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- Another superstar driver will be vying for the King of the Hill title. Former F1 driver Mika Salo will drive a Mercedes-AMG A45S in the Road Car and Supercar category.
- Henning Solberg joins his younger brother Petter Solberg in the VW camp.
- Toyota and BMW will unveil two exciting new vehicles at the motorsport event.
- Suzuki adds a third car to the team, entering to prove you don't need deep pockets to have fun.
The 13th edition of the Simola Hillclimb in Knysna seems to be the motorsport event of the year. International drivers will be racing up the hill, and local automakers will reveal exciting new cars entering the local car market.
According to the Speed Festival organisers, this year's event will be bigger and better on all fronts, and that doesn't just apply to the extraordinary road and race cars that will be driven in anger up the 1.9km Simola Hill or the dazzling list of top-tier local and international drivers.
The annual motoring three-day extravaganza has become such an acclaimed event it has attracted not one but three international racing drivers. Former F1 driver Mika Salo is the latest to join the stellar line-up and will drive a Mercedes-AMG A45S in the Road Car and Supercar category.
Henning Solberg joins his younger brother Petter Solberg over at Volkswagen. Henning will drive the recently launched VW Golf R, and Petter will steer the VW Polo R WRX Supercar, which secured the 2018 World Rallycross title.
READ | Petrolheads in for mega treat: VWSA brings Petter Solberg, Polo R WRX Supercar to Simola Hillclimb
"The local line-up of cars and drivers for the Simola Hillclimb has always been exceptional, and it is widely considered to be on par with some of the best Hillclimb events around the world," says Ian Shrosbree, MD of the Knysna Speed Festival, which owns the Simola Hillclimb.
"The global interest in our Hillclimb has grown significantly thanks to the vast international exposure we've received in recent years, culminating in drivers of international stature now being keen to participate in the event."
The Simola Hillclimb was given a considerable boost when Pieter Zeelie, the 2021 Modified Saloon Cars King of the Hill, competed in the FIA International Hill Climb Cup in Germany last year and finished on the podium first time out, proving just how competitive the South African event is.
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Salo forms part of a two-car entry from Mercedes-Benz South Africa, with the Finnish driver competing in the Road Car and Supercar category in a showroom-spec 310 kW AMG A 45 S. His participation is supported by ATK Esports and was facilitated by Patrick Walton from the Garden Route Film Commission, who has worked with Salo on several occasions and sees this as a great boost for the local film tourism industry.
Salo competed in 109 F1 races between 1994 and 2002, driving for Lotus, Tyrrell, Arrows, BAR, Ferrari, Sauber and Toyota. His most notable performances were the two podiums he scored for Ferrari in 1999 while standing in for an injured Michael Schumacher, contributing to the team's constructors' championship win.
The Finn also competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans and claimed the GT2 class victory in 2008 and 2009. He was part of the development programme for the Maserati MC12 GT, raced in a number of the FIA GT events, dipped into the Australian V8 Supercars series, and won the 2014 Bathurst 12 Hour in a Ferrari 458 GT3.
The second Mercedes-AMG A 45 S will be driven by local racing driver Clint Weston, who also heads up the AMG Driving Academy in South Africa. The two AMG cars will compete in class A2 for standard production turbocharged four-cylinder four-wheel drive cars.
Volkswagen SA is taking care of Henning's entry. He will compete in class A2 of the Road Car and Supercar category in the latest 235 kW Golf R and VW Motorsport's local racing drivers, Jonathan Mogotsi and Daniel Rowe, in identical cars.
Suzuki Auto, a first-tier sponsor of the Simola Hillclimb, will be racing up the hill for the second year. The automaker will add a third car to its team in 2023 this year.
The three-car Suzuki Swift Sport team will consist of Wesley Greybe, Sudhir Matai and Kumbi Mtshakazi. Of these three drivers, only Greybe has competed before, with Matai and Mtshakazi making their debut to tame the famed Simola Hill.
"We entered the 2022 Simola Hill Climb with two Swift Sports – a manual and an auto – to support the Hillclimb and to prove that you do not need deep pockets to have fun and go racing.
"The two Swift Sport models, and their drivers, Greybe and Reuben van Niekerk, performed so well that we decided to add another car to the mix and to add a rookie to our roster to show that you also don't need experience to get the best out of your Swift Sport," says Chelsy Pinto, product planning and sales development coordinator at Suzuki Auto and team manager for the 2023 Suzuki Swift Sport Team at Simola.
Other highlights include Toyota's new GR Corolla making its local debut, along with Honda's recently launched Civic Type R.
As a partner to the Mercedes-Benz campaign, ATK Esports is spicing up the Gasoline Alley activities by providing Esports Racing Simulators for spectators to test out their driving skills in the virtual world.
There is something for everyone, with plenty of attractions to get your adrenaline flowing. Classic Car Friday takes place on 5 May, followed by King of the Hill on Saturday and Sunday, 6 and 7 May.
Purchase your tickets online
Tickets can be purchased on the event website, with the prices for general entry remaining unchanged from last year. Upgrades are available for pit access, Turn 2 Grandstand seating and VIP parking.
For the ultimate VIP experience, the Le Mans Hospitality Lounge provides:
- mouth-watering catering;
- an unbeatable viewing point overlooking the start line; and
- general entry and pit access.
The 13th edition of the Simola Hillclimb takes place from 4 to 7 May 2023.
More information on the Simola Hillclimb is available on the website.
