2012 saw another hugely successful running of the annual Renault Knysna Hillclimb event. Now in its fourth year, the uniquely South African Knysna Speed Festival brings together a series of motoring spectacles in a week-long buzz of excitement and entertainment.

The Festival was launched in 2009 with the running of the first Simola Hillclimb. From humble beginnings, the event exploded in 2010 and 2011 and the Renault-sponsored Hillclimb, comprising Classic Car Friday and the King of the Hill Shootout, is now recognised as one of the premier events on the South African motor sport calendar.

While this year’s Classic Car Friday threatened to become an underwater event as a result of the downpour, resourceful participants used oversized umbrellas as shelter while awaiting the start of the event. Regardless of the weather, the day proved to be a nostalgic one, with entries ranging from a minuscule 1937 DKW F7 Meistertklasse Cabriolette to large Bentleys reminiscent of the 1920s, gracing the Hillclimb track with their presence.

Certainly not the fastest cars of the weekend, these classic cars proved to be some of the most memorable for the spectators and fans who braved the cold and damp to see them in action. Overall honours for the Classis Car Friday event went to Corban Slabbert who, deftly defying the elements in a compact 1965 Austin Mini Cooper S, recorded a time of 1:00.740.

The inclement weather shadowed the weekend, but did not deter drivers and their vehicles. While competition in all vehicle classes proved fierce, the only casualties of the weekend where a few cars, with their drives all walking away unscathed. Turn 3 saw action from two different cars, which both left the road in spectacular fashion on their respective run up the Simola hill.

Sunday’s highly contested King of the Hill Shootout grand finale was an all-Nissan Skyline contest with the top three drivers crossing the finish line within seconds of each other. Jade Gutzeit took pole position with a time of 41.993 while his father, Des, cruised into second place clocking up a time of 41.945. Jaki Scheckter earned a well-deserved third place recording a time of 42.020. It was unfortunate that 2011 champion, Wilhelm Baard, who put in a spectacular performance on Saturday, was unable to defend his title at Sunday’s grand finale as a result of technical problems.

Spectators were treated to a weekend of racing by some of South Africa’s top motor sport contenders – past and present. The Legends cars were great to watch and surprisingly fast when taking into account their 1 300 cc engines, with each of the four drivers putting in spectacular performances. Gugu Zulu, in particular, was a fearless crowd-pleaser.

Quick off the mark, the Ferrari 458 Italia, Lamborghini Gallardo, McLaren MP4-12C, Jaguar XKR-S and Porsche 911 and 917 exotica appeared remarkably civilised while powering up the hill. Deon Joubert, driving the Jaguar XKR-S, gave a spectacular display on how not to conserve tyre tread, leaving the spectator stands shrouded in blue smoke and the smell of burning rubber after he’d finished spinning the Jag up an down the road in a masterful display of driving skill.

The Renault Meganes never failed to please and were very quick up the Hillclimb track. Deon Joubert took top honours in the motoring journalists’ Renault Challenge with a time of 49.549, with our editor, Scott Hayes, taking second place with an overall fastest time of 50.315, followed closely by the Star Motoring’s Jesse Adams, who posted a fastest time of 50.419 on the weekend.

A week of motoring sights, sounds and speed starts today, Friday 13 May, with the 2012 Knysna Speed Festival. While it’s hard to believe it has already been 12 months since the last event, motoring enthusiasts are looking forward to a solid 10-days of indulging their passion against the backdrop of some of South Africa’s best scenery. The schedule of events is as follows:

Knysna Kart Grand Prix (11 – 12 May):
Karting is fast, fun, challenging and very exciting to watch, but the Knysna Kart Grand Prix is even more special. With an atmosphere not unlike that of the ‘Singapore Grand Prix’, the racing takes place at night, under lights, on the edge of the Knysna lagoon. The event also forms part of the 2012 EP Regional Karting Championship, so the racing is very serious and competition fierce. Spectators are well catered for in terms of vantage points, food and beverage. Free practice takes place on Friday 11th May and a full program of racing on Saturday 12th May.

