The Suzuki Swift Sport is heading again to Johannesburg from Knysna with Simola Hillclimb silverware on board.
On Sunday, two of the three Suzuki Swift Sport fashions that competed in the 2023 Simola Hillclimb fought their approach into the class last and onto the class podium. The automobiles competed at school A1 for traditional manufacturing sports activities automobiles with pressured induction and two-wheel drive.
Suzuki Swift Sport efficiency
Wesley Greybe led the Suzuki pack for many of Saturday’s apply and qualifying rounds and through Sunday’s qualifying rounds and sophistication finals. He set a category last time of 1:00.809 on a moist observe and earned his place on the podium.
Prior to this final run in the rain, Greybe had set a greatest time of 54.395 throughout certainly one of the qualifying rounds on a dry observe. This is healthier than his time of 54.580 that he set in 2022 throughout the class last. He completed in second place final 12 months.
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“I knew that we could do faster times than last year. While the car remained unchanged, we had a better understanding of the ideal tyre pressures and racing lines. This meant that we could start competing for the class final from the very first run.”
Wesley Greybe, Suzuki Swift Sport
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It is price noting that Greybe set his greatest time in 2022 behind the wheel of a guide Swift Sport and this 12 months he swapped it for a Swift Sport auto.
“With the automatic transmission, you can flick between gears using the paddles behind the steering wheel, or you can leave the transmission to change gears automatically. This helps when you are pushing all out at the upper end of the Hillclimb and you would rather keep your focus on the road and your racing line.”
Wesley Greybe, Suzuki Swift Sport
Last 12 months Greybe set a high time of 55.709 in a guide Swift Sport. Reuben van Niekerk, who drove the Swift Sport auto, set a last time of 55.901.
“This just goes to show how sorted the Swift Sport is. You can comfortably choose between the manual and the auto without fear that you will compromise the vehicle’s sporty nature. It comes down to personal preference,” says Greybe.
Further proof of Greybe’s assertion got here from Sudhir Matai. Matai opted for the guide Swift Sport for his marketing campaign at the 2023 Simola Hillclimb, and he promptly borrowed the Suzuki Auto Managing Director’s firm automotive for the weekend.
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“I took some time to get settled behind the wheel and perfect my start sequence. If you are too eager on the throttle your wheels spin all the way to second gear. That can cost you valuable seconds in this form of racing,” says Matai.
Matai undoubtedly perfected his begin as a result of by the finish of the qualifying laps, he had a greatest time of 55.237 seconds, lower than 1 second off the tempo of the extra skilled Greybe in the auto Swift Sport.
Class finals
In the class finals, Matai needed to race first. It meant that he was the very first particular person on the observe simply after a brief cloudburst left swimming pools of water on the observe and despatched spectators scampering for canopy.
The mixture of rain and the layer of rubber laid down by all the opponents over the final two and a half days created very slippery situations for Matai, Greybe and the different opponents to navigate.
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“The last run was quite challenging! Our last run of the Hillclimb was also the first one in the rain and you had to try and push as hard as possible, while negotiating the new conditions.”
Sudhir Matai, Suzuki Swift Sport
Matai accomplished his run in 1:02.667 for a 3rd place in Class A1. Greybe earned the second place with a time of 1:00.809. The class was gained by Deon Joubert in the new 2023 Honda Civic Type-R.
Earlier in the day, Kumbi Mtshakazi accomplished his marketing campaign with a high qualifying time of 56.091 seconds. This is lower than a second behind Matai and a real accomplishment for the younger Mtshakazi in his first ever racing occasion.
“I couldn’t have asked for a better sports car in which to start my racing career. It is so easy to go fast in this hot hatch because the direct steering and well-tuned chassis is so communicative and gives you the confidence to push harder with every run,” says Mtshakazi.
Chelsy Pinto, Product Planning and Sales Development Coordinator at Suzuki Auto and Team Manager for the 2023 Suzuki Swift Sport Team at Simola, says: “This is strictly what we wished to realize with our three-car staff at the 2023 Simola Hillclimb. We blended guide and computerized transmissions and selected drivers with totally different ranges of expertise and so they all completed the weekend inside a whisker of one another.
“The Swift Sport is designed to nurture the novice and reward the skilled driver. And at an entry value of R419 900 it nonetheless provides the greatest performance-per-rand in the business and positively at the Hillclimb.
Suzuki Power
While all eyes have been on Greybe, Matai and Mtshakazi, there have been different Suzuki-powered autos in motion throughout the weekend.
In the King of the Hill competitors for single-seater racing automobiles, two automobiles raced with Suzuki energy.
Devin Robertson competed at school C5 together with his Radical SR1. This custom-built sports activities automotive is fitted with a Suzuki Hayabusa engine and at the 2023 Simola Hillclimb Robertson set a greatest new time of 40.794 seconds. This earned him the second place in the Single Seater and Sports Prototype Shootout for the King of the Hill title.
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Megan Verlaque returned to Simola along with her Speedcar Extreme. Her compact racing automotive is fitted with a 1 000 cc Suzuki motorbike engine. Verlaque set a last greatest time in qualifying of 44.710 seconds.
Suzuki additionally continued its custom of introducing a brand new motorbike to the followers at Simola. This 12 months, the firm unveiled its brand-new Suzuki V-Strom 1050 DE dual-purpose motorbike.
The new V-Strom can be the flagship in the group’s on/off highway vary and it was raced up and down the Simola Hill throughout lunchbreaks. It was accompanied by Suzuki’s highly regarded GSX-R1000 R superbike.
Suzuki commits to the Simola Hillclimb
Suzuki Auto South Africa has accomplished its third Simola Hillclimb and the second one the place it competed in Class A1 with the Suzuki Swift Sport.
“We joined the Simola Hillclimb in 2021 amid restrictions on fans and the movement of people. From that very first event, we committed to supporting the Hillclimb and its ethos of providing an exciting and accessible motor-racing event,” says Brendon Carpenter, Brand Marketing Manager of Suzuki Auto South Africa.
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“This is the first year that crowds were allowed back with no restrictions, and it is fantastic to see the event return to its former glory. As Suzuki, we are also heartened by the additional support that the Hillclimb has received from other vehicle manufacturers and sponsors.”
Suzuki Auto has publicly introduced that it’s going to proceed its assist of the Simola Hillclimb. It will return in 2024.
Published by Suzuki Auto South Africa on MotorPress
For extra information about the 2023 Simola Hillclimb and different thrilling motorsport, comply with our motorsport web page.
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