KNYSNA – The 16th edition of the Simola Hillclimb has once again delivered an exceptional showcase of performance, energy and excitement, with the 2026 King of the Hill champions crowned after two intense days of competition. The event was enjoyed by thousands of enthusiastic spectators who made the most of the perfect weather and the unrivalled atmosphere that is a hallmark of South Africa’s premier motoring and motorsport lifestyle event.
Robert Wolk was the class of the Single Seater, Sports Car and Sports Prototypes field, scoring his second King of the Hill title today with his best run of the weekend in the all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout of 35.024 seconds. He recorded an average speed of 195.295 km/h in the Investchem team’s 2005 Gould GR55 that made its Simola Hillclimb debut last year. Wolk’s previous win was in 2024, driving the 1989 Pillbeam MP58.
“We had a big step up from last year when we just got the car, so we’ve been consistently fast,” Wolk said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t break the 35-second mark which was our goal for the weekend, but we made progress throughout the two days. Handling and chassis-wise the car was great, and we got the launch better towards the end. There’s definitely room for improvement next year.”
Ian Schofield was the runner-up in his 2014 Mygale Formula Ford (40.967 sec), ahead of Connor Kilbride (41.766 sec) on his first Simola Hillclimb outing, driving a 2015 Ligier JS53 Evo2.
Modified Saloon Cars
In the highly anticipated King of the Hill battle for Modified Saloon Cars, Pieter Zeelie secured his status as one of the Simola Hillclimb legends with his third win – and his second in a row – in the mighty 2002 Toyota MR2. His winning time of 37.216 seconds was a mere 0.126 sec off his class record from last year (37.090 sec), achieving an average speed of 183.792 km/h. Zeelie’s first win was in 2021 with a time of 40.402 seconds – proving just how far the car has been developed over the years.
“I’m absolutely ecstatic. We had a challenging time yesterday as I was struggling with rear grip, but we pushed today and it all came together,” Zeelie said. “I couldn’t have gone faster, as we ran maximum downforce and boost on the final run. We’re all very happy with the way it turned out.”
Five-time winner Franco Scribante set the second-fastest time in the Top 10 Shootout of 38.317 seconds, but his run was disqualified after hitting a track limits marker at the top of the 1.9 km Simola Hill course. Silvio Scribante led numerous sessions throughout the weekend in his bright yellow 2006 Audi RS3, known as Pacman, having done a huge amount of work on the car since last year. This showed in his impressive Top 10 Shootout time of 38.485 seconds, and an even faster time of 38.103 seconds in the Class Finals.
Steve Clark claimed the final step of the Modified Saloon Car podium in his 2000 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R (39.827 seconds). Reghard Roets looked set to be a formidable rival once again, but his chances ended with gearbox damage on the BB Motorsport 2014 Nissan R35 GT-R during the Sunday morning warm-up, which led to his premature retirement.
Road Cars and Supercars
Clint Weston dominated every session he competed in throughout this year’s event, driving the 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E Performance. After winning the 2025 Road Car and Supercar King of the Hill title in a similar car last year, he not only powered his way to a second consecutive victory, but set an exceptional new overall class record in the process during the Class Finals of 42.527 seconds, achieving a standing start average speed of 160.839 km/h.
Weston’s Top 10 Shootout time of 42.616 seconds was fractionally slower than his Class Finals run, but continued his unrivalled performance. “It’s surprising how we’ve managed to keep going faster in this totally standard production car, which is setting times that are comparable with many of the race cars,” Weston said. “I’ve enjoyed every moment of this weekend, it’s been really amazing. Mercedes-Benz and AMG are planning something special for next year, so I’m already looking forward to 2027.”
Cristiano Verolini finished runner-up in the 2026 BMW M4, with his best run of the weekend in the final shootout of 44.099 seconds. German BMW factory racing driver Jens Klingmann ended on the standard production car podium in the 2026 BMW M5, having also set his fastest time of 44.893 seconds in the all-or-nothing Top 10 Shootout.
“I extracted the maximum potential from the car today. Setting my fastest time on the last run is a good end to the whole event,” Klingmann said. “The crowd, the community and the vibe has made the Simola Hillclimb really special, and I appreciate that the paddock is so accessible and you can really connect with the people, which makes it very special both on and off the track. I’m really hoping that I can come back next year and fight for the King of the Hill crown again.”
This year’s Simola Hillclimb was also the first attended in person by Rodrigo de Oliviera, the Portugal-based founder of the immensely popular and successful Hillclimb Monsters channels on YouTube and social media. He has been a key part of the commentary team for many years – albeit remotely from home, so it was fantastic to have him at the event in 2026.
“Being at the Simola Hillclimb this year has surpassed all of my expectations,” De Oliviera said. “They way I was received by everyone in South Africa has been absolutely amazing. I have thoroughly enjoyed my time here, and I’m already making plans to be back next year.
“The Simola Hillclimb has massive potential to go beyond what we’ve already seen, with lots of interest from more international competitors. I hope to be a cog in this machine, taking it to the next level for people outside of this country, and serving as a megaphone for the event and South Africa,” he said.
The 2026 Simola Hillclimb individual class winners were:
Road Cars and Supercars
A1: Rory Atkinson – 2026 Volkswagen Golf GTI (50.296 sec)
A3: Leyton Fourie – 2026 BMW M2 (45.931 sec)
A4: Cristiano Verolini – 2026 BMW M4 (44.505 sec)
A6: Gordon Nicholson – 2017 Audi R18 V10 Plus (47.258 sec)
A7: Garth Mackintosh – 2017 McLaren 720s (47.704 sec)
A8: Clint Weston – 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 S E Performance (42.527 sec)
Modified Saloon Cars
B2: Graeme Nathan – 2020 Volkswagen Polo GTI SupaCup (44.618 sec)
B4: Pieter Zeelie – 2002 Toyota MR2 (38.270 sec)
B5: Silvio Scribante – 2006 Audi RS3 (38.103 sec)
B7: Ricardo Giannoccaro – 2016 Lamborghini Huracan GT3 (43.833 sec)
B9: Janus Janse van Rensburg – 2025 Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio (49.876 sec)
B10: Jared Rossouw – 2012 Volkswagen Golf (45.613 sec)
Single Seaters, Sports Cars & Sports Prototypes
C1: Devin Robertson – 1995 Radical Pro Sport (39.107 sec)
C2: Ian Schofield – 2018 Mygale Formula Ford (40.963 sec)
C3: Robert Wolk – 2005 Gould GR55 (35.292 sec)
C4: Connor Kilbride – 2015 Ligier JS53 Evo2 (42.782 sec)
C6: Johan Bekker – 2010 Ariel Atom (51.715 sec)
Spirit of Dave Charlton Award
Each year, the special ‘Spirit of Dave Charlton’ floating trophy is awarded to the person or team that reflects South African race legend Dave Charlton’s spirit of impeccable attention to detail, meticulous preparation and commendable performance.
This year, for King of the Hill, the award went to the G&H Transport Racing team of the father-and-son team of Giacomo and Ricky Giannoccaro, who competed in the 2021 Audi R8 GT4 and 2016 Lamborghini Huracan GT3. Ricky won class B7, with Giacomo third.
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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