Simola crowns Zeelie king amidst tragic final day
Pieter Zeelie took the overall Simola King of the Hill victory in his Toyota MR2 Super GT. Image: Motorsport South Africa
The Simola Hillclimb celebrated its 15th running with the crowning of a new King of Hill this past Sunday (4 May), but on a bittersweet note as it also saw the event's first fatality since its inception.
New king
Despite the presence of seven-time World Rallycross (WRX) champion Johan Kristoffersson as the event's highlight with his whispering all-electric Volkswagen Polo RX1e, 2021 champion, Pieter Zeelie, eventually reigned supreme with a time of 37.090 in his turbocharged V6 engine Toyota MR2 Super GT.
NOW READ: New king awaits crowning as Knysna readies for Simola Hillclimb
Taking second place, Reghard Roets finished 1.280 seconds behind in his BB Motorsport Nissan GT-R, while Kristoffersson took the final step on the podium with a time of 39.001 seconds.
Seven-times World Rallycross (WRX) champion Johan Kristoffersson about to blast away from the start line brutally silent all-electric Volkswagen Polo RX1e. Image: Charl Bosch
While held in dry conditions throughout Saturday and Sunday, Friday's opening practise sessions and classic car run saw wet and changeable weather greet the competitors.
Class wins
This, however, didn't prevent Charles Arton from taking his second Classic Run title in his former works 1979 March 79a Formula Atlantic.
His first overall victory since 2015, Arton completed the 1.9 km stretch of road outside Knysna in a time of 44.436, thereby bettering the times of second place finisher and 2023 champion Andre Bezuidenhout (1976 Lola T400) and third place finisher Ian Schofield (1977 March 77b Formula Atlantic).
Heading to victory. Mercedes-AMG Driving Experience boss Clint Weston won the overall standard road car category. Image: Charl Bosch
In the other classes, Byron Mitchell took the overall single-seater victory in his Formula Volkswagen ahead of veteran Rick Morris (Formula Ford) and youngster KC Ensor-Smith in the brand-new Formula 4 car that debuted at the National Extreme Festival round at Kyalami last month.
The standard road car class eventually headed the way of former Group N class champion and current Mercedes-AMG Experience boss Clint Weston, whose Mercedes-AMG GT 63 S E-Performance finished ahead of the BMW Driving Experience M4 of Cristiano Verolini, and teammate Courtney Nicholl in the AMG C63 S E Performance.
Pieter Joubert
Despite the crowning of a new king, the event ended on a sombre mood following an accident on Sunday morning that claimed the life of veteran racer Pieter Joubert.
Having been third fastest in his class throughout Saturday, tragedy struck when the distinctive yellow Mercedes-AMG C63-powered Lotus Exige veered off of the road on a straight section at over 200 km/h.
Pieter Joubert practising on Saturday before tragically passing away during final practise on Sunday morning. Image: Charl Bosch
While no cause was immediately determined, possible suspension or steering issues were suspected given the nature of how the car suddenly turned right without warning, before impacting a tree.
Although quickly on the scene that happened before the turn three bridge, emergency crews declared Joubert deceased on arrival.
The Joubert family, including brothers Dawie and Charl who were also competing in a pair of Exiges, expressed willingness for the event to continue, though both withdrew soon after the announcement.
ALSO READ: Simola crowns its new king
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