2023 Simola Hillclimb happening this weekend – Watch it live from anywhere in South Africa

The 13th instalment of the annual Simola Hillclimb in Knysna, Western Cape is taking place this weekend from 4-7 May, and you can watch it live in person or from the comfort of your own couch.

For the second year in a row, enthusiasts from all around South Africa can join the action regardless of where they are by tuning in to the Simola Hillclimb livestream which is running from the very first to the very last race.

Along with the official stream, Simola will be featured on television on the SABC Sports channel as well as the SABC Plus app.

What’s in store

This year’s Hillclimb is playing host to three days of action-packed racing up the famous mountain on a track measuring 1.9km long – less than half the length of the Kyalami Grand Prix Circuit and 500m shorter than Zwartkops Raceway – with a total elevation of 160m in such a short distance.

Kicking off in style, Classic Car Friday sees 75 cars stretching from the pre-war era to 1985 compete against one another, with the first one to roll onto the tarmac at 07h45 and the last one at 15h20.

Saturday and Sunday then have in store the King of the Hill Shootout where the South Africa’s fastest machinery will battle it out for prizes and, perhaps more importantly, bragging rights.

King of the Hill is limited to a maximum of 84 competitors which were all vetted by a committee to determine if they meet the criteria to take part.

One of last year’s winners in the single-seater and sports prototypes category ripped through the Hillclimb in a blistering 34.1 seconds at an average speed of 201.18km/h, and he’s aiming to crack the 33-second barrier this year.

Track action is from 09h00-16h30 on Saturday and 09h00-15h30 on Sunday.

Ticket prices

For those who are fortunate enough to attend in person, tickets for the 2023 Simola Hillclimb can be purchased online via Howler or the event website.

Prices for the general access passes are as follows:

• Adult general entry 1-day pass – R150
• Adult general entry 3-day pass – R380

For this year, the general access tickets can be upgraded with Pit Access and Turn 2 Grandstand passes with prices for these add-ons ranging from R220 to R600.

Another extra, VIP parking, is also available for R120, but as of the time of writing this option is sold out for both Saturday and Sunday’s events.