The 2026 Simola Hillclimb once again underlined its status as one of South Africa’s leading motorsport and lifestyle events, drawing large crowds to Knysna for a weekend that blended high performance machinery with a distinctive, accessible atmosphere.
Now in its sixteenth year, the event has grown beyond a pure competition into a showcase of engineering, driver skill and fan engagement, with competitors and spectators alike benefiting from favourable weather and a well organised programme.
At the centre of the weekend were the King of the Hill titles, awarded across the event’s three main categories. Robert Wolk emerged as the standout in the Single Seater, Sports Car and Prototype category, securing his second title with a best run of 35.024 seconds in the final shootout. Driving the Gould GR55, he demonstrated consistent pace throughout the weekend, even if he narrowly missed his personal target of breaking the 35 second barrier.
In the Modified Saloon Car category, Pieter Zeelie further cemented his reputation as one of the event’s most successful competitors. His victory marked a second consecutive win and a third overall, achieved in a highly developed Toyota MR2. Although he fell just short of his own class record set the previous year, his winning time of 37.216 seconds reflected the steady evolution of the car.
The Road Car and Supercar category highlighted how modern production vehicles are increasingly capable of delivering performance close to that of dedicated race machinery. Clint Weston claimed back to back titles in a Mercedes AMG GT 63 S E Performance, setting a new class record of 42.527 seconds. Notably, the car remained in standard production specification, underscoring the advances in road car engineering.
The seventeenth edition, scheduled for late April to early May 2027, is expected to build on this foundation, further enhancing the Hillclimb’s reputation as a key fixture on South Africa’s motorsport calendar.
The 2026 Simola Hillclimb individual class winners were:
Road Cars and Supercars:
Modified Saloon Cars:
Single Seaters, Sports Cars & Sports Prototypes:
The 17th edition of the Simola Hillclimb will take place from 29 April to 2 May 2027. For more information and ticket sales, visit the website: www.simolahillclimb.com
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Hyundai Automotive South Africa has received an overwhelming 33 000 applications for its Youth Employment Service (YES) learnership programme, highlighting both the strong appeal of the brand among younger job seekers.
Volvo has confirmed that its vehicles will now integrate Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence system. This development builds on the company’s existing collaboration with Google, which already provides Android Automotive OS and Google services in Volvo models.
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