Anatomy of the world-class Simola Hillclimb

Simola Hillclimb is the world’s fastest hillclimb. Current record of 34.161 seconds set at an average speed of 200.228 km/h – from a standing start!
Year-long planning, coordination and logistics maintain Simola Hillclimb’s status as South Africa’s premier motoring and motorsport lifestyle event, and one of the top hillclimbs in the world. Record attendance of 20 224 spectators in 2025
Full event livestream broadcast in 120 countries, with around 546 000 viewers and more than 5.7-million minutes viewed during the 2025 event
16^th Simola Hillclimb takes place in Knysna from 30 April to 3 May 2026

From its humble beginnings in 2009 to making its mark on the international stage, the Simola Hillclimb has always had one overriding mission. That has been to draw more visitors to the scenic and welcoming Garden Route town of Knysna to enjoy an unmatched blend of motorsport, entertainment and natural beauty – all while boosting the local economy and supporting the community.

It has achieved all of this and much more over the past 15 editions, and very quickly earned the status of South Africa’s premier annual motoring and motorsport lifestyle event. The Simola Hillclimb has drawn significant global interest, too, due to the exceptional level of competition, top-tier local and international drivers, and a dazzling array of classic and mild-to-wild road and race cars that you won’t see elsewhere. That it’s renowned as the world’s fastest hillclimb has further added to the allure, positioning it as one of the top hillclimb events globally.

Although the Simola Hillclimb takes place over a single extended weekend at the beginning of May each year, putting together an event of this calibre and scale is a truly gargantuan task. It requires year-round planning and coordination, combined with mind-boggling logistics, to transform more than two kilometres of a normal public road and surrounding areas into an adrenaline and petrol-fuelled haven for enthusiasts.

We delve into what it takes to host the Simola Hillclimb, and some of the fascinating facts and figures that help make this the must-attend event of the year for competitors, spectators, vehicle manufacturers and importers, as well as event partners and sponsors.

FACTS & FIGURES

World’s fastest hillclimb – average speed over 200 km/h

The Simola Hillclimb is the world’s fastest hillclimb, with the current record holder completing the 1.9 km run at an astonishing average speed of 200.228 km/h – from a standing start! This remarkable feat was achieved in 2022 by Andre Bezuidenhout in the Gould GR55, with a winning time of 34.161 seconds. The 1.9 km Goodwood Festival of Speed comes closest with an average speed of 175 km/h, also achieved in 2022 when Max Chilton set the current record of 39.08 seconds in the revolutionary McMurtry Spéirling electric fan-car.

12-18 months of planning

It takes an entire year, and in some cases up to 18 months or more, of planning to put the Simola Hillclimb together. The organising team does an extensive debrief with all the stakeholders, including Motorsport South Africa (MSA), the day after that year’s event is completed. This addresses any challenges and areas of improvement, and sets the objectives for the following year. Regular meetings throughout the year with MSA, the local municipality, emergency personnel, suppliers, partners and sponsors ensure a seamless top-class event.

Event build-up

Planning changes to be made start around October the year prior to the event, with the on-site preparations, construction and build-up starting more than two months before the event. The team transforms this normally quiet public road to the Simola Hotel Country Club and Spa into a world-class hillclimb haven. In 2025, this involved installing:

- 67 FIA-specification concrete barriers with catch fencing strategically placed and bolted together with specially developed steel plates, bolts, washers and nuts
- 7 000+ used car tyres bound together with 1.4km of stainless-steel strapping and buckles according to stringent FIA and MSA specifications, and used at various parts of the track as additional safety measures
- 41 MSA-approved apex markers fixed into the tar to demarcate track limits
- 73 km additional speed and safety fencing to ensure the safety of spectators
- 2 153 m² decks and grandstands, which include providing 500 seats at the Turn 2 Grandstand and 300 seats at The Esses Grandstand
- 43 marquees covering 2 587 m² for the Pit Lane and VIP hospitality areas
- 22 pits, accommodating up to 84 competitor vehicles, plus additional marquees for the track experience and demonstration vehicles
- 13 containers rented for offices, timing, livestream production, storage, catering and refrigeration
Competitors
- 65 competitors for Classic Car Friday, 10 classes covering vehicles up to 2005
- 84 competitors in King of the Hill, 25 classes across three categories:
  1. Road-going Saloon Cars & Supercars
  2. Modified Saloon Cars
  3. Single Seaters, Sports Cars & Sports Prototypes
- 550+ competitor support crew and mechanics in the pit lane
- 1 400 timed runs up the 1.9 km Simola Hill throughout the three days of competition, including warm-up, practice, qualifying, Class Finals and Top 10 Shootouts
- Most successful competitors:
  - Classic Car Friday:
    - 7 Classic Conqueror titles – Franco Scribante
  - King of the Hill
    - 6 Single Seater, Sports Car & Sports Prototypes wins – Andre Bezuidenhout
    - 5 wins (2 overall – 2009-2016), 3 Modified Saloon Car (2017-on) – Franco Scribante
    - 4 Road-going Saloon Car & Supercar wins – JP van der Walt
Organisers and officials
- 6 full-time and 31 part-time Simola Hillclimb staff
- 12 Motorsport South Africa officials, including clerk of the course, stewards, timekeepers, safety officer, environmental officer, event secretary, scrutineers, consultants and observers
- 14 track marshals located at 7 marshal points along the track
- 25 pit lane marshals
- 7 medical, ambulance, fire and rescue personnel on-site throughout the event
- 90 safety and security personnel per day, working a total of 360 shifts
Spectators
- 1 500 spectators attended the first Simola Hillclimb in 2009
- 20 244 spectators in 2025 – the largest crowd to date
- 5 000+ spectators at the Knysna street parade and Fan Fest, with free access to the public on Thursday for Classic Car Friday, and Friday for King of the Hill
Media
- 157 media accredited for 2025 Simola Hillclimb, encompassing print, website, social media, journalists, photographers, video crews and content creators
- 150 m² Castrol Media Centre located adjacent to the pit lane
Livestream

The Simola Hillclimb revolutionised the way motorsport events are broadcast by introducing a limited livestream in 2017. It has been enhanced each year, and since 2019 provided complete coverage of all three days of competition. This dramatically expanded its local and international reach and audience, and significantly bolstered exposure and value for competitors, partners and sponsors.

19 livestream crew, including presenters, camera operators, production and support staff
22 cameras covering the pit lane and 1.9 km Simola Hillclimb course
120 countries in which the livestream has been viewed
- 546 000 livestream viewers in 2025:
  - 54% international
  - 46% South Africa
  - 75-million minutes viewed on Simola Hillclimb YouTube channel and Facebook page
- Hillclimb Monsters – Simola Hillclimb-related videos between February and May 2025:
  - Facebook: More than 1-million views
  - YouTube: More than 3-million views
- 5-million hits on Simola Hillclimb website in May 2025