Will the Alfa 4C be well enough to race? Will it bring home the silver?
Chapter 7 – Sunday – No words…
Amidst the excitement, drama and theatrics of racing, there is an ever-present, unspoken danger that we all know is there, but we try not to think of it. Every so often we experience a near-miss or shunt to remind us to be careful out there. And sometimes… there are no words…
We all watched the screen as the replay showed Pieter Joubert’s car suddenly disappear off the track at the top of the long straight going towards the bridge. When news came down that he had passed away in the crash – we still wanted to deny that it was true.
Pieter Joubert was a true racer, who LIVED racing. He will be missed by the entire racing community and we extend our sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
The Joubert Family insisted that once the police had completed their inspections and the site had been cleared, that the event should carry on in Pieter’s honour.
Chapter 8 – Alfa Getting the Win!
With the Alfa 4C working again, we installed our bearded racing driver and he kept sending it up the hill. Each run getting a little quicker, a little sharper, a little cleaner. We also managed to convince him that simply pulling away from the line was actually quicker than using the Alfa’s launch control, and the times kept improving.
In spite of its slight mechanical issues the day before, Andre’s car was now performing perfectly, and the brand new tyres were also starting to grip! However, the age old racing adage started to ring ever truer.
To Finish First – First you have to Finish.
The 1000 horsepower Audi that had caused Andre sleepless nights exploded its diff during the parade runs on Friday night. One of the Skylines started spewing oil through its broken turbo and had to retire. By the time class finals started, Andres class had been reduced to 2 cars. His and Farouk Dangor’s stunning, blue R34 GTR with that 850 horsepower license plate.
Andre braked too soon for turn 2, lost too much speed and rather than reaching the speedtrap at over 170kph, as he had been, he only managed 168kph. Whether that angered him, or he simply woke up a bit late, we’ll never know, but the second half of his run was blisteringly quick and he completed the course in his fastest time yet. A very brisk 49.354 seconds! This was going to be close, regardless of the huge power difference between the 2 cars, 49.3 was not far off the pace.
Farouk’s Skyline shot from the line, like only a car with all wheel drive can. Then a strange noise and a puff of smoke from the exhaust. His car is limiting at 3500rpm and not performing!
Did Andre just win his class????
We’ll never hear the end of this! He’s only gone and won his class! A war of attrition, yes, but watch the replay of his last run – that was a stellar piece of driving through those esses towards the top of the course. A well deserved win.
Chapter 9 – Getting Home
Every time we leave Knysna, we debate whether we should have taken extra leave to stay a few more days and relax. Now we have to spend the next YEAR looking forward to the next one. What are we going to drive there? Are we going to race again? What should we race?
Simola is an incredibly special event. If you have never been, start booking your accommodation NOW, get tickets as soon as they go on sale and make sure you don’t miss 2026, because it never disappoints.
Once again we pointed the Jeep and the little Alfa down the N2 and headed back for home. Maybe I should take on the hill next year?
If our series on the Simola Hillclimb has inspired you, please consider joining us for the action next year! Go check out their website for more information.
If you missed the first couple of chapters of this series, you can find them >HERE<