KNYSNA NEWS - Legendary South African racing driver Sarel van der Merwe will serve as the ceremonial Grand Marshal for the 16th running of the Simola Hillclimb adding further prestige to one of the country’s premier motorsport spectacles.
Widely regarded as one of South Africa’s most accomplished race and rally drivers, Van der Merwe’s appointment is being hailed as a fitting tribute to a career that helped shape the nation’s motorsport history.
He will lead off the King of the Hill competitors, officially waving them away as the event’s headline action gets underway.
Van der Merwe holds a special place in Simola Hillclimb folklore. He famously won the inaugural event in 2009 behind the wheel of a V8 Masters Ashley Ford Mustang, setting a benchmark time of 43.040 seconds.
That victory helped establish the Simola Hillclimb as a serious competitive platform and laid the foundation for its rise to international recognition.
Today, the event is regarded as South Africa’s premier motoring and lifestyle motorsport showcase, drawing elite drivers, rare performance machines and thousands of spectators to Knysna each year.
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