Schofield wins Classic Car Friday at Simola Hillclimb

The 16th Simola Hillclimb got under way in dramatic style on Friday as Classic Car Friday produced tight competition and plenty of on-track action.

Ian Schofield claimed top honours in the Classic Conqueror Top 10 Shootout, piloting his 1977 March 77B Formula Atlantic car to a second title, adding to his 2022 victory.

The day featured a closely fought contest between several former winners. Seven-time champion Franco Scribante set the pace throughout, topping all three practice sessions as well as the three qualifying runs. His best effort — an unofficial 41.107 seconds in the 1970 Chevron B19 during Q3 — marked his quickest time yet on the hill.

Schofield remained within striking distance all day, getting to within just one-hundredth of a second of Scribante in Q2. 2023 winner Andre Bezuidenhout, driving a 1976 Lola T460, was also firmly in the mix, leaving little between the leading trio heading into the single-run shootout.

Bezuidenhout’s challenge unravelled in the final run due to gearbox trouble, dropping him down the order to ninth. Scribante completed a clean run in 41.222 seconds, but Schofield delivered when it counted, stopping the clock at 40.881 seconds to secure victory. His run equated to an average speed of 167.315km/h from a standing start and was a full second quicker than his earlier class-winning effort.

Reghard Roets made his Classic Car Friday debut count, finishing on the podium in a 2000 Nissan Skyline R34 GT-R from the BB Motorsport collection. He crossed the line in 45.290 seconds after pushing the car hard throughout.

Mike McLoughlin took fourth place in his 2005 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (46.098 seconds), having overcome earlier technical issues. He was followed by Craig Czank (1989 Nissan Skyline R32 GT-R, 46.400), Dawie Joubert (1999 Lotus Elise, 47.808), Rui Campos (1974 Porsche 911 RSR, 48.266) and 18-year-old Nikki Vostanis, who finished eighth on debut in a 1992 BMW E30 M3 with a time of 49.889 seconds.

Class winners were:

H1 (handicap formula): Greig Smith — 1926 Austin 7 SS Special (1:31.134 / 104.75%)

H2: Peter Macpherson — 1964 Ford GT40 (54.855)

H3: Jandre Bezuidenhout — 1985 Porsche 944 Turbo Cup (56.445)

H4: Enzo Kuun — 1989 Ferrari 348 (51.237)

H5: Silvio Scribante — 1968 Ford Escort Mk1 (54.223)

H6: James Temple — 1965 Shelby Daytona Coupe (46.396)

H7: Dawie Joubert — 1999 Lotus Elise (48.512)

H8: Mike McLoughlin — 2005 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (46.011)

H9: Ian Schofield — 1977 March 77B (41.886)

H10: Franco Scribante — 1970 Chevron B19 (41.590)