Knysna Speed Festival 4×4 Challenge (13 May):
An exciting competition for both standard and modified off-road vehicles. The event takes place at the Denron Quarry on the outskirts of Knysna, which is said to offer some challenging obstacles, as well as plenty of parking and spectator points. A group of extreme 4×4 vehicles will entertain the crowds during breaks between the challenge events. These cars are built to go anywhere and should be very exciting to watch in addition to the competition.

4×4 Knysna Elephant Trail (14 – 16 May):
Knysna has some of the most spectacular indigenous forests in South Africa and, from Monday 14th to Wednesday 16th, off-roaders will be able to travel through forests not normally accessible to the public. This is an eco-friendly event for the whole family and should not be missed if you have an off-road vehicle capable of exploring the wild. It offers 6 – 7 hours of unique terrain and extraordinary beauty in the company of 4×4 experts who will ensure your safe passage. No special 4×4 driving skills are required, but entries are limited to 20 vehicles per group due to the sensitive nature of the forest. Three groups are available to join each day and participants are encouraged to bring refreshments and picnics to be enjoyed on the trail. More information from Mario Ferreira at 4×4@speedfestival.co.za.

Knysna Soap Box Derby (16 – 17 May):
Contestants compete on the same track that will be used for the main Hillclimb event. The Soap Box Derby promises to be a lot of fun with local schools competing for top honours, while the Corporate Soap Box Race will see unique and fun challenges, such as the fastest estate agent in Knysna. A ‘build day’ will take place on 12 May at Pennypinchers in the industrial area of Knysna, where all competitors will have assistance with building their cars. There will be prizes for the best decorated cars for both the schools and corporate days. These races are always exciting and the enthusiasm of competitors results in some nail biting racing.

Knysna Speed Festival Charity Golf Day (17 May):
Held at one of the most beautiful golf courses in the world, this is a fantastic opportunity to be one of 96-players among some of the most influential business people in the Garden Route. It’s also an opportunity to take a time-out before the action hots up with the weekend’s racing and, if you love Golf and want to do your bit for local charities, well, you’ve got few excuses don’t you.

Classic Car Friday (17 May):
Featuring vehicles exclusively pre-1974, Classic Car Friday follows a similar format to that of the famous Goodwood Festival of Speed, wherein access to the paddocks is granted for the public to see the exotic cars and their drivers up close. This year the diverse and exciting range of cars includes a 1929 Bentley, 1937 DKW F7 Meisterklasse Cabriolette, 1935 Riley TT Sprite, 1933 Alfa Romeo Monza, 1927 Bugatti T37 and a 1939 Lagonda V12, to name a few. The more modern cars include an assortment of MG’s, Austin Healey’s, Alfa Romeo’s, E-Type Jaguars and the inevitable Mini Cooper S. Competitors and spectators are encouraged to join the fun and attend the event in period dress. The organisers say the effect is fun, nostalgic and is in line with the vision of the Knysna Speed Festival to be an event enjoyed by the whole family.

Renault Simola Hillclimb (18 – 20 May):
The main event of the Knysna Speed Week and the undoubtedly the highlight. Beginning with Classic Car Friday, the vintage, classic and historic motoring fraternity will have their day of action on the hill. Forty cars from pre-war to the seventies are expected to participate and, as in previous years, the field is sure to include many of South Africa’s most interesting and valuable historic racing cars. Saturday and Sunday’s action has been dubbed the ‘King of the Hill Shootout’ and is where 80 of the country’s fastest machines will battle it out on the hill. Famous personalities who’ve blasted up the hill in the past include: Sarel van der Merwe, Ian Scheckter, Jaki Scheckter, Robbi Smith, Mike Briggs, Deon Joubert, Leeroy Poulter and two-time World Motocross Champion, Jean Michel Bayle. Some of the cars entered for 2012 include: McLaren MP4-12C; Porsche 917 Le Mans Replica; Porsche 993 GT2R; Nissan GTR; Ferrari F360 Challenge; Ferrari 458; Lamborghini Gallardo; Chevrolet Corvette ZR1 and many more.

