5 Highlights From The 2019 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb

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5 Highlights From The 2019 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb

Post by kingr »

Once again the forested valleys of the small, sleepy Western Cape town of Knysna echoed with the sound of a century of motoring history. Once a year, a 1.9km stretch in the Simola valley becomes the most valuable concentration of cars in South Africa. The 10th annual Jaguar Simola Hillclimb that was held over the first weekend of May this year was dubbed the “Best yet” according to the MD of Jaguar South Africa, Richard Gouverneur. From its humble beginnings, the Hillclimb has morphed into a 3-day complete driving and motoring extravaganza, attracting thousands of petrol heads, classic car collectors, motoring enthusiasts and casuals from across the country. Starting with the Classic Car Friday procession, the event culminates in the exciting King of the Hill finale. The long-anticipated next generation of electric black panthers to be unleashed among the indigenous forests was unveiled at the Hillclimb with the Jaguar I-Pace. The event also saw the return of fan favourites, the Scribante Racing team and former touring car aces Mark Briggs, Deon Joubert and Shawn Watson-Smith as well as previous Hillclimb winners such as record-setting Andre Bezuidenhout in the Gould GR55 hill climber.

For those of you who lament the forgotten golden age of South African motoring history, the Jaguar Hillclimb exhibits yet again South Africa’s deep motoring pedigree and passion and has turned into one of the biggest, if not the biggest annual South African motoring event.

Here are the top 5 highlights from the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb’s best event yet.

#1 Unveiling of the new Jaguar I-Pace:

With its close 10-year relationship with the event, Jaguar has used the Hillclimb to showcase their stellar lineup to the South African motoring public. The 2019 Simola Hillclimb marked Jaguar’s first significant step in the electric-car segment with its unveiling of the Jaguar I-Pace. The new electric SUV naturally turned heads with its sleek, elegant but menacing lines that are synonymous with the prowling Jaguar badge. Jaguar South Africa’s confidence in its high-performance electric SUV was plain to see, rolling back the years and calling on the creme of South Africa’s touring royalty; Mark Briggs, Deon Joubert and Shawn Watson-Smith, to not only test but also race the Jaguar I-Pace at the event. Watching the legends of petrol-powered South African motorsport battling it out in electric-powered SUV’s was an unforgettable and melancholic spectacle. The age of electric performance, while still in its adolescence, has started to gain tract among the South African motoring public according to our survey.

With 22 National touring championships between them, the Jaguar I-Pace was met with quiet astonishment by the trio.

Nine-time champion Mike Briggs claimed the bragging rights of the top touring ace and took the pole position for the Electric Vehicle and Hybrid category. Despite his long history with petrol-powered high-performance vehicles, Mike Briggs describing his experience with the SUV was “astounded” by the performance of the electric-powered engine and said, “I think some competitors were shocked with just how fast an EV can be.”. Not only did all three identical Jaguar I-Pace’s take podium positions, but Mike Briggs also managed to smash the previous EV lap record by a whopping 6 seconds, in a time of 49.98 seconds! The electric engine’s ability to put down all of its power and torque almost instantaneously from the start also allowed the I-Pace to cut into corners like a “freight-train” according to Briggs. Boasting 294KW of power and 694 torques, the electric engine catapults the Jaguar I-Pace from 0-100km/h in 4.8 seconds and the only sound you hear is disconcerting meditative silence.

#2 Scribante Racing GTR R35:

Franco Scribante had an unveiling of his own. The 1200KW, 1600 horse powered, modified Nissan GTR R35 kingmaker in the Modified Saloon shootout.

A collaborative effort with Dodson Motoring, the stock standard GTR has been completely revamped, and purpose-built with the Hillclimb in mind. Completely stripped and outfitted with weight-saving carbon fibre, the modified GTR has also been entirely stream-lined - producing more downforce from its aerodynamics than it weighs. The colossal front-wing and diffuser are specifically used for “Time Attack” motorsport and commonly used in the World Time Attack series. Another massive aerofoil and rear-diffuser finish its time-eating bodywork.

With low-light affecting visibility and cold conditions creeping into the tyres, Franco Scribante also faced a large amount of expectation for the much-anticipated GTR. Racing as one of the last cars of the day, the Scribante GTR was up against some fierce competition. Defending 2018 champion Wilhelm Baard attempted to capitalise on the success of the BB Motorsport developed GTR setting a time of 40.349. Franco Di Matteo impressed with his V8 Jaguar in the B7 class posting the same time.

Screaming off the mark from the pits, Franco made mince-meat of the first corner leading to the up-hill bumpy straight towards “Gasoline Alley”, the massive front and rear spoilers crushing the GTR into the track. Keeping tight to the second-to-last corner and crossing the finish line at the top of the Simola Hill, Franco Scribante clocked the winning time of 39.342 and claimed his first Modified Saloon category win.


