TimesLIVE to tame Simola Hillclimb in a Suzuki Swift Sport

The Simola Hillclimb is something I have enjoyed on and off since its inception in 2010.

Held in the sleepy tourist town of Knysna in the Western Cape, this annual motorsport extravaganza has and continues to attract numerous motor manufacturers to its start line as it is an ideal place to demonstrate their performance wares to the greater public.

As said manufacturers often recruit motoring journalists to do the honours (you give us exposure, we'll give you a weekend-long taste of the race driver lifestyle), I have been lucky enough to rocket up the 1.9km mountain pass in a host of Renault, Jaguar and BMW models including the immensely quick (but heavy) i4 M50 xDrive Gran Coupé.

This year things will be different as Suzuki (a Tier One sponsor of the event) will be handing me the key (and a helmet) to one of three feathery Swift Sport hatchbacks competing in Class A1: a battleground for standard road going production cars (front- or rear-wheel drive) fitted with either a turbocharged or supercharged four-cylinder engine. 

Now I've long been a fan of the Swift Sport ever since I drove the first generation model launched locally in 2010. While it and its second generation predecessor might not have been the quickest sporting hatchbacks in a straight line, their lack of weight, revvy 1.6l motors and agile handling made them joyous vehicles to scoot around on everyday roads.

They were also relatively affordable to purchase (and keep), making them a fine choice for enthusiasts with shallow pockets. While happy to serve as reliable daily transport, the Swift Sport was equally at home attending weekend track days or parking lot gymkhanas. 

Though it might be a polariser of opinion in the looks department, there's no denying the third-generation Swift Sport moved the performance game on with the introduction of the Japanese carmaker's 1.4l turbocharged Boosterjet engine sending 103kW and 230Nm worth of torque through to the front wheels via a six-speed manual or automatic gearbox.

Stealing a page out of Colin Chapman's playbook, Suzuki added some extra lightness too with the third generation model weighing 70kg less than the model it replaced. Tipping the scales at 970kg, this means it boasts a power to weight ratio of over 100kW/tonne. This is an impressive figure and one that makes the Swift Sport particularly well suited to ascending the Simola Hillclimb course. Especially through the twistier sections where its lack of heft should aid in snappy changes of direction and minimal scrubbing of speed.

While the automatic gearbox might make things a bit more challenging (none of us Suzuki 'factory' drivers are being outfitted with manuals this year), I'm looking forward to the challenge of piloting my TimesLIVE Motoring branded Swift Sport up the hill and extracting every last thousandth of a second from it. And while the brief is to make the brand look good and not clobber into any roadside scenery (or the unexplored valley below), you can be sure I will be looking to outperform my teammates while I'm at it. 

The 2024 Simola Hillclimb takes place from May 2 to 5 and will be streamed live on YouTube. Watch this space (or follow me on Instagram) for updates as they happen.