Entries open for 2024 Hillclimb
KNYSNA - The 2023 Simola Hillclimb raised an already high bar for what is considered to be South Africa's premier motoring and motorsport lifestyle event by organisers, delivering the most competitive and thrilling action yet for local and international drivers and fans.
The countdown has now officially begun for next year's 14th edition – which takes place from 2 to 5 May 2024 – with the opening of applications for entry at www. simolahillclimb.com. The closing date for applications is 31 January 2024, and accepted entries will be invited by 9 February 2024.
"Each year our goal for the Simola Hillclimb is to have an exciting and diverse line-up of cars across the various classes in Classic Car Friday and King of the Hill to ensure that we deliver the very best entertainment for drivers and spectators," says sporting director Geoff Goddard.
"We also continuously evolve and update the regulations to ensure that we incorporate feedback from our applicants and invited competitors. The introduction of a new class B10 Modified Street Car division for streetlegal tuned or modified road cars in King of the Hill reflects this philosophy," Goddard says. "Each year we receive requests from competitors with cars that don't conform to Class A regulations for non-modified cars, and there wasn't really a place for them to be competitive in the respective B classes for racing cars."
The new class is open to a wide spectrum of production-based two and four-wheel drive cars, irrespective of engine size. However, they have to maintain the original vehicle manufacturer's configuration with regarding drivetrain, engine type, number of cylinders and aspiration (normally aspirated, turbocharged or supercharged). The use of nitrous oxide (NOS) or other non-standard injection systems is not allowed.
The body dimensions must remain unaltered, and the vehicle's full interior trim must be fitted. Minor aerodynamic aids are allowed, but add-on diffusers or wings are not permitted. Similarly, owners can use open-tread semi-slick competition tyres, but full slicks, as well as tyre warmers, are not permitted.
This is an exciting new addition to the Modified Saloon Car category, which will once again feature the wildest and fastest tin-top cars in the country – ranging from the naturally aspirated four-cylinder cars in B1 to the explosive and fire-breathing hillclimb monsters in the unlimited classes that tear up the challenging 1,9km Simola Hill at truly breathtaking speeds. There are also fascinating classes for alternate energy vehicles (B8 for electric and hybridpowered cars) and B9 for powerful sports utility vehicles and bakkies, or pickups.
In Class C for single-seaters, sports cars and sports prototypes, there are three single-seater classes based on engine size, and a further three classes for sports cars and sports prototypes. In Class A for standard production and road-legal saloon cars and supercars, fans are treated to a wide range of entries spanning classes A1 to A8. This includes everything from hot hatchbacks to high-end supercars.
Classic Car Friday
There's no shortage of interest in the Classic Car Friday line-up, as the range of cars is even more varied and fascinating. Class H1 features the pre-war cars that compete on a handicap basis according to pre-set and adjusted target times that each competitor sets during the practice and qualifying runs. The three best drivers who beat or come closest to their target times contest the class final, which is scored on a handicap time percentage basis.
Changes have been made to the cut-off years for the remaining classes, with H2 allowing all road cars up to 1970. Class H3 is for four-cylinder cars up to 1987, while H4 is for larger-capacity and rotary engines from the same period. Racing cars up to 1974 slot into classes H5 and H6 based on engine size, while H7 and H8 follow the same format for cars up to 1995. Class H9 is for single-seaters, sports and GT cars up to 1980.