#3 Scribante Racing 1970 Chevron B19

Scribante Racing solidified its hold on the Classic Car Shootout with Franco Scribante delivering its 5th victory in the segment and paid homage to their famous 1970 Chevron B19.

The 49-year old Scribante-owned Chevron has an impressive lineage of drivers through its history. One of two original Chevron B19’s that bore the Team Gunston livery that participated in the Springbok Series of 1971, this particular B19 has seated motoring legends such as John Love, Mike Hailwood and according to Franco Scribante, once owned by the famous Sir Stirling Moss. Weighing a paltry 526kgs and fitted with a 1.9-litre Cosworth Ford BDG engine, the incredible power-to-weight ratio means that this old grandpa can compete with the new generation with ease.

The 2019 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb saw the return of the B19, and Franco Scribante added some new silverware to the Chevron’s crowded trophy cabinet. Posting an incredible 42.574 time and edging out Andre Bezuidenhout’s 1.9 litre Lola T460 with a time of 42.651.

4# Graeme Nathan 1972 BMW E9

A local favourite among Knysna residents and you can see why. Not only for the E9’s racing pedigree and looks, but also the exciting and aggressive driving-style of touring car multiple-champion, Graeme Nathan.

The 1969-72 E9 is one of the iconic shapes of BMW motoring history. The 3.0l CSL homologation of the E9 was met with success in the European and Dutch Touring Championship and affirmed the identity of BMW automobiles as sport sedans. After BMW’s financial crisis of the 1950s, the E9 heralded the return of the Bavarian giant.

Graeme Nathan has consistently posted a top 10 finish since his early stoppage in the 2015 crash. Despite unfavourable weather conditions and the increase in the number of entrants this year, Graeme still managed to claim 8th position in his H7 class (pre-1980’s) E9 BMW. Slipping down from 5th position last year, ‘72 BMW still clocked a 49.142 - a small 0.082 increase compared to last year - goes to show the increased level of competition this year has brought.

#5 Andre Bezuidenhout Gould GR55:

Defending champion Andre Bezuidenhout secured his third straight victory in the King of the Hill single-seater and sports car shootout with the Gould GR55.

British-based Gould Racing is a specialised, Hillclimb race car manufacturer in the heart of the Berkshires. With 19 championship wins since 1998 in the British Hillclimb Championship Series and Bezuidenhout looking to add another notch to the Gould Racing pedigree, the GR55 created a fanfare.

Powered by the Nicholson-McLaren 3.8-litre V8 engine capable of 512 bhp, the championship-winning engine is also extraordinarily light at 199kg. With modern racing features and a focus towards eating up every hill that is thrown at it, the GR55 is definitely a step up from Bezuidenhout’s previous 2016 record-setting entry - the 1989 Dallara F1. Eyeing the sub-34-second mark and looking to best his own record of 35.146 in 2018, the highly experienced Bezuidenhout couldn’t overcome the significant drop in ambient and track temperatures of the day but still managed to post a blistering qualifying time of 35.528 seconds.

Despite Robert Wolk battling gear selection woes and leading the pack before Bezuidenhout’s finishing time of 36.764 seconds, the Ferrari powered 2009 A1 GP speed demon couldn’t bridge the gap, clocking at 36.920 seconds.

Special Mentions:

- Ron Hollis 1962 Jaguar E-Type MK1:

A Jaguar event cannot be completed without acknowledging and appreciating the iconic cars that make up the Jaguar heritage. Equally, an event like the Jaguar Hillclimb cannot be completed without recognising and appreciating the individuals that have contributed to South African motorsport. The Dave Charlton Award recognises individuals who embody the spirit of the late motorsport legend Dave Charlton. Ron Hollis’ meticulous attention to detail, passion for British vintage motorsport and performance embodies that spirit. Working from his shop, Bodge Engineering has helped cultivate Knysna into a classic car restoration mecha.

Donning the white racing stripes on royal blue, the 1962 4.2l V8 Series 1 E-Type roared again and posted a respectable time of 56.922 seconds. A loud reminder to the next generation of Jaguars of where their origins lie.

- Terrence Marsh Nissan Navara T1 V8

Nissan dominated the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb but also welcomed an entirely different entry. A Dakar specced Nissan Navara T1 V8 driven by Terence Marsh - winner of the 2018 Road To Dakar. The 5.6L naturally aspirated V8 engine, sourced from a Nissan Patrol, was a definite crowd favourite.

While the motoring public waits for the next Jaguar Simola Hillclimb, you don’t have to be standing from the sidelines next year to enjoy the experience of classic cars or high-performance motoring. Buy your piece of classic car history or look for budget performance hatch-backs and we’ll see you at the pitlanes next year!
Kurt #3337

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