Latest news with #JeanetteKok-Kritzinger
IOL News
05-05-2025
- Automotive
- IOL News
Suzuki champions accessible fun at 2025 Simola Hillclimb
From left: Media members Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger, Ernest Page and Sean Nurse competed in three wildcard entries this year. Image: Supplied As a headline sponsor and prolific competitor, Suzuki Auto South Africa has a well-established presence at the prestigious Simola Hillclimb event, held in Knysna each year. Once again, the Japanese brand, which is truly rocking the sales charts in South Africa right now, was out to prove that there is more to this event than just blisteringly fast lap times and beastly modified sports cars. Great as those things are, of course. Each year until now, Suzuki entered a trio of Swift Sport hatchbacks in a bid to prove that motorsport thrills can still be relatively accessible, but this year there was a surprising twist with two wildcard entries. Joining a single yellow third-generation Suzuki Swift Sport driven by Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger of Wiele2Wiele were a Suzuki Jimny and a new-generation Swift 1.2 GLX, also driven by fellow motoring journalists. Sean Nurse of Autotrader took to the wheel of the diminutive 4x4 while Ernest Page of All Things Motoring found himself behind the wheel of the new Swift. All three journos are experienced racing drivers, which would make things even more interesting on the hill. As a guest of Suzuki at the event, I also got to experience first hand the level of camaraderie and passion displayed by Team Suzuki, while my fellow hacks spent hours strategising about how to extract every last split second of hill time out of their weekend race cars. The little SUV that could. Image: Supplied It paid off for Nurse, who managed a podium in Class B9 for SUVs. Granted, there were only three entries. Yet given that this bog-standard Jimny was going up against a heavily modified Nissan Patrol as well as an Alfa Romeo Stelvio Q4, Nurse posted some impressive lap times. Having started around the 1 minute 9 second mark during his first practice, the Jimny driver managed to get his times down to 1 min 6.404 sec in his final run, after making it through to the finals. "It's been an awesome weekend, and I had a lot of fun. I think the Jimny surprised a lot of people with the times it's managed up the hill,' Nurse stated after the event. 'I was here to compete against myself and to have a little bit of fun; and to show people that the Jimny is more dynamic than most people probably expect.' Nurse, who drove flat out in third gear for most of the course, added that the Jimny was a lot more stable and predictable than he had expected. He removed the spare wheel and some things inside the car to save weight, and also tried to keep his steering angle in check, in order to prevent activation of the traction control system, which can only be disabled at low speeds. The diminutive SUV also proved to be quite a crowd pleaser, and was widely shared by Jimny fans on social media. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. 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Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Next Stay Close ✕ Easily the most economical car at Simola. Image: Supplied The other wildcard entrant, Suzuki's Swift 1.2 GLX, managed a best time of 1 min 04.8 sec on the hill, but if cars were competing with fuel consumption as the main criteria, Ernest Page's average figure of 5.7 litres per 100km on Sunday would surely have beaten the rest. "A fantastic experience, I was smiling the entire time. Overall, I'm happy with the car's performance and we also averaged a consumption of only 5.7 litres per 100km over the entire day. The new Swift GLX is clearly a safe, fast, fun car for the right person," Page enthused. Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger also had a fantastic experience in her Swift Sport, while posting an impressive best qualifying time of 56.538 seconds, leaving her just outside the hotly contested Class Finals. "With a car like this, it is all about the power-to-weight ratio. The Swift Sport's light weight means that it handles and grips extremely well,' Kok-Kritzinger said. 'One thing is certain: I'm having a great deal of fun.' Kok-Kritzinger's sprightly Swift Sport. Image: Supplied
News24
01-05-2025
- Automotive
- News24
Shelby Super Snakes and historic Ford Mustangs ready to thrill petrolheads at Simola Hillclimb
The seventh-generation Mustang GT and Mustang Dark Horse will make their first appearances at the popular Simola Hillclimb this weekend, 2 to 4 May, in Knysna. Lindenberg Racing and Shelby South Africa have six Shelby vehicles competing in the King of The Hill. The 1965 Ford GT40 will compete in Classic Car on Friday, paying tribute to the historic win at Le Mans in 1966. This weekend, I will be crying in a corner and suffering from serious FOMO because I won't be attending the Simola Hillclimb, which has taken place annually in Knysna since 2009. I'll miss Classic Car Friday and the annual parade of epic race cars through the sleepy town. I won't be cheering for my friend and fellow motoring journalist, Jeanette Kok-Kritzinger, who will pilot the only Suzuki Swift Sport up the hill. Jeanette still holds the South African record for the fastest woman, breaking the local land speed record in a Ford Mustang a couple of decades ago. Speaking of Ford, this year's event will also feature a variety of Ford and Ford-powered cars, with an expected 20 000-strong spectator crowd over the three-day event. This will be the seventh-generation Mustang's first appearance at the event as the Mustang GT and Mustang Dark Horse are raring to gallop up the 1.9km Simola Hill. MasterDrive, partners to the Simola Hillclimb official safety car and VIP hospitality rides, will use the latest Mustang GT. At the same time, current South African Rally-Raid Championship driver Lance Woolridge will swap his familiar Ford NWM Rangers cockpit for the Mustang Dark Horse's to perform exhibition runs. With its advanced fourth-generation 5.0-litre Coyote V8 powertrain and unmistakable exterior design cues, the Mustang promises to put on a show and thrill those who get a chance to experience what it's like to sprint up the hill. The performance-focused Shelby brand will attempt to win their respective categories with vehicles steeped in motorsport heritage. Competing in their 12th Simola Hillclimb, with more than 4 000kW, Lindenberg Racing and Shelby South Africa are fielding the most cars in one team at the event. Their track record of success in previous years sets high expectations for their performance in 2025, with six Shelbys competing in the King of The Hill under the all-new Team Shelby Racing umbrella. They will be running three Ford-powered cars in Classic Car Friday. James Temple will be driving his 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe, which boasts a potent 5.8-litre Ford V8 engine producing 390kW. Paige Lindenberg will be hustling her Ford Fairlane V8, and Djurk Venter will return to the event with the 1972 Group 2 Capri Perana. A diverse line-up of six Shelby Mustangs will tackle the demanding Hillclimb course in the King of the Hill Challenge on Saturday and Sunday. Temple will be behind the rare Shelby Wide Body Super Snake wheel. Lindenberg will pilot the Shelby Speedster alongside Joshua O'Callaghan, Vinesh Padayachy, Deon Smit and Paul Malatjie in a trio of Super Snakes. Also competing in Classic Car Friday is a recreation of a 1965 Ford GT40 driven by Peter MacPherson. The GT40 has achieved numerous podium finishes at the famed Simola Hillclimb, including winning its class at last year's event. The car pays tribute to the historic win by Ford and Shelby at Le Mans in 1966. It celebrates these two legendary automotive brands' incredible performance, endurance and resilience legacy. Powered by a naturally aspirated 4.9-litre V8 engine, this South African-built Ford GT40 tribute car will undoubtedly be a major highlight at the 2025 Classic Car Friday event. Bonafide race cars such as the two March single-seaters driven by Charles Arton and Ian Schofield are powered by the legendary Ford Cosworth BDG engine, as is Franco Scribante's Chevron. Single-seater Formula Ford cars, powered by the Ford Kent engine and driven by Robert Wolk and Simphiwe Mohlahlo, will also be pushed to their limit. For enthusiasts who cannot attend the Simola Hillclimb in person, the entire event—three days of competition—is live-streamed. The live stream is free and can be accessed via the website
