Summarize

The action was explosive, when just a few hundredths of a second separated the fastest men and machines as Zwartkops Raceway treated Gauteng race fans to something completely different with its inaugural Top of the Hill Challenge on Saturday. The two kilometre hillclimb, starting at turn 4 and running in the reverse direction up to Turn 5 and the finish, attracted a diverse, interesting and competitive entry, and delivered an exceptional day of racing.

It was veteran Reghard Roets who emerged King of the Hill at the end of the day. He manhandled his wild Nissan GT-R to a most impressive 53.257 second run to edge Pieter Zeelie’s equally mad Toyota MR2-based hill climber to thrill the crowd as Roets took the overall win by just three hundredths of a second. Charl Joubert ended a second off the pace in third aboard his muscular Lotus Elise.

Zeelie edged Steve Clark’s Cobra, Aldo Scribante’s crazy Audi S4 and Ian Schofield driving his wieldy 1977 Formula Atlantic March 77B. Jonathan Mogotsi’s impressive Volkswagen SupaCup, Devin Robertson, Pieter Joubert’s Lotus Exige and George Evans’ Corvette rounded out the overall top ten. Overall winner Reghard Roets took the Modified Saloon Car Shootout from Pieter Zeelie, Charl Joubert, Steve Clark, Aldo Scribante and Jonathan Mogotsi. 

Ian Schofield dominated the Classic Conqueror over Mark du Toit’s Ford Fairlane, James Temple and Seef Fourie’s Daytona Cobra Roadsters, Warren Lombard’s Cobra and Jonathan du Toit in a Mercury Cougar. Schofield’s closest single seater opposition came from JM Gerber’s van Diemen, Renzo Ribeiro’s Swift VW GTi, and Josef Kotze’s Birkin S3.

Vic Campher stormed to street car honours in his spectacular Porsche 911 GT3. He left Courtney Nicholl’s Mercedes-AMG CLA 45, Jared Rossouw, Muhammad Hoosain’s -AMG E63, Campher himself in an electric Volvo EX30, and Vinesh Padayachy’s Ford Shelby Mustang Supersnake to pick up the pieces. Last but not least, Volkswagen Rookie Cup regulars Judd Bertholdt, Dhivyen Naidoo and Uzair Khan fought it out with a few journalist teammates topped by Brendon Staniforth fourth in class.

Some diverse entries entertained alongside the quickest of them. Rodney Green called back the 1950s in his original Les Miler Spider MG Special, while Ismael Baloyi’s Noddy Car Metropolitan caused a few giggles, among much more fun. The action may have been tighter at the top were it not for a degree of attrition. Franco Scribante’s Nissan GT-R could have made it a three-way battle for the win, while Andre Bezuidenhout’s GR55 hill climb special may have beaten them all, had either not hit trouble. 

But that’s just racing, as they say, and the inaugural Top of the Hill Challenge certainly delivered a great day’s entertainment. It's national action next at Zwartkops with a full Extreme Festival weekend to crown South Africa’s 2024 racing champions. Diarise Saturday 19 October for that now!