Smashing records and wowing crowds - 2022 Simola Hillclimb the best in its 12-year history

• The 2022 Simola Hillclimb saw Suzuki South Africa come on board as a major sponsor.

• The Japanese automaker has a rich international Hillclimb history, making it a sensible decision to partner with the Simola Hillclimb.

• The automaker raced two of its Swift Sport models up the 1.9km hill.

• For more motoring stories, visit Wheels24

The 2022 Simola Hillclimb was undoubtedly the best iteration of the event yet. The 12th edition of South Africa's premier Hillclimb event took place under various weather conditions, but Sunday 8 May's main running was done under clear skies.

On Saturday, the first day of the King of the Hill shootout, the weather gods decided to rain down on Knysna and leave the quaint town with plenty to ponder about as everyone looked for the nearest hot spot. Only in the Simola region, the wet roads and pools of mud could not deter competitors and the live audience from missing a single beat of the action.

The morning of day 1's running of the King of the Hill challenge saw the event occur in challenging conditions, with several drivers going off the track and bringing about temporary stoppages. It dried up around the afternoon, but drizzle returned in the afternoon.

On Sunday, though, the track was clear, and could the runners go about the final qualifying rounds before the shootout at the day's end. When the business end came around, 2021 King of the Hill André Bezuidenhout retained his crown and set a new record in the process. Improving his time by 0.8 seconds, the driver blitzed up the Hill in 34.161 seconds, with an average speed of 201.18km/h from a standing start!

Confirming his 2023 participation, Bezuidenhout said: "With that 34.1 second time, a 33 must be possible, so I'm definitely coming back!"

KEE