The title sponsors, Renault, will also be launching a number of new models during the Speed Festival, one of which is the Renault Mégane RS Trophy. With a bump in power from 184 to 195 kW, the front-wheel drive RS Trophy will have more than enough grunt to climb the hill. In fact, our editor, Scott Hayes, will be piloting one of these brand-new Renault Mégane RS Trophy cars in the 2.0-litre turbocharged class, so keep an eye out for the SA Car Fan branded Mégane RS, follow Scott on twitter and feel free to say hello – he might need all the encouragement he can get, but don’t tell him we said that!

There is so much to do and see, so even if you aren’t able to spend the entire week in Knysna, a weekend or overnight trip is highly recommended. Camping facilities are available at the Knysna High School sports fields from Friday 18 to Sunday 20th May at just R100 per site per night, with ablution and shower facilities (remember to bring the tent poles!). The campsite will have a carnival atmosphere, with live bands, DJ’s and ample food and drink. There will also be a shuttle service from the campsite to the Hillclimb during the day.

All that’s left to do is watch this video for a taste of what’s to come, then pack your bags and head out on the highway towards Knysna. See you there.

Following last year’s launch of Renault Sport’s Twingo Gordini RS, Renault South Africa has expanded the Gordini range with the launch of the new Clio Gordini Renault Sport at the 2011 Knysna Hillclimb, sponsored by Renault.

Clio Gordini is to Renault, as John Cooper Works is to Mini and DS3 is to Citroen, that is, a fast hot hatch with an added dash of style and exclusivity. ”The Clio Gordini Renault Sport combines the award-winning credentials of the Clio Renault Sport with the proud heritage of the Gordini name to produce a truly segment-defining hot hatch,” says Xavier Gobille, managing director of Renault South Africa. “Accordingly, it will appeal to a growing number of drivers seeking an exclusive yet affordable performance car with a distinctive character and a race-inspired legacy to match.”

Amédée Gordini established the Gordini company that transformed production cars into racers, modified regular engines for competition in endurance and grand prix racing, and even built specialist racing cars under his own banner. In 1956 Renault approached ‘The Sorcerer’, as he was commonly known, to develop its rear-engined Dauphine sedan into a competitive rally car and the rest, as they say, is history. Eventually the Gordini company was merged into Renault and it became the foundation for Renault Sport Technologies (RS), which has gone on to produce the impressive RS versions of the Clio, Mégane and Twingo over the years. It’s fitting, then, that Renault pays homage to Amédée Gordini and the legendary cars that he spurred the development of.

In the case of the new Renault Clio Gordini Renault Sport, the hatch retains all the virtues that make it our favorite hot hatch of the moment, but adds the eye-catching and unique Gordini styling. Easliy identifiable from the standard or Clio RS ’20th’ Special Edition models, the Clio Gordini wears exclusive Malta Blue paint, together with twin white stripes that extend from the bonnet, over the roof to the tailgate – paying tribute to the racing Gordinis of the 1950s, 60s and 70s. Further styling enhancements include white exterior mirror housings and F1-style aerodynamic front splitter, diamond-effect 12-spoke aluminium alloy wheels, as well as ‘Gordini Series’ badges on each flank.

The Gordini spirit continues in the cabin too, with Gordini-badged Renault Sport seats, trimmed in black leather with blue accents along the lower and upper side bolsters. The top section of the leather-trimmed three-spoke sports steering wheel is finished in blue leather, with two white stripes to indicate the straight-ahead position. Similarly, the gear lever features a blue leather gaiter and a metallic Gordini-branded gear knob, bolstered by a numbered Gordini plaque on the gearlever console, carpet mats with blue edging and Gordini branding.

The instrumentation echoes this performance hatchback’s racing disposition, including a rev counter dial with white background, as well as the on-board Renault Sport Telemetry Display that made its debut on the Mégane RS Cup. The system provides the driver with real-time performance and vehicle data, as well as several options to tailor the throttle and engine response.

