SIMOLA SPLENDOUR
Carbs, turbos and cloverleaves. The 2023 Simola Hillclimb was not short of Biscione-badged creations hailing from Italy. Spanning over 60 years, Alfa Romeo was well represented at the premier hillclimb in South Africa, with a class win in the classics category! Italian creations shared the stretch of tarmac with a star-studded lineup including motoring royalty. Snake your way up the hill with us!
Nestled in the picturesque town of Knysna, of the Western Cape province of South Africa, the 2023 edition of one of the country’s most prestigious motorsport spectacles was a sight to behold for Alfisti. Starting out as an enthusiast’s endeavour over a decade ago, the Simola Hillclimb swiftly evolved into a proving ground for OEMs to flex their muscles, enabling the event to reach its 13th edition. Regardless of factory-prepped models running the course to set blistering times, the same founding enthusiasts are still taking to the hallowed hill, some in prized Italian machinery.
These privateers bring their best toys, to perform speedy sprints up the 1.9-kilometre stretch of tarmac. Kicking off the weekend was Classic Car Friday. Looking back to yesteryear, many would consider the golden age of motorsport devoid of driver aids and aerodynamic dark arts - some archaic pre-war models vying for victory too!
Similarly to the rest of the weekend, single-seaters, purpose-built prototypes and modified saloons lined the timing sheets. Within them, two Alfas. Giulia Cesar of Trevor Tuck, an immaculate 1974 Giulia 2000 Rally prepared for racing in mind. The other scudetto-nosed model being the 1967 105 series GT Junior of Ashley Baud. Both represented by their drivers on the final podium of their respective classes! Among their ranks were other Italian creations from yore, including Prancing Horses, Fiats and bare bonnet Abarths with motors protruding from the rear cavity.
Moving closer to the current day. A sole Alfa Romeo Giulia Quadrifoglio of Piet Potgieter tackled the strip ahead of Sunday’s King of the Hill challenge in the A3 class categorized by road-going cars - 6 cylinder & rotary, 2WD. Competition in this segment courtesy of a BMW-backed M2, privateer A90 Toyota Supra and a privateer BMW M240i. While a sole Prancing Horse contended the Classic Car Friday, it was a solitary race-ready GT3 Raging Bull that unleashed its V10 fury in the upper echelons of the event courtesy of Ricky Giannoccaro.
Serving as the only Italian stalwart against road-legal BMW straight-six power, Potgieter had a point to prove with the sonorous V6 however a spectacular spin of the clover-badged Alfa at the top of the hill over the finish line during a final Saturday qualifying session left many watching the live feed with their hearts in their throats.
Following the harrowing ordeal from above, front row seats in a helicopter - time seemed to have stopped for a recollection from the previous year. A near identical incident at the 2022 edition saw an Audi RSQ3 take a multi-roll tumble into the brush adjacent to the left-hander after the finish line. The SUV would not fight another day - mangled, but driver OK. We circled the scene from above while emergency responders rushed towards the stricken Giulia. At the same time, the figure on the altimeter descended as we pried to get a closer look.
By some miracle, the saloon with smoke emanating from the tyres managed to stop on some overgrown grass adjacent to the road, less than a meter from a drop-off into a wooded forest below. Driver OK and not a scratch on Italy’s best saloon of the modern era! Some miracle after all. With a gash on his head, the field doctor for the event advised Potgieter not to partake in the Sunday finals the following day and with that, the Alfa Romeo story of Simola Splendour concluded.
International acts like Petter Solberg and Mika Salo, the 2023 edition proved a spectacle with equally as many thrills and spills cementing it in the global pecking order of hillclimb events. Hopefully more Alfa Romeo action in 2024!
