The Single Seaters, Sports Cars and Sports Prototypes (class C) category at the Simola Hillclimb dishes up an intriguing mix of thoroughbred racing cars competing for the King of the Hill title. This year’s 16th edition promises plenty of action, as two formidable previous winners go head-to-head in near-identical machinery for the first time and several new competitors join the fray, all of which will contribute to one of the largest and most competitive fields to date.
All eyes will be on the King of the Hill battle between 2024 champion Robert Wolk and six-time winner and current Simola Hillclimb record-holder Andre Bezuidenhout. This is the first time they will be vying for victory in similar cars, having battled it out in vastly different single-seaters over the years.
Bezuidenhout is set to return in his 2007 Gould GR55 – the specialised hillclimb single-seater that he powered to the record-breaking run of 34.161 seconds in 2022. He achieved an average speed over the 1.9 km Simola Hill course of 200.228 km/h from a standing start, reinforcing this event’s status as the world’s fastest hillclimb. Bezuidenhout scored his sixth consecutive win the following year, and his fifth with the Gould, after kicking off his run of success in 2017 with the 1989 Dallara F189 Formula 1 car.
Unfortunately, the Gould was sidelined just before the 2024 Simola Hillclimb due to engine trouble during pre-event testing, and Bezuidenhout had to sit out again last year as the engine was still being rebuilt in the UK. Accordingly, he is relishing the opportunity to get back in the King of the Hill action.
“Team Perfect Circle and I are looking forward to returning for the 2026 Simola Hillclimb. We have been absent from the King of the Hill category for the past two years following significant engine damage to the Gould during preparations for 2024. The car’s engine has since been fully rebuilt by McLaren in England, and I’m pleased to report that early indications are very positive,” Bezuidenhout says. “Preparations for Simola are now well underway, and the car is looking strong. We have also introduced a new livery and are working closely with our UK engineering team to extract maximum performance.
“The Gould, a 2006-era Formula One-derived car, represents a serious return to competition for us, and I am particularly looking forward to the challenge alongside Robbie Wolk, who also faced setbacks last year,” Bezuidenhout says.
Indeed, this year Bezuidenhout will have his fiercest challenge yet for top honours, as it will be the first time he goes up against Wolk in a 2005 version of the Gould GR55. The Investchem team acquired the car from the UK just before last year’s event – albeit in boxes and far from ready to race. The WCT Engineering team worked wonders to get Wolk’s car to the Simola Hillclimb just in time, and the multiple single-seater and touring car champion managed an impressive 36.140 seconds during the second qualifying session of the opening day – less than two seconds off Bezuidenhout’s current record despite very limited time in the car. A failed electronic sensor unfortunately put him out of action on the final day, with the win going to Byron Mitchell in a 2002 Formula VW Reynard.
Having now had the benefit of an entire year to test and refine the setup of the Gould, this has certainly set the scene for an almighty battle between Wolk and Bezuidenhout for the 2026 title, and for the class C3 honours for single-seater racing cars (five cylinders and above).
In class C2 for single-seaters up to four cylinders (naturally aspirated), Ian Schofield will be behind the wheel of his regular steed, a 2018 Mygale Formula Ford. He will compete against Theodore Vermaak in a 2020 Forza Formula Vee, and Johannes Gerber in a 2017 Van Diemen powered by a KTM 1290 V-twin motorcycle engine.
Unlimited forced-induction cars up to four cylinders fall into class C1. Former class winner Devin Robertson is returning to the Simola Hillclimb for the first time since 2023, driving the Czank Racing 1995 Radical Pro Sport that is fitted with Suzuki’s GSX 1300 R Hayabusa engine. UK-based Rick Morris will be competing in his second Simola Hillclimb in the 2014 EcoBoost-powered Formula Ford. There are also two lady drivers in the class, with the Investchem team’s Simphiwe Mohlahlo enjoying her second outing at the event in the 2025 MSA4, along with Nicole Donker who makes her Simola debut in a 2025 Formula Vee – both cars powered by a turbocharged 1.0-litre three-cylinder VW engine.
Sports prototypes
The 16th Simola Hillclimb will see two new competitors heading to the start line, competing in class C4 for sports cars and sports prototypes with naturally aspirated engines up to four cylinders. Connor Kilbride and Juan Stander will be competing in a pair of 2015 Ligier JS53 Evo 2s, both powered by the revered Honda K-series engine, as used in the Civic Type R.
The Ligier JS53 Evo 2 has a proven pedigree in endurance racing and hillclimb events around the world, with Stander racing the car in the South African Endurance Series (SAES) since June 2024.
“I was at the Simola Hillclimb last year as a spectator, and it’s great to be competing this year. This will be my first hillclimb event, and I can’t wait to release the beast on the Simola Hill,” Stander says. “The Ligier doesn’t launch off the line that quickly, but it has great downforce and it’s amazing through the corners, so hopefully I will be able to get close to the 40-second mark.”
Class C6 features the powerful large-capacity and force-fed sports prototypes, comprising former class winner Rui Campos in the Ford V8-powered 1990 Shelby CanAm, Gabriel Diedericks in a 1982 Tiga SC82 Sports 2000 equipped with a turbocharged Audi V6 engine, and Johan Bekker in the 2010 Ariel Atom with its 2.0-litre turbocharged Honda engine. They will be joined by Heinrich du Preez in a 1985 Cobra KCC with its 5.7-litre Chevrolet LS1 V8, and Mike McLoughlin in the 2020 Backdraft Racing Cobra powered by a monstrous 7.0-litre Chevrolet LS7 V8.
The 16th edition of the Simola Hillclimb takes place from 30 April to 3 May 2026.
For more information and ticket sales, visit the website: www.simolahillclimb.com