As mentioned, the Renault Clio Gordini RS retains the virtues of the standard Clio RS, meaning a superb chassis and suspension system, matched to a potent, high-revving naturally aspirated engine. The Clio Gordini RS features the sportier Cup chassis as standard, which offers a firmer and more focused set-up, providing an even more exhilarating driving experience than the standard car. An independent steering axis front suspension ensures precise steering and together with low-profile 215/45 R17 tyres, endows the hatch with serious levels of grip. Stopping power comes courtesy of Brembo four-piston callipers that bite into ventilated 312 mm front discs and 300 mm solid discs at the rear. ABS with Electronic Brakeforce Distribution is standard. The Electronic Stability Programme (ESP) can be turned off for spirited driving, such as at the Knysna Hillclimb where media raced the cars up the 1.9 kilometer course.

At the heart of the Clio Renault Sport is a 2.0-litre naturally aspirated 4-cylinder engine that develops 147.5 kW, or a class-leading 75 kW per litre. The engine pulls strongly all the way to the 7 500 r/min redline, although peak power is achieved at 7 100 r/min. Torque of 215 Nm is available at 5 400 r/min, but as media found out after the first few smokey starts at the Knysna Hillclimb, the Clio Gordini is plenty quick off the mark without the tacho needle pointing skywards. Once on the move, the slick-shifting six-speed manual gearbox is one of the most satisfying to use and plays an important role in the Clio’s 0 – 100 km/h sprint of 6.9 seconds.

As the range-topping variant in the Clio Renault Sport range, the Gordini boasts a premium level of standard features, including a rain sensor and automatic headlight activation, dedicated cornering lights and electrically folding exterior mirrors. Other convenience features include cruise control with speed limiter, Renault’s hands-free key and ignition card, automatic climate control and dark-tinted rear windows. On the audio front, the Gordini Renault Sport is equipped with an 80-watt CD receiver with MP3 playback, a separate dashboard-mounted display and steering wheel controls, as well as Bluetooth and multimedia connectivity with USB and iPod connections.

Whether you have penchant for hot hatches, historic racing heritage and stand-out styling, or even if you don’t, the new Renault Clio Gordini Renault Sport is a car that will never fail to involve its driver from the moment the brilliant, naturally aspirated, 2.0-litre engine fires into life. In fact, we feel like getting our hands on a set of keys and driving one right now!

The Renault Clio Gordini Renault Sport is priced at R279 900 and includes a 5-year/150 000 km warranty and 3-year/60 000 km service plan.

Last weekend’s 2011 Renault Knysna Hillclimb formed the grand finale in the week-long Knysna Speed Festival, which was filled with all kinds of motoring competition ranging from karting to slot-car racing, car shows, a soap-box derby and more. Now in its third year, and with growing sponsorship, including that of title sponsor’s Renault, we’re pleased to see the event going from strength-to-strength in all areas.

Although held in October last year, this year the organisers elected to hold the event in May to capitalise on warmer and dryer weather. The strategy worked, with a weekend of sunshine and partly cloudy conditions for Sunday’s finals. As a result, spectators poured into a new and much improved parking area at Simola Resort to witness the action – 6 000 motorsport enthusiasts enjoyed the qualifying on Saturday alone.

Last year’s winner, Geoff Mortimer, returned to defend his title in his bright yellow Mitsubishi Evo IX, but with a pack of Nissan GT-Rs in the hunt for victory, including a TopSecret tuned R34 with 735 kW (1 000 Hp), it was never going to be easy. Saturday’s practice confirmed this, with Mortimer trailing by 0.205 seconds in second position in a Nissan GT-R sandwich. As the weekend progressed and the drivers got into their rhythms, the King Of The Hill title looked headed for one of three men – Mortimer, last year’s runner-up Wilhelm Baard, and Jade Gudzeit, who was just managing to keep his father, Des, at bay.

And so it proved to be…Just after lunch on the Sunday, the fastest cars in each class had a final run up the demanding and spectacularly fast 1.9 km Simola Hill, with Wilhelm Baard throwing down the gauntlet needing just 42.444 seconds to crest the hill. Father and son, Des and Jade Gudzeit, soon followed and while Des failed to break into the 42-second bracket, Jade managed a 42.659 second run, placing him in second position, two-tenths off Wilhelm. All eyes were on 74-year-old Geoff Mortimer as he lined up on the starting line to begin his run. Spectators held their breath waiting for announcer Roger McCleery to give his time – 43.108 seconds, good enough for a very respectable third place in a 80-strong entry list that featured some very serious machinery in 2011.

