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.

After three thrilling days of action in front of an enthusiastic crowd, it was veteran racer Geoff Mortimer who emerged as winner of the Knysna Hillclimb which ended on Sunday.

Despite the cold weather on Saturday and the pouring rain on Sunday, Mortimer blasted his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo9 Mortimer up the 1.9 km Simola Hill in 50.637 seconds to pip Wilhelm Baard (Nissan R32) by a mere 0.183 seconds.

Due to inclement weather, organisers were forced to scrap final qualifying and the final run was held under the threat of mist forcing the event to be abandoned.

The initial pacemaker was East London’s Darren Gudmanz (Nissan GT-R) who stopped the clocks on 51.895. It wasn’t long before fellow Nissan GT-R driver Des Gutzeit beat his time by a mere 0.045 sec to take over the lead.

Towards the end of the timed runs Baard stopped the clocks on 50.820 sec and it seemed as though it was all over bar the shouting.

Almost unnoticed, Mortimer crept towards the line and rocketed off the line for a superb and well deserved victory at an average speed of just over 135km/h. “I just tried to get away cleanly and get the right lines. The car was perfect …. better than the driver,” he said afterwards.

Baard was visibly dejected, almost shell shocked as he could not have gone faster. “I had some big sideways moments in a couple of places. It was interesting!”

Gutzeit couldn’t stop explaining, with an ear-to-ear grin how he was on the limit. “At the top corner it got so sideways all I could do was keep the power on and hope it would pull straight and it did, but I used every bit of road there was.

Jaki Scheckter hustled his Nissan GT-R up the hill quick enough to grab fifth place ahead of Fabio Tafani whose superhuman effort in the severely disadvantaged rear wheel drive Autohaus Angel V8 Masters car who described the run as, “scary!”

Subaru driver Anton Cronje just missed out on a top six placing, but got the biggest cheer as he’d raced at Midvaal on Saturday and driven to Knysna overnight to make the start. The fact that he’d missed both Friday and Saturday practice meant his effort was worthy of much more.

An event within an event catered for historic cars and this was almost as closely fought as the main event.

Peter Little emerged as victor as he guided his narrow tyred Cooper up the hill in 1:09.366 to pip the Ulster Imp driven by Dave Alexander by a mere 0.184 sec. Third went to Ron Hollis in an MGC Roadster. Petite Di Dugmore claimed fourth in her Austin Healy Sprite Sebring with Rodney Green (MGB) next as Heyns Stead rounded off the top six in the Miller MG special.

“The 2nd Knysna Hillclimb Presented by Renault was a resounding success and attracted a top class entry of a fascinating variety of cars and a large turnout of past and present motorsport stars,” said Ian Shrosbree of the organising committee. Motorsport stalwart Pater Kaye-Eddie said it was ‘all about the atmosphere and it is the Goodwood of South Africa.”

Title sponsors, Renault South Africa, launched their Renault Mégane RS hot hatch at the event, as well as the latest generation Renault Mégane CC.

Source: Press Release