Countdown begins for inaugural Cape Town hill climb

This October the twists and turns of the Mother City’s Philip Kgosana Drive will echo with the sound of high-performance engines as the Speed Classic Cape Town makes its debut.

Set to run on October 25 and 26, this exciting new hill climb event will feature a mix of classic and contemporary race cars taking on the mountain route, with a curated lifestyle experience for spectators.

“We are proud to support the Speed Classic Cape Town and as a city we love to host world class events,” said mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis. “I believe this race has the potential to grow into a mainstay event in Cape Town and become a prestigious occasion that will bring visitors from around the world and showcase our city globally.”

Day 1 is all about heritage. About 70 classic cars are set to line up, among them:

Stuart Mackay-Davidson’s 1980 Ferrari 308 GTB;
Harry Tayler’s 1930 Bentley 4.5l Le Mans; and
Charles Arton’s 1979 March 79A — a bespoke build race car for Formula Atlantic in South Africa.

Other names to watch include:

Franco Scribante (1970 Chevron B19);
Swiss racer Serge Endress (1965 Lola T70 Spyder);
Matthias Annefield (1971 Ford Capri Perana); and
Dutch former F1 driver/1988 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Jan Lammers.

Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said he believes the event has the potential to grow into a mainstay event in Cape Town and become a prestigious occasion that will bring visitors from around the world. (Supplied)

Modern machinery takes over on day 2 in the King of the Mountain showdown. Among the headliners are:

Farouk Dangor’s Ferrari SF90 Stradale;
Greg Parton’s Lamborghini Aventador;
Pieter Zeelie’s Toyota MR2 Super GT; and
Dawie Joubert’s Ferrari V8-powered Lotus Exige.

Scribante will also be back in his Nissan GTR35, joined by:

Marcel Angel’s Ferrari 488 GT3;
Byron Mitchell’s Reynard Formula VW; and
Connor Kilbride’s Ligier JS53-Evo 2.

“Our course plan is approved by Motorsport South Africa and we have the best safety equipment on hand,” said project director Steyn Momberg.

“All our safety barriers and catch fences were used for Formula E and we have the same disaster management team from the City of Cape Town that managed Formula E.

The event will offer a diverse line-up of classic and modern sports cars. (Supplied)

“From the beginning we have wanted the Speed Classic Cape Town to be more than a motorsport event.

“We also have a strong lifestyle element and want this to be something for all of Cape Town. We have everything from exclusive lifestyle experiences and grandstands to a race village where we’ll have brand activations, kiddies’ areas, big screens with live feeds and great food options, making it a perfect day out for the whole family.”

Tickets are on sale now via Webtickets:

General access: R200 per person, per day
Children: under 6 free, ages 6 to 12 pay R50
Grandstand: R1,200 per person, per day
Pit access: R750 per person, per day (with General or Grandstand ticket)
VIP hospitality: R4,500 per person, per day (up to nine tickets via Webtickets; corporate bookings via hospitality@speedclassic.capetown)