MasterDrive returned to the Simola Hillclimb again this past weekend. The team resumed their roles at the Hillclimb from driving the safety cars, to equipping the two young winners of the MasterDrive Driver Search to compete, to entering Classic Car Friday and the much-anticipated King of the Hill event.
It is the 5th year that MasterDrive is returning for the 16th Simola Hillclimb in Knysna. Classic Car Friday gave the safety car role an early workout on the hill as competitors were put through their paces. MasterDrive CEO Eugene Herbert also competed in Classic Car Friday behind the wheel of a classic Fiat Uno – a car that holds a respected place in South African motoring culture.
The rest of the weekend settled into an even rhythm which comes with a team that is well prepared. On Saturday, Herbert and MasterDrive Coastal GM Eugene ‘Gino’ Nourse, took on King of the Hill, along with the winners of the Driver Search. The VIP rides up the hill rounded off MasterDrive’s weekend, giving VIP guests a flavour of the Hillclimb that no grandstand seat can replicate.
This year, for the first time in MasterDrive’s Driver Search’s four-year history, two young South Africans from previously disadvantaged backgrounds competed on the hill. Umar Dhansay (20) and Suhaa Jacobs (16) won their places from a field of over a 120 plus entrants. Jacobs also made history as the first female winner of the MasterDrive Driver Search. She was also the youngest driver ever to compete in both the Driver Search and the Simola Hillclimb.
Herbert says it was another successful year for the MasterDrive team. “Dhansay and Jacobs were enthusiastic to conquer the hill, and MasterDrive was proud to provide this opportunity. Together with our partners, we ensured they arrived at the start line not as spectators or passengers, but as prepared, supported competitors,” says Herbert.
A valuable collective of partners helped MasterDrive deliver on these significant roles at the 16th Simola Hillclimb:
- Castrol
- AA South Africa
- Motorsport South Africa
- Race Driver SA
- TGN Racing Simulators
- Century Karting
- IndyKart Indoor Go-Karting
- Killarney International Raceway
- Tracktion Driving Experiences
- The Rose Foundation
- MUA Insurance
- PG Glass
- Vertex Performance Auto Clinic
- VW Barons Cape Town
Herbert secured second place in his class for a second year in a row. “Delivering in such varied and important ways was a distant concept when MasterDrive first arrived at Simola during a pandemic-era event with no spectators and a simple brief: drive the safety cars.
“Five years in, MasterDrive’s Simola story has grown exponentially. It is the story of a team that has built their own lane in motorsport which actively widens with each year. Their experience built over that time, is what allowed space for something more significant to happen,” says Herbert.
