Entry applications and ticket sales open for 17th Simola Hillclimb
Applications for entry now open for Classic Car Friday and King of the Hill; Tiered online ticket sales offer exceptional value for spectators
Entry applications and tiered online ticket sales have opened for the 17th Edition of the Simola Hillclimb - The World’s Fastest Hillclimb - which takes place in Knysna from 29 April - 2 May 2027.
Simola Hillclimb is the premier motoring and motorsport lifestyle event in South Africa, and provides a unique opportunity for visitors to enjoy the best long weekend of thrilling action in the country. The event is held on 1.9 km of a closed public road against the clock.
Classic Car Friday takes place on 30 April 2027, and will feature an amazing line-up of up to 65 cars and drivers competing for the Classic Conqueror crown. On 1-2 May, a maximum of 84 competitors will contest three separate King of the Hill title battles for Road Cars and Supercars; Modified Saloon Cars; and Single Seaters, Sports Cars and Sports Prototypes.
For spectators, the Simola Hillclimb has introduced three tiers for online ticket sales, giving visitors even greater value when purchasing General Entry, Upgrades, VIP Parking, and new Value Bundles early via the website. Tier 1, which carries over the pricing from the 2026 event, is available from 1 October to 30 November.
“We have opened online ticket sales earlier than ever, and we’re incentivising spectators to purchase their tickets early. This allows visitors to maximise their savings and overall value, and get the best out of their Simola Hillclimb experience,” says Emma Ross, Simola Hillclimb event director.
Entry applications
As a strictly invitational event, aspiring competitors can submit their request for invitation via the Simola Hillclimb website. Applications close at 12:00 on 1 February 2027, and accepted drivers will be informed by 14 February. The full event regulations are available online.
“Our objective each year is to keep the Classic Car Friday and King of the Hill line-ups fresh and interesting for the spectators, our online livestream audience and the competitors,” says Leon Smith, sporting director of the Simola Hillclimb. “Already we have received encouraging interest from overseas drivers, teams and manufacturers that would like to be part of the Simola Hillclimb next year, which will further raise the calibre and international status of the event.
“We have updated and refined the event regulations, with the most significant change for 2027 being the wider eligibility for single seaters, racing sports cars and GTs in Classic Car Friday. This has been raised from 1990 up to and including 2005, which will allow a much wider range of cars to be considered for entry. We have also kept the entry fee for Classic Car Friday unchanged from the 2026 event,” Smith says.
There’s a total of 10 classes in Classic Car Friday, spanning the historic pre-World War II cars in H1 that are scored on a handicap system, through to a variety of road cars, racing saloon cars, and thoroughbred single-seaters and racing sports cars up to and including 2005. The reigning champion is Ian Schofield, who secured his second Classic Conqueror title at the 16th Edition this year driving the 1977 March 77B (40.881 sec).
In King of the Hill, classes A1-A8 are for standard production, road-legal vehicles and supercars. This accommodates a broad range of engine types (including number of cylinders, naturally aspirated or turbocharged/supercharged), as well as two and four-wheel drive vehicles. Class A8 caters for road-going hybrid, electric or hydrogen powered vehicles, and has produced the overall road car and supercar King of the Hill category winner for the past two years. Clint Weston scored back-to-back wins at this year’s event with the hybrid-powered 2025 Mercedes-AMG GT SE E-Performance, setting a new record of 42.527 seconds in the process.
Modified saloon racing cars slot into classes B1-B8, accounting for various engine and drivetrain configurations, including alternative energy vehicles and hybrids. Additionally, class B9 encompasses sport utility vehicles and bakkies (or pickups), while B10 adds modified and tuned street legal production cars. Pieter Zeelie powered his race-developed Toyota MR2 to his second consecutive and third overall Modified Saloon Car King of the Hill title this year with a winning time of 37.216 seconds.
Purebred single-seater race cars are grouped into classes C1-C3, along with sports cars and sports prototype racers in classes C4-C7, once again based on engine type and capacity. Robert Wolk, who tragically passed away recently, secured his second King of the Hill title for this category this year with a time of 35.024 seconds in the 2005 Gould GR55.
Ticket sales
The Simola Hillclimb has introduced three pricing tiers for its online ticket sales in the build-up to the 2027 event, escalating 15-16% at each step. For Tier 1, the Simola Hillclimb carries over its pricing from this year’s event until 30 November 2026, representing cost-savings of up to 53% compared to tickets purchased at the gate.
Tier 2 is applicable from 1 December 2026 to 31 March 2027, while Tier 3 runs from 1-29 April 2027. Tickets will also be available at the gate during the event, but without the benefit of the online pricing structure.
Notably, the popular Fan Fest (29-30 April), Classic Car Friday Parade on the afternoon of 29 April, and King of the Hill Parade on 30 April all have free access to the public. The activities are located at Hedge Street and Waterfront Drive in Knysna.
General Entry
The three-day pass provides a saving of 17-18% at every tier for online purchases, providing superb value for spectators planning to attend the full event. Concessions are provided for pensioners (65 and over), with pricing remaining at R190 for one-day access or R465 for all three days, whether purchased online or at the gate. There is no cost for accompanied children under the age of 12 for tickets booked online, while a R50 fee applies for these tickets when purchased at the gate.
|
General Entry & Concessions |
Tier 1 |
Tier 2 |
Tier 3 |
Gate |
|
General Entry, day |
R190 |
R220 |
R250 |
R290 |
|
General Entry, 3-day |
R465 |
R540 |
R620 |
R720 |
|
Pensioner 65+, day |
R190 |
R190 |
R190 |
R190 |
|
Pensioner 65+, 3-day |
R465 |
R465 |
R465 |
R465 |
|
Under 12 |
Free |
Free |
Free |
R50 at the gate |
Upgrades and VIP Parking
The Simola Hillclimb offers a range of upgrades that make the event even more exhilarating for spectators, with the same escalating tier pricing structure. The highly sought-after Pit Access tickets allow fans to get into the heart of the action in the pit lane. As the number of Pit Access tickets are strictly limited in the interests of safety, these are usually sold out in advance, and pensioner and child concessions don’t apply.