So a very emotional Wilhelm Baard became the third King Of The Hill, a highly popular climax to what has been an exciting festival of speed in the Garden Route’s award-winning town of Knysna.

Renault South Africa also took the opportunity to launch their new GT-Line range of Megane models, as well as the Renault Clio Gordini RS and were well represented on the course, running two events within an event, in the form of the Brat Pack Challenge and Gordini Media Challenge. Mike Briggs, Geoff Goddard, Deon Joubert, Robbi Smith and Duncan Vos, known as ‘The Brat Pack’ in the days of SA’s national touring car championship during the 1990s, along with former SA Production Car driver Phillip Kekana, competed in Megane RS Cup cars over the weekend. Multiple champion Deon Joubert took top honours managing a fastest time of 49.710 seconds, followed by Mike Briggs (50.375) and Robbie Smith (50.690). The Renault Gordini Media Challenge saw local media racing up the hill in the new, blue, Renault Clio Gordini RS, with Ashley Oldfield from TopCar managing the fastest time of the weekend with 53.422 seconds.

With five weeks to go to the second running of the Knysna Hillclimb, entries for the event have surpassed all expectations by passing the 100 mark. The inaugural event in 2009 attracted 47 entries with most of them coming in the final two weeks before entries closed, but this year there has been a steady stream of entries flowing in, with the centenary mark being reached last week.

“Talk in motorsport circles warned us that we should expect a good entry, but we have been overwhelmed by the number of entries and all round positive response to the event,” says organiser Ian Shrosbree. “Not only have we received such a good entry, but we have had enquiries from all over the country from spectators wanting to attend the event. The Simola Hotel is already sold out and a number of other establishments are also fully booked.”

The entry list boasts a number of former motorsport champions. While last year’s winner and multiple South African Champion Sarel van der Merwe and rally champion Enzo Kuun are yet to confirm their participation, another former multiple SA champion, Geoff Mortimer, will be driving a very fast Mitsubishi Evo9. Mortimer is one of South Africa’s most versatile motor sportsmen with circuit, rally and off-road championships to his name.

Group N Champion Robbi Smith will be reunited with the car that is synonymous with many of his racing exploits – a BMW 325iS. This car was at the height of the South African Group N wars in the late 1980s and early 1990s going head-to-head with the Opel Kadett Superboss and Ford XR6.

Multiple enduro and off-road motorcycle champion, Jade Gutzeit will also compete in a Skyline R34. Gudzeit competed in the WesBank V8 Series for a few years and is just as fast behind the wheel as he is on a motorcycle.

Franco Scribante will enthral the crowds in his racing Ferrari F430, as will Wilhelm Baard in his specially prepared Nissan GTR. While he never won a championship, Baard was a front runner in Group N in the heyday of the formula and will be one of the favourites to set the fastest time up the hill. Current WesBank V8 competitors Desmond Gutzeit (Skyline R32 and Chev Ute), Darron Gudmanz (Nissan GTR) and Martin Van Zummeren (Nissan GTR34) will all also be serious contenders for overall glory.

Let’s not forget two of the fastest cars and drivers from last year; Anton Cronje, who lost out on the King of the Hill title to Van der Merwe by just 0.3 seconds last year, will return in his 380kW Subaru Impreza in an effort to claim the crown. Making Cronje’s attempt even more impressive is the fact that he will be competing in the last round of the Super Saloons Championship at the Midvaal Raceway in Meyerton on the Saturday. He will leave the circuit directly after his last race to drive through the night to be in Knysna for Sunday’s elimination rounds and final.

The second very fast car is Thouca Mechanicos’ AMG Mercedes. The car is said to be the most powerful Mercedes in the country. Mechanicos finished fourth fastest last year and is determined to improve on that this year.

For more information about this year’s Knysna Hillclimb visit www.speedfestival.co.za.