- Suzuki joins the prestigious function as Tier One particular sponsor
- Quite a few Suzuki-run racers also to compete
- Spectators to return for the very first time due to the fact 2019
Approximated reading time: 5 minutes.
Why did the Suzuki race up the hill? Due to the fact it was there!
This coming weekend, Suzuki Auto South Africa, two budding racing motorists and two stock Suzuki Swift Sporting activities will deal with the famed hill for the 2022 Simola Hill
Climb in Knysna. Suzuki will also help the Hill Climb as a Tier One particular sponsor.
Suzuki has entered the two Swift Sport styles – an auto and a guide model – in Class A1 for road-likely turbo- or supercharged sporting activities autos. The motor vehicles will be piloted by journalist Reuben van Niekerk and precision driver and instructor, Wesley Greybe.
“Last calendar year, we entered the Simola Hillclimb for the 1st time and supported the fleet of Suzuki-driven race cars and trucks in the Typical Automobile Friday and King of the Hill
shootout. This 12 months, we up our assistance as a Tier Just one sponsor and enter our own Swift Activity to exhibit that you can have double the enjoyable for half the price in the class for standard race cars and trucks,” states Brendon Carpenter, Model Internet marketing Supervisor for Suzuki Car South Africa.
Suzuki is no stranger to hill climbs. Monster Tajima is a legend in racing circles for his record-breaking races up Pikes Peak with modified race autos these types of as the
Escudo (Vitara) Pikes Peak and the SX4 Pikes Peak Unique. To this working day, the Suzuki Hillclimb race automobiles are some of the most common vehicles in the Gran Turismo
racing game.
“The Simola Hillclimb is unquestionably one of the most prestigious racing events on the South African calendar and it has always been a bucket checklist item for us.
“We are pretty happy of the non-public hill-climb groups that are run by Suzuki engines, and we imagine our involvement is a excellent healthy for the Suzuki manufacturer, as a
platform to showcase the spirit, enthusiasm and efficiency of Suzuki as a way of life brand name,” says Carpenter.
Reuben and Wez driving the wheel
Racing for Suzuki in a 2022 Suzuki Swift Sport Auto is Reuben van Niekerk, a qualified motoring journalist with more than 18 years’ experience. He is the editor of
Automobil magazine.
Van Niekerk is an avid motorsport fan and has competed in many formulas on two and four wheels, which include the Krugersdorp Hillclimb. He is also a typical reporter on motorsport situations for many publications and is an avid traditional auto lover.
Van Niekerk is no stranger to competitive sports activities and spends his spare time on his mountain bicycle. In 2014, he was the to start with amputee to finish the gruelling Absa Cape Epic, which is regarded as the hardest mountain bike phase race in the environment.
He went on to complete this function a full of five instances and in the process became the to start with particular person with any incapacity to sign up for the Amabubesi club for three periods finishers.
“I am genuinely on the lookout forward to tackling the Simola Hillclimb in Suzuki’s Swift Sport. I sense that the blend of entrance wheel travel, reduced fat and a turbocharged
engine will work really very well at this event, and it is the great possibility to showcase what this sizzling hatch can seriously do,” states Van Niekerk.
“Just like a time demo cycling celebration, the Simola Hillclimb places driver and car in opposition to the clock with nowhere to cover and is an event that involves the greatest from both person and device in get to succeed.”
Van Niekerk’s largest competition in Course A1 will appear from Wesley Greybe in the matching Suzuki Swift Sport handbook.
Greybe, affectionately regarded as Wez, has always experienced his eye established on a expert racing career and has competed in bike and go-kart racing. He continue to races in the F400 and SSS karting collection and will work carefully with various racing groups on their race cars.
In his profession as Advanced Driver coach, Wez has labored during Africa and the planet. One particular of the highlights of this section of his motoring vocation has been doing the job
as a precision driver for James May possibly, Jeremy Clarkson and Richard Hammond in the initial period of The Grand Tour.
Greybe is no stranger to Simola as he was the de facto demonstration driver at earlier gatherings. Right here he took stars, these as a few of Springbok rugby
gamers up the hill involving race heats.
“It was a excellent jol to go up the hill with travellers and to listen to them scream! Now I will have an possibility to make the crowds scream as we demonstrate them how
brief the Swift Activity is on the limited and twisty Simola Hill,” says Greybe.
Suzuki Electricity on exhibit
As a Tier A person sponsor, Suzuki will host the burnout zone, the place rivals produce massive clouds of white smoke as they heat up their tyres and entertain the
group, just before launching up the hill.
It is worthy of noting that Simola will reopen its gates for spectators this 12 months, many thanks in no smaller component to the money assist of sponsors like Suzuki Auto.
Amid the many competitors that will entertain the crowds are a number of Suzukipowered competitors. They include things like Megan Verlaque and Ashley Haigh-Smith who
will race up the hill in two similar Speedcar tubular-framed racing vehicles. Both of those are
driven by 600cc Suzuki motorbike engines.
Devon Robertson will also return to contend for the King of the Hill trophy with his Suzuki Hayabusa-driven Radical SR1.
Last 12 months, Robertson shocked the other competitors by ending in the Top rated 10 towards a amount of much more impressive racing cars and trucks. He set a ultimate time of 41.075
seconds – the fifth swiftest all round – up the hill.
Spectators welcome!
Says Carpenter: “We are really energized to welcome back the spectators to the Simola Hill.
“For Suzuki, our participation in the 2022 Simola Hillclimb is incredibly symbolic as it resonates with our ethos of bringing motoring enthusiasm to the masses. Regardless of whether this
is as a result of our autos, this kind of as the real-blue Jimny 4×4 or the thrilling Swift Activity for a lot less than R400 000, or by sponsoring the Simola Hillclimb to assistance the organisers
welcome spectators back again to the celebration for the very first time given that 2019.”
Suzuki and motorsport admirers can adhere to the motion on Suzuki’s social media channels and on YouTube, the place the organisers will broadcast a dwell feed of the
occasion.