Spectators can select seating at the Turn 2 Grandstand, which provides a spectacular view of the start line, all the way through Turn 2 into the uphill straight which is the fastest part of the 1.9 km Simola Hill course.
The Esses Grandstand is positioned near the top of the Simola Hill at the entry to the challenging series of corners that lead to the finish line. This grandstand also provides a scenic view of the Knysna Estuary and the Knysna Heads in the distance.
Convenient VIP Parking close to the pit lane is also available, with tickets exclusively available online.
|
Upgrades & VIP Parking |
Tier 1 |
Tier 2 |
Tier 3 |
Gate |
|
Pit Access, Friday |
R300 |
R300 |
R340 |
R400 |
|
Pit Access, Saturday–Sunday |
R340 |
R390 |
R440 |
R500 |
|
Pit Access, 3-day |
R880 |
R1,000 |
R1,130 |
R1,300 |
|
Turn 2 Grandstand, per day |
R300 |
R340 |
R380 |
R440 |
|
Turn 2 Grandstand, 3-day |
R830 |
R940 |
R1,050 |
R1,210 |
|
The Esses Grandstand, per day |
R270 |
R310 |
R350 |
R400 |
|
The Esses Grandstand, 3-day |
R745 |
R855 |
R965 |
R1,105 |
|
P1: VIP Parking, per day |
R165 |
R190 |
R215 |
No gate sales |
Value Bundles
For the 17th Edition of the Simola Hillclimb, new ticket bundles have been introduced for online purchase, adding enhanced value for spectators by offering savings of 15-25% compared to buying the tickets separately.
The Friday Full Throttle bundle is available for Classic Car Friday and includes General Entry, Pit Access and Turn 2 Grandstand seating. The King of the Hill 2-Day Package is valid for the Saturday and Sunday, and includes General Entry, Pit Access, Turn 2 Grandstand seating, an event programme and Simola Hillclimb cap.
A new Fast 4 Bundle has also been added to the online ticket sales, offering four General Entry tickets for the price of three. This option is available for all three days, and can only be purchased online.
|
Value Bundles |
Tier 1 |
Tier 2 |
Tier 3 |
Gate |
|
Friday Full Throttle (Classic Car Friday only) |
R590 |
R640 |
R730 |
No gate sales |
|
KOH 2-Day Package (Sat & Sun) |
R1,730 |
R1,940 |
R2,140 |
No gate sales |
|
Fast 4 Bundle – 4 General Entry tickets for the price of 3 (day-specific, Fri/Sat/Sun) |
R570 |
R660 |
R750 |
No gate sales |
Hospitality
The premium hospitality packages available at the Simola Hillclimb guarantee the ultimate experience for individual spectators or groups, as well as corporates and VIP guests. Each package includes General Entry, Pit Access and VIP Parking. Pricing is fixed, and can only be purchased online.
For the Le Mans VIP Lounge, which overlooks the Simola Hillclimb start line, capacity is limited to 250 guests per day, with a cost of R1 200 per day for children under 12. Tickets are sold either as single day (Friday, Saturday or Sunday), two-day for King of the Hill (Saturday and Sunday), or the full three-day package covering the entire event.
The Private Hospitality Boxes, comprising VIP Pavillion and Speed Lounge, are sold only as two-day tickets covering King of the Hill on Saturday and Sunday, with the option to extend the private hospitality experience to Classic Car Friday at an additional cost.
|
Hospitality |
Tier 1 |
Tier 2 |
Tier 3 |
Gate |
|
Le Mans, Friday |
R2,950 |
R2,950 |
R2,950 |
No gate sales |
|
Le Mans, Saturday |
R4,950 |
R4,950 |
R4,950 |
No gate sales |
|
Le Mans, Sunday |
R4,950 |
R4,950 |
R4,950 |
No gate sales |
|
Le Mans, 2-day (Sat & Sun) |
R9,000 |
R9,000 |
R9,000 |
No gate sales |
|
Le Mans, 3-day |
R11,450 |
R11,450 |
R11,450 |
No gate sales |
|
Le Mans, Child under 12 |
R1,200 |
R1,200 |
R1,200 |
No gate sales |
|
VIP Pavilion, 2-day (Sat & Sun) |
R14,950 |
R14,950 |
R14,950 |
No gate sales |
|
Speed Lounge, 2-day (Sat & Sun) |
R14,950 |
R14,950 |
R14,950 |
No gate sales |
The 17th Edition
The 17th Edition of the Simola Hillclimb takes place in Knysna from 29 April - 2 May 2027.
#SimolaHillclimb
About the Simola Hillclimb
The Simola Hillclimb is held annually on Simola Hill in Knysna, Western Cape, South Africa. Established in 2009, it is known as The World’s Fastest Hillclimb and runs across two competition formats: Classic Car Friday and King of the Hill. The 2026 event was the 16th Edition, staged 16 times across 18 years. The event is owned and run by Knysna Speed Festival (Pty) Ltd.
*Information provided by the publicist.
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