- Largest number of Jaguar entries to date
- Nine Jaguars participating in King of the Hill
- Drivers include local racers, media and Jaguar owners
Pretoria, 3 April 2017
The 2017 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb will see nine Jaguars vying for glory on the 1.9-kilometre Simola Road – the largest number of Jaguar entries in the event’s history. Jaguar South Africa’s own race drivers will be present at South Africa’s premier motorsport event, alongside international and local motoring media, as well as Jaguar owners who will get to experience the thrill of the hill for the first time.
Leading the charge in the Supercar Class is Jaguar South Africa’s national aftersales manager – and South African Land Speed Record-holder – Dawie Olivier, who will participate in a mighty, 423kW Jaguar F-TYPE SVR Convertible, which makes its South African debut at the event. Another entry from Jaguar South Africa entry is Regional Technical Manager, Derrick Dearlove. He will be driving the famous, race-prepped Jaguar XJR – nicknamed The Beast – which has previously been seen in action at the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb.
“We really mean it when we say that racing is in our blood. We’re sending some of our best drivers to fly the Jaguar flag at this prestigious event, and they have years of racing experience” said Lisa Mallett, Marketing Director of Jaguar Land Rover South Africa and sub-Sahara Africa. “Dawie is sure to do us proud in the blisteringly fast F-TYPE SVR. And Derrick will be driving The Beast, which has become a regular at the Hillclimb. This year it’ll be louder and faster, thanks to extensive work done during the holidays.”
Jaguar’s own drivers will be joined by a handful of media racers – including multiple championship-winning race driver Randy Pobst, who is representing American publication Motor Trend in an F-TYPE SVR. He will be joined by South African media driver Ashley Oldfield, at the helm of the Jaguar F-TYPE 400 Sport. This Special Edition model has been tuned to deliver 294kW (400 horsepower) from its 3.0-litre supercharged V6. It is also fitted with Jaguar’s Super Performance braking system, revised chassis settings and aerodynamic tweaks.
Hannes Visser from Afrikaans motoring programme L’at Wiel will campaign a Jaguar XE S, as will Sean Nurse, the editor of Autotrader. Both Hannes and Sean have extensive race experience and will be sure to use their 250kW cats to thrill the crowds – not to mention being able to share thrilling tales with their audiences.
This year, Jaguar South Africa also created an incredibly exclusive opportunity for two lucky Jaguar drivers. The Jaguar Simola Hillclimb Golden Ticket competition saw nearly 100 entries submitted by Jaguar owners around the country, for a prize that money cannot buy: an all-expenses-paid trip to drive at South Africa’s premier motorsport event.
The two Jaguar owners who will join the other Jaguar drivers in the pits on the weekend of 5 – 7 May are Shahieda Ebrahim, a businesswoman from Cape Town, and Ian Schmidt, a wealth manager from Johannesburg. Both are proud F-TYPE S owners who can look forward to the experience of a lifetime.
“I am absolutely ecstatic that I’ve been given this opportunity,” said Shahieda Ebrahim. “I’ve previously driven race cars on track at international circuits, but this is the most excited I’ve been – especially since I can compete in my Jaguar.”
“I’ve followed the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb for a number of years now, and it’s unreal to think that I’ll now get to compete – in my own car, to boot,” said Ian Schmidt. “It’s fantastic that Jaguar has created this kind of opportunity for owners and fans of the brand, and now I can definitely experience my car for what it was intended.”
This year’s Jaguar Simola Hillclimb commences with Classic Car Friday on 5 May, when owners of historic road and race cars compete in their iconic cars for the Classic Conqueror trophy. From 6 – 7 May, attention will turn to the exhilarating King of the Hill competition. This will see the new Jaguar F-TYPEs competing alongside more than 80 other road-going sports cars, supercars and purpose-built race cars, to conquer the 1.9km-long Simola Hill road.
Spectator tickets for the 2017 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb start at R100 for a day pass and R220 for a pit pass. Tickets can be purchased on www.itickets.co.za. For more information, visit www.jaguarsimolahillclimb.com.