The popular motoring and motorsport lifestyle, now in its 13^th year, will see a record number of cars taking on the hill climb from 4 to 7 May. This year, six manufacturers support the event with official entries, with four of the brands also signing up as event partners.

“For the past three years, we have been working exceptionally hard to expand the manufacturer support and participation in the Simola Hillclimb to broaden its appeal for spectators and competitors and give the vehicle brands an unrivalled platform to highlight their latest products, performance and heritage,” says Ian Shrosbree, managing director of the Knysna Speed Festival, which runs the Simola Hillclimb.

Suzuki:

Suzuki Auto South Africa is a Tier 1 partner for 2023, marking its third consecutive year of sponsoring the event. “The Simola Hillclimb provides a platform to showcase Suzuki’s fun, exciting and passionate personality that stretches beyond our repertoire of providing affordable, fun and sporty compact cars and motorcycles,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager at Suzuki Auto SA.

Along with its Tier 1 sponsorship, for the second year in a row Suzuki will feature two standard Swift Sport entries competing in the standard production class. The company will also display the latest addition to its SUV line-up, and fans can look forward to demonstration runs with its newest motorcycle offerings.

BMW:

Following its participation as an entrant last year, BMW South Africa has stepped up its involvement to become a Tier 1 partner for the 2023 Simola Hillclimb. “We had a very enthusiastic response from the BMW team last year, and we are delighted to welcome the company on board as a Tier 1 partner for 2023,” Ian says.

While the vehicle and driver line-up are still being finalised, fans can be assured that there will be lots to look forward to. “BMW’s presence will be a celebration of our heritage in South Africa on Classic Car Friday, as well as a look towards our future and our expanding electromobility portfolio in the King of the Hill Shootout,” says Thilosh Moodally, General Manager: Group Communications and External Affairs, BMW Group South Africa.

Volkswagen:

Volkswagen has progressively stepped up its participation in the Simola Hillclimb over the past couple of years and has signed up as a Tier 2 partner for 2023.

“This event is the most fun one can have in Knysna! It is a showcase of both driver capability and the incredible engineering in our Volkswagen products,” says Mike Rowe, Volkswagen Driving Experience Manager.

The Volkswagen line-up will include the powerful Polo SupaCup race car that featured in the 2022 event, along with two Golf R entries in the production vehicle class. “There will be a fourth very exciting car, but we can’t reveal the details yet,” Mike says.

Honda:

Joining the fray for the first time as a Tier 2 partner is Honda Motor Southern Africa. “This is the first time that Honda will be participating, and we are delighted to be a Tier 2 partner,” says Letitia Herold, Marketing and PR Manager, Honda Motor Southern Africa.

“For King of the Hill, we are entering a highly anticipated new performance car that will be launched just before the Simola Hillclimb. It will be driven by one of South Africa’s best-known racing drivers.

Hyundai:

Hyundai South Africa returns as the media shuttle partner for the second consecutive year, supplying the Staria buses to transport the press contingent to designated photographic locations along the Simola Hill course.

More noteworthy for hot hatch fans, though, is the official entry of the Hyundai i30N, which will be driven by Joshua Lowe, Hyundai’s Regional Sales and N-sport Manager. “Hyundai N products such as the i30N and Kona N closely align themselves to motorsport and were developed to be track stars for the road,” Joshua says.

“We have entered our i30N, which we raced in the Johannesburg-based Vilaca Racing time attack series in 2022, where it finished second in the FWD modified class in stock form.

Ford:

Fresh from its South African launch, the new V6-powered Ford Ranger Raptor will provide an unusual twist on the performance vehicle theme and will compete in the unlimited class for sports utility/activity vehicles and bakkies.

“We are excited about participating for the first time with a media partner,” says Minesh Bhagaloo, General Manager, Communications at Ford South Africa. “The Simola Hillclimb is a fantastic event, and fans will get to see the exhilarating Ranger Raptor in action.