Pure speed took centre stage in Cape Town last weekend as close to 80 supercars and hillclimb monsters battled it out under the shadow of Table Mountain to claim the inaugural King of the Mountain title at Speed Classic Cape Town.
On Sunday 26 October, a closed-off Philip Kgosana Drive echoed with the roars of everything from modern Ferraris, McLarens and Lamborghinis, to modified single seaters and saloon cars with over 1000hp, going head-to-head on the 1.8km track.
After a day of intense hillclimb racing that saw cars clock top speeds of nearly 240km/h, Franco Scribante came out on top in the final King of the Mountain showdown in his 2018 Nissan GTR R35. Scribante set a time of 35.260 seconds, 0.599 seconds ahead of Reghard Roets in second place with a time of 35.859 seconds, driving a 2014 Nissan GTR R35. The podium was completed by Dawie Joubert who set a time of 37.407 in his Lotus Exige.
Scribante, who had to settle for second place on Classic Car Saturday, says, “It was a really great day for us. We were absolutely nowhere when we got to the Class Finals, so I knew we would have to dig deep. But I didn’t know if it would be enough, so it was a miracle that it all came together for the final run and I cannot wait to be back again next year.”
Despite being in contention for the crown throughout the day, it was heartbreak for Pieter Zeelie in the King of the Mountain shootout. Zeelie had regularly topped the timing charts, but a faulty start in his final run put him out of contention to be the fastest car on the day.
The course was described as one of the “most scenic tracks in the world”, by Enzo Kuun, Speed Classic Cape Town Race Director. “To race with Table Mountain to my right, the Atlantic Ocean to my left and Lion’s Head behind me was an absolute privilege and epic experience.”
After a hugely successful first weekend, which saw close to 15,000 spectators through the gates and close to 180,000 joining the livestream across Saturday and Sunday, Speed Classic Cape Town is poised to establish itself as a premier hillclimb event, says Garth Mackintosh, Speed Classic Cape Town Event Director.
“To see our vision come to fruition has been extremely satisfying. I think you can only get bigger and better from here and we are ready to invest and create a future event that can only go from strength-to-strength.”
The results for Speed Classic Cape Town can be accessed via: https://speedclassic.capetown/results/
The full Speed Classic Cape Town Classic Car Saturday and King of the Mountain can be watched via: https://www.youtube.com/live/uHJOTlt2KIk?si=KbLrpYgZFIUjB0Wt
Published by: Daniel Roodt
Motorsport South Africa (MSA) publishes media releases from a variety of sources on its website as a service to the sport. Due to the volume of content, it is not feasible to review or approve every release prior to publication. Some news items and articles are written by independent correspondents and may not necessarily reflect the official views or positions of MSA.