On the final day of this year’s Simola Hillclimb, a competition between Suzuki Swift drivers sought to crown the King of the Swifts.
Despite competing in Class A1, which was open to standard, two-wheel-drive production cars with four-cylinder engines that include turbo or superchargers, the Swifts failed to crack the Top 10 for the Class Finals.
Following multiple rounds of qualifying, the drivers completed their decisive runs up the 1.9km Simola Hill.
In what was his first real experience of competitive hillclimbing, Sam De Fonseca beat the rest of the field to take home the crown.
“I came here not expecting much, especially from myself in terms of a racing performance. I’ve never done this,” he said following his win.
“The most I’ve ever done is go-karting. But I think this proves that I can do it. For the little boy inside of me, I feel like I’m making my dream come true.”
De Fonseca’s closest competition, Avon Middleton, steadily improved his own pace throughout the qualifying rounds, but ultimately fell short of the top spot.
“Seemingly, I’ve come second in the group, which is not where I wanted to be, so there’s a bit of disappointment,” he admitted.
“But I found three seconds over the course of the weekend, and a second today, so I’m really happy with my own performance.”
Middleton acknowledged De Fonseca’s win, adding that his rival had performed well throughout the weekend.
Finishing in third was Yolanda ‘Girlie’ Lukhele, who managed to improve her times over the weekend, chipping away at her times throughout qualifying and delivering a strong run on the final day.
“It’s been an amazing experience. I’m so sad that it’s coming to an end, but I’ve had a great time. The energy has been incredible, and I’m just so grateful for the opportunity,” she said.
“The highlight for me was breaking into the 1:05s and going up that hill full speed – not lifting, just committing. That was the best part.”
The fourth competitor, Ziphorah Masethe, saw her weekend come to a premature end in the fifth round of qualifying.
Masethe veered off the track, resulting in minor damage to the car, which prevented her from competing on the final day.
“It was super scary. Coming out of that last corner, flat out, I just ran out of talent a bit. Next thing I’m trying to stabilise the car, and we hit the embankment,” she explained.
“The car handled really well. It’s not even that badly damaged — just some popped tyres. It really shows how safe the Suzuki Swift is.”
A competitive final day
Despite minor mishaps and a few scares, the King of the Swifts contest delivered great excitement on the final day of the 2026 Simola Hillclimb.
Suzuki called it a tightly fought, highly relatable battle where commitment outweighed outright power.
The carmaker noted that the small hatchbacks proved that performance is not defined by size or output, but by the driver’s willingness to push to the limit.
Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager for Suzuki Auto South Africa, said the concept achieved exactly what it set out to do.
“For us, it’s about showing that we’re a fun brand, and that our cars are accessible. The Swift is exactly that,” he said.
“We like to say that horsepower stands for ‘hope pret’ – a lot of fun – and that’s been our approach from the start.”
Suzuki noted that as the weekend drew to a close, the Swift drivers demonstrated their tenacity, growth, and courage, which it called a fitting conclusion to an engaging event subplot.
Loading ...
