Gutzeit proved the master of Simola 2015

“It was a fantastic weekend, and I thoroughly enjoyed it,” Des said at the winner’s podium.
“We set out to win this event after coming so close last year, and I’m really glad we achieved our goal. My crew did an amazing job with the car and I have to thank the organisers for putting a splendid event together.”

Despite convincingly taking the 2015 King of the Hill trophy, the Gutzeits are already looking ahead to the 2016 event. “I’m not sure if I can go any faster, but next year we’ll definitely try to break the 40-second barrier,” he confidently stated. Gutzeit Senior had set the tone throughout the two days of intense competition in his explosive, more than a 1 000kW Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R, tussling back and forth during the practice and qualifying sessions with son Jade in the newly built Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7.

The Port Shepstone-based duo dominated the six qualifying rounds spread over Saturday and Sunday, with Des leading the charge on 40,210sec, blitzing Franco Scribante’s existing 2014 record of 41,159sec by almost a full second. Des continued to set scintillating times, but unfortunately Jade only completed one Sunday qualifier at full tilt before the clutch packed up on his second run in the 600kW Evo 7.

He and the rest of the Dezzi crew worked feverishly to remove the engine and gearbox in order to replace the clutch, finishing just in time for the Class Finals after a truly exceptional team effort. Toby Venter had his best run of the weekend to cross the line on 42,098sec to qualify third in his Porsche 911 GT2RS Le Mans – a time that was matched by Darron Gudmanz in the Nissan R35 GT-R, indicating just how close and intense the competition was. Reigning champion Franco Scribante (Chevron B19) had to be content with fifth on 42,215sec, ahead of Sav Gualtieri (BMW 335i) a tenth slower and Jacki Scheckter (Nissan R35 GT-R) on 42,699sec.

Duane Galloway (R32 Nissan Skyline GT-R) qualified eighth on 44,181sec, just ahead of Craig Czank (Nissan R35 GT-R) on 44,237sec, while another Gutzeit, Jade’s younger brother Shane, rounded the top 10 in his R32 GT-R with a time of 44,244sec. Graeme Nathan, one of the top runners in his class, saw his hillclimb challenge come to an abrupt end in Qualifying 5 when a lower control arm broke mid-corner on his 1972 BMW 3.0 CSL, sending the car straight into a tyre barrier. He emerged unhurt, but with a hefty repair bill for his classic Beemer.

Class finals
With the sun blazing down on the Simola hill the scene was set for the action-packed Class Finals. The top three qualifiers in each class had a one-dash opportunity to settle the scores once and for all, and there was plenty of excitement around – both in the bustling pit lane and at the many spectator points located along the challenging 1,9km course.

Class A catered for road cars, and it was a case of giving it absolutely everything for Wynand Vlok, who set off as the leader in Class A3 and scored a convincing win by almost two seconds in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7 with a time of 45,849sec.

But he was pushing so hard that he lost control of the car just after the finish line and suffered a hefty impact against the embankment.
The driver was shaken but unhurt, yet the car was decidedly worse for wear – but he still picked up the class trophy for his efforts!

As the oldest driver in the paddock and a former rally and circuit racing champion, 79-year-old Geoff Mortimer remains as sharp and committed as ever, and he won Class A4 with a time of 47,178sec in his distinctive Nissan 350Z. It was an all-Nissan GT-R affair in A5, as Quinsley Sale dominated the class in his R34 Skyline GT-R on 44,711sec. Jacques du Plessis (Toyota Conquest) took the honours in A6 (50,768sec), with Johann Zulch (BMW 325i) the top finisher in A7 (56,324sec).

Greg Parton has competed in every one of the Knysna hillclimbs to date, and his screaming Lamborghini Aventador topped Class A8 at 45,676sec, with Ernst du Preez powering his new McLaren 650i to the lead of A9 on 45,713sec. In Class B, which hosts saloon-type race cars, Jade Gutzeit blitzed the opposition on 41,962sec, although this was just over half a second slower than his qualifying performance.  However, it was a remarkable effort for the multiple off-road and enduro motorcycle champion.

He just finished putting his Mitsubishi back together after replacing the clutch, then donned his overalls and charged straight into the time attack with mere seconds to spare. If there was an award for effort, Jade would have won it hands-down. Predictably, Des Gutzeit was untouchable in B2 with a time of 40,266sec – which established an official new Jaguar Simola Hillclimb lap record.

Thouca Mechanicos led B3 in his dazzling one-of-a-kind modified Mercedes-Benz C55 AMG (45,066sec), while Nico van Rensburg took the laurels in B4 in the compact VW Scirocco Mk1 on 54,923sec. In B5, Peter Zeelie set the fastest time of 45,698sec in the Toyota 3.5 V6-powered Lotus Exige.
The ground trembled as ever-popular Willie Hepburn roared across the finish line in 44,070sec in the iconic 8-litre Opel Rekord to claim the win in B6.

Single seater and sports racing cars made up Class C, with Donny Lamola claiming C1 in the amazing 1,0-litre EcoBoost-powered Formula Ford (50,237sec). Reigning champion Franco Scribante topped C2 in his rapid Chevron B19 (41,891sec), while Arnold Klimke (Lotus 7 replica) took C3 (47,975sec), with Mike Verrier powering the Reynard to victory in C4 with a time of 45,797sec.

King of the hill
Two intense days of intense ear-piercing racing, fuelled by plenty of tyre smoke and high-octane exhaust fumes ultimately led to the highlight of the entire weekend – the King of the Hill Shootout. The excitement and tension rocketed as the last five of the final 10 competitors took to the starting line in succession. Sav Gualtieri was undoubtedly one of the surprises of the 2015 Hillclimb, as he blasted the radical BMW 335i race car to his fastest time yet of 41,659sec, which was ultimately sufficient to claim an impressive second place on King of the Hill.

Darron Gudmanz notched up his best time of 41,763sec. Franco Scribante missed gearshift once off the line and finished fourth on 42,015sec.
Finally it was down to the two Gutzeits, father and son. Des enjoyed a perfect start and an impeccable final run, rocketing across the beams in a new record time of 40,148sec – an astonishing 1,011sec faster than Scribante’s 2014 record. Jade was the last of the challengers. But he bogged down at the start, and only managed a 44,173sec, which dropped him down to seventh overall. Des was indeed a deserving winner after going all-out with his crowd-pleasing GT-R, and his remarkable new lap record rounded off yet another exceptional Jaguar Simola Hillclimb.