Suzuki Swifts Stun at Simola 2026

The 16th edition of the annual Simola Hillclimb saw a bevvy of diminutive Suzuki Swifts take to the 1.9 km long mountain pass, sharing the tarmac with some of the fastest and most powerful modified machines in South Africa. Drivers and competitors from around the country descended on the sleepy town of Knysna for one of South Africa's most prestigious events. Over the course of three days, a wide variety of metals would contest the hill in a bid to set the fastest time in one direction.

Suzuki Auto South Africa, no stranger to the Simola Hillclimb, entered no fewer than 4 Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL+ hatches. Driving the machines this year were a variety of motoring journalists and social media personalities. Ignition TV motoring presenter, Ziphorah Masethe (@CoolCarChick) was joined by sim racing and rally-rookie, Yolanda "Girlie" Lukhele, waving the feminine flag this weekend for Suzuki, while Top Gear Magazine Publisher, Avon Middleton and the driving force behind the TheCarScene social media efforts, Sam Da Fonseca, rounded off the quartet. 

The Suzuki Swift

Suzuki's objective with the exercise is to show how capable its popular little hatchback is, and that it's entirely possible to enjoy a completely stock-standard road car in an event like this. The Suzuki Swift 1.2 GL+ manuals that were chosen to partake in this year's event were left completely standard - no additions and no extractions, aside from bright and cheerful liveries to make them look the part.

The 1.2 GL+ produces 60 kW and a mere 112 Nm torque, sending power to the front wheels through a 5-speed manual gearbox - hardly a menace on a race track. Nevertheless, these machines showed that, with enough grit and determination, they, too, could conquer the hill in a respectable time. A Swift like this costs only R249 900, making it accessible and affordable.

High Speed Action

The Simola weekend saw three days of action, with Classic Car Friday attracting a variety of classic machines, dating all the way back to the pre-war era. It was Ian Schofield who took top honours in the Classic Conqueror shootout in his 1977 March 77B Formula Atlantic single-seater, setting a blistering time of 40.881 seconds, showing that the older machines still have what it takes to thrill.

Saturday allowed competitors in the Single Seater, Sports Car and Sports Prototypes; Modified Saloons; and Road Cars and Supercars categories to practice in the morning before setting out on qualifying runs that would start to determine their ranking for the class finals and ultimately, the King Of The Hill Shootout. 

Robbie Wolk, behind the wheel of a Gould GR55, set the pace early on in the Single Seater class, with Pieter Zeelie and his 2002 Toyota MR2 leading the charge in the Modified Saloon class. It was Clint Weston, Mercedes-Benz Driving Dynamics head, who laid down the gauntlet in the Road Car category in a 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT63 SE, hoping to be able to defend his title.

Sunday brought with it clear skies and a promise of fierce competition. Competitors would only have a few more qualifying passes before the shootout, and all the drivers were eager to chip away at their times. The class finals saw a number of drivers post their best times, but only the top 10 would progress to the KOTH shootout, arguably the most prestigious accolade of the weekend.

Ultimately, it was Wolk who claimed the Single Seater crown, with a time of 35.024 seconds, reclaiming a title he won last in 2024. Clint Weston defended his Road and Supercar title, with a time of 42.616, shortly after setting a new class record with a run of 42.527 seconds in the class finals.

The brutal Modified Saloons class saw Pieter Zeelie continue his good form with a victory in class and the overall King Of The Hill title, setting a time of 37.216 seconds with an average speed of 183.792 km/h, only 0.126 sec off his class record from last year.

The Suzuki Story

It was the first time up the hill for all four of the Suzuki drivers, and the nerves were high, as was to be expected. The first few practice runs saw the four drivers get to grips with the course layout, in the process familiarising themselves with the Suzuki Swift's capabilities. After the initial shakedown, it was Da Fonseca that posted the fastest time of the group, with a 1:05.598 to his name. Girlie Lukhele was just over a second adrift with a 1:06.624, while Masethe managed a 1:07.777. Middleton was experimenting with techniques, and his qualifying efforts saw him initially post a conservative 1:08.027.

By the end of the day, all four had improved and could rest easy, knowing that their first day was behind them and free of incident. The Swifts had performed flawlessly and were continuing to inspire confidence with each pass. At the close of day 1, the times for the Suzuki team were as follows:

Day 2 at the Hill

With only three more official runs of the weekend, Sunday brought with it its own pressures and challenges. The drivers knew a Top 10 Shootout was out of reach given the more powerful competition, but were still eager to post their best time and put on a good show for the crowd. By the end of the three runs, each driver had improved and secured their best time of the weekend.

It was not without some drama, though, as on her second timed run for the day, Masethe ran wayward, resulting in an oversteer situation that she wrestled with for several meters to save, but not before making contact with the culvert and embankment. Shaken (but not stirred), Masethe emerged from the vehicle unscathed, lifting her arms in the air to let everyone know that she was ok. With a few scuffed panels and wheels and tyres that were a little worse for wear, the compact Suzuki held up well given the impact's speed.

Sam da Fonseca rightfully claimed his place as the fastest Suzuki of the four, rounding off what was an exciting first experience for him at the hill.

The weekend drew to a close with spirits high and war stories being exchanged in the paddock, the Suzukis successfully accomplishing what they 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. We like to say that horsepower stands for ‘hope pret’ - a lot of fun - and that’s been our approach from the start,” said Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager for Suzuki Auto South Africa.