushing much harder and exploring the absolute limits of the 1.9 km Simola Hill course, all while the ambient and track temperatures begin falling rapidly as the sun starts its descent […]
The fourth practice session was cancelled after one of the cars dropped oil on the track, so the King of the Hill moved straight into the first of three qualifying rounds for the day. The 2021 King of the Hill champion and international competitor Pieter Zeelie asserted his place at the sharp end of the […]
Pieter Zeelie has thrown down the gauntlet with a truly impressive time of 38.642 in the Toyota MR2 Super GT – a mere 0.13 seconds off his second-place finish last year and 0.23 behind Dawie Olivier’s 2024 winning time. Reghard Roets went slightly quicker in P3 on 39.585 seconds, with Johan Kristoffersson continuing to chip […]
If anyone thought the competitors would be taking it easy during the opening practice sessions they were proved wrong, as the intensity of the King of the Hill challenge is already ramping up as the temperature increases and grip improves. Reghard Roets slashed 2.3 seconds off his P1 time to top the session on 39.611 […]
The thrilling King of the Hill challenge has commenced at the 15th edition of the Simola Hillclimb – fortunately with dry and much warmer weather compared to yesterday’s icy and wet Classic Car Friday. Reigning Single Seater and Sports Car champion Robert Wolk topped the session in his first-ever run in the 2005 Gould GR55B […]