Podium and pride for Suzuki at Simola

The Suzuki Swift Sport has slayed the legendary Simola Hill with unexpectedly rapid periods and a put on the class podium.

The Suzuki Swift Activity has slayed the mythical Simola Hill with unexpectedly speedy periods and a spot on the course podium.

The two Swift Sport versions – a handbook and an computerized – finished the course closing race on Sunday afternoon with moments of 54.913 seconds (Reuben van Niekerk, automatic) and 54.580 (Wesley Greybe, manual).

The time established by Greybe was enough to generate him a location on the course podium. And it was a mere 6 seconds slower than the class winner, Jared Yeo, in a Porsche Cayman 718 S.

“We came to Simola to present that you don’t have to have to break the financial institution to have a really aggressive sporting activities motor vehicle, or wonderful enjoyment, on the hill climb. Wesley and Reuben did just that.

“We understood that if our two racers set a time of significantly less than one particular minute on the 1.9-kilometre observe, we would have proved our level. Both of those drivers held bettering as the weekend progressed and amazed us ­– and the crowd – with closing occasions underneath 55 seconds,” says Brendon Carpenter, Manufacturer Marketing Supervisor of Suzuki Car South Africa.

Suzuki’s Simola marketing campaign started out with exercise operates and the first qualifying drives on Saturday. Weighty rain through the night time and an intermittent drizzle produced slippery situations on the twisty mountain road and saved several contenders in the pits.

Both Suzuki drivers participated in each and every solitary operate, regardless of the situations. Van Niekerk set in a very first apply time of 1:06.135, while Greybe logged 1:01.811 up the hill. Immediately after every single run, as the drivers grew to become additional common with their vehicles, they commenced shaving off next just after 2nd.

By the close of Saturday’s racing, Greybe was on a best time of 55.709 seconds and Van Niekerk respiratory down his neck with a time of 55.901 seconds.

“It is testomony to the good quality of the car’s suspension and transmission that the guide and vehicle versions of the Swift Activity can operate so shut to each and every other,” says Van Niekerk.

“It is also incredibly spectacular to see how the two automobiles could line up for a aggressive operate, time immediately after time, with no any fade or failure. Maintain in thoughts that both equally automobiles came straight off the showroom floor to the start line.

“It is great to be at the Simola Hillclimb. The Swift Sport truly amazed me and we both of those acquired into the 54s, which is outstanding for a automobile that would make 103 kW and costs much less than R380 000. It is these excellent bang for your buck, I never feel you can get any better.

”Sunday’s racing begun with drama as just one of the greatly modified autos blew its engine and spilled a good deal of oil onto the highway. This intended that the initially practice operate and qualifying round of the morning had to be cancelled.

The oil spill also intended that a significant element of the highway, particularly the rapidly sweeps in the direction of the close of the hill, was included in a great powder to take up any excessive oil. The powder left a cloud of dust and improved the surface area dynamics, which designed racing far more complicated.

“I was truly amazed by the Swift Sport’s prowess. The automobile is light-weight and the chassis taught, which is best for any sporting activities auto, and it authorized you to continue to keep your foot planted with self esteem despite the dust on the street,” claims Greybe.

Greybe continued to make improvements to on his situations as the track cleaned up and temperatures rose. His time of 54.580 in the course last was his quickest time of the total weekend and a lot quicker than various a great deal-more substantial vehicles on the hill.

“It appears peculiar, but it felt like the grip elevated as the day progressed. I feel it was far more a situation of the automobile offering you the self esteem to push it as tough as you can, knowing that it will reward you each time,” claims Greybe.

Suzuki joined the 2022 Simola Hillclimb as a Tier Just one sponsor right after supporting several Suzuki-driven racers in the 2021 party.

“We decided to sign up for the event as a sponsor mainly because it resonates with our brand’s like of pleasurable and excitement. We also wished to aid the function return to its status as a fan favorite after the lockdown and polices stored admirers away past yr,” suggests Carpenter.

“It didn’t take a lot for us to also make your mind up to enter the Hillclimb as competition, and we are extremely grateful that Reuben and Wesley agreed to race for us. Their gritty racing and frequent advancement were being a fantastic foil for the Swift Sport’s character.”

Two other racers also represented Suzuki electric power at Simola.

Devin Robertson returned to Simola with his Suzuki Hayabusa-driven Radical SR1. He set just one of the swiftest situations of the working day all through the qualifying rounds and finished the race day with a time of 39.515 seconds. This was one of the quickest periods of the day general.

Megan Verlaque was a crowd favourite in her diminutive Speedcar Extreme, run by a Suzuki GSX-R600 motor. Verlaque is a rallycross expert, and she appeared very relaxed on the twisty mountain highway.

She finished her campaign with a final operate of 46.828 seconds for the duration of the ultimate Prime 10 shootout.

The two Suzuki superbikes also returned for a closing pair of operates on Sunday.

Suzuki shipped a initially variation of its all-new GSX-S1000 SGT to the Simola Hill to show the speed-loving crowds prior to it is formally launched in a pair of months.

The GT is equipped with the very same 999cc engine as the bare GSX-S1000, but it is tuned for additional cozy cruising. It is also the initially Suzuki that is equipped with the group’s new substantial-resolution TFT dashboard with smartphone integration.

At last, Suzuki invited their prime-tier racer AJ Venter to convey his Isle of Man TT GSX-R1000 R in full race specification to the hill. Venter entertained the crowds by screaming up and down the hill through intermissions, from time to time on 1 wheel only.

Claims Carpenter: “Suzuki has a proud history at various hill climbs, most notably with Monster Tajima and his effective modified Suzukis at Pikes Peak. Now we can increase the sterling effectiveness of the Suzuki Swift Sport to that legacy.”