The Simola Hillclimb is locally and internationally renowned for some of the wildest and most powerful race cars in the world. The top tier of the Modified Saloon Car category boasts a fiercely competitive array of machines producing
1 000 kW and more, making it the ultimate motorsport spectacle.
Pieter Zeelie is the reigning King of the Hill for Modified Saloon Cars, having claimed his second title last year in the rear-wheel drive Toyota MR2 Super GT, which is powered by a highly tuned twin-turbocharged 3.5-litre V6 Toyota engine. In a category largely dominated by four-wheel-drive hillclimb monsters, Zeelie produced a peerless drive last year to not only win the title, but also set a new Modified Saloon Car record of 37.090 seconds – achieving an average speed of 184.416 km/h from the standing start.
Continuous development of the mighty little Toyota MR2 has been central to Zeelie’s success – both locally and in FIA International Hill Climb Cup events in Europe. A bespoke aerodynamic package was developed for the car by Andrew Brilliant, the founder of AMB Aero in Japan, which has a proven track record in top-level motorsport including Formula 1, NASCAR, hillclimbs and time attack. The results speak for themselves, as Zeelie’s record-breaking performance last year was an impressive 3.3 seconds faster than his winning time from 2021. It was also 1.039 seconds quicker than Franco Scribante’s previous record of 38.129 sec from 2022 in the mighty four-wheel drive Nissan R35 GT-R.
“The main advantage we have in the rear-wheel drive car is the lower weight,” Zeelie says. “The 4WD cars undoubtedly have a significant advantage in terms of traction off the start line, which can potentially give them up to about a one-second benefit early in the run.” Downforce, agility and weight play a huge role in the second half of the 1.9 km Simola Hill course, particularly in the tight and twisty sequence through the Esses and the push to the finish line – and this is where the lithe MR2 excels.
“We’ve made a few improvements in terms of power, handling and aerodynamics. They’re not as dramatic as the changes we made in previous years, but they should still help us refine the overall performance package,” Zeelie says. “My goal is always to give it my absolute best, and hopefully that will be enough to improve on my record.
“At this level it’s not just about the car anymore, it’s about committing fully, because the margins are so small. The competition keeps getting stronger every year, and drivers like Reghard Roets and Franco Scribante will certainly be pushing hard, so it should be a great contest. I’m also aware of a few new cars being built, which could make this year’s event even more interesting,” Zeelie adds.
The biggest challenge for the powerful four-wheel drive Nissan GT-Rs has been effectively putting all that power down on the slightly uphill start of the Simola Hillclimb. Both Roets and Scribante have endured gearbox and drivetrain failures in recent years as the cars brutally unleash an estimated 1 200 kW on the tarmac surface. Last year, Roets managed a clean performance in his BB Motorsport R35 GT-R, known as ‘Armageddon’, to finish second overall with a time of 38.370 seconds. His target this year is to close the gap to Zeelie as he sets out to score his first Modified Saloon Car title at the Simola Hillclimb.
Scribante was fourth in 2025 in his time attack-inspired R35 GT-R, ‘The Sheriff’. His Top 10 Shootout time was 39.631 seconds as the team worked on optimising the car’s suspension, but he remained 1.5 seconds slower than his best time to date. There’s no doubt that this formidable trio will be competing at the sharp end of the field once again this year, but there are numerous other protagonists that are ready to throw a spanner in the works.
Serious contenders
One of the biggest announcements for this year’s 16th Simola Hillclimb was that Volkswagen Motorsport is going all-out to build a serious Modified Saloon Car contender, which is set to be driven by its SupaCup champion Jonathan Mogotsi. The 2026 Simola Hillclimb will be the car’s first outing, competing in class B5 (four-wheel drive turbocharged cars, five cylinders and above) and for the King of the Hill title against the mighty GT-Rs, along with numerous other fierce rivals. Designed and manufactured locally at the team’s motorsport facility in Kariega, it is based on the four-wheel drive Golf R, and will be powered by Audi’s turbocharged 2.5-litre five-cylinder engine.
The Scuderia Scribante team is relying on the same engine for its two highly tuned race cars this year. Aldo Scribante has retired the Audi S4 V6 that has been a feature of the event for several years, and will debut an all-new lightweight Audi TT at the 2026 Simola Hillclimb. Silvio Scribante returns in the time attack Audi RS3 in which he finished fifth overall in 2025. Wade van Zummeren was sixth last year, and is sure to be a crowd favourite once again as he pushes the wild 4WD Nissan R34 GT-R-based car to the absolute limit of performance, and the road.
Aside from the King of the Hill title, Zeelie will also be vying for the class B4 victory for two-wheel drive turbo cars, five cylinders and above. He will be up against Boeta Crouse in the Noble M400, and Elwyn Steenkamp in a full carbon fibre-bodied BMW M4 DTM.
Hillclimb stalwart Anton Cronje returns in his popular Subaru Impreza WRX that is a regular Top 10 Shootout challenger. He has put a lot of work into the car lightening it for what could be his final outing in the event. Cronje will compete for the class B3 title for turbocharged four-cylinder 4WD cars against Lee Thompson in the Honda-powered VW Polo.
Graeme Nathan will be back in action this year in class B2 (2WD four-cylinder turbocharged cars), driving the original prototype Volkswagen Polo SupaCup car that he helped develop, before it is retired from competition. Ruan Reynders is the only other competitor in B2 in a fully restored and upgraded 1980 Ford Escort Mk2 Zakspeed.
Class B7 (naturally-aspirated cars, eight cylinders and above) will see the father-son battle between supercar racing drivers Giacomo Giannoccaro (Audi R8 GT4) and Ricardo (Lamborghini GT3 Huracan), along with Mike Verrier in the thunderous 7.0-litre V8 Chevrolet LS7-powered BMW Z4M.
Spectators can look forward to some intriguing challengers for the class B9 title for SUVs and bakkies. Red-Lined Motorsport has entered five of its thoroughbred off-road racing machines, ahead of the opening round of the South African Rally-Raid Championship at Louvain Guest Farm in the nearby Outeniqua Mountains from 8-10 May. The line-up comprises a trio of its Revo T1+ cars driven by team owner Terence Marsh, along with Philip Botha and Abrie Olivier. There will also be the two Red-Lined VK50s of Peet Victor and Tyler Botha. They will compete against last year’s class winner, Janus Janse van Rensburg, in the Alfa Romeo Stelvio Quadrifoglio, and Arnold du Plessis in the BB Motorsport Nissan Patrol Blackhawk.
Finally, class B10 caters for road-legal modified or tuned street cars. Craig Czank has entered a 2010 Nissan R35 GT-R, taking on Tony Casey in a 2017 Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio, Andre Steenkamp in his 2019 Alfa Romeo 4C, and Jared Rossouw in a 2012 Volkswagen Golf.
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
