Craig Czank on the Defining Attributes of the Simola Hillclimb

KNYSNA, South Africa, 17 July 2025 – Motorsport is typically a highly competitive environment where pushing the limits and gaining any advantage over your rivals is all that matters. But there are some events where that is only one part of the story, and the spirit, camaraderie and atmosphere count just as much as times being set, or who makes it onto the podium. The annual Simola Hillclimb is one such event, where the appeal goes way beyond who is quickest up the 1.9 km Simola Hill during Classic Car Friday and King of the Hill.

Renowned as South Africa’s premier motoring and motorsport lifestyle event, the Simola Hillclimb is ranked among the world’s top hillclimbs. It gathers a breathtaking variety of cars spanning more than a century, along with an equally impressive line-up of local and international drivers – all of which is combined with a relaxed and welcoming ambience that is embraced by the teams and the thousands of spectators alike.

“We all race in different series, but this is the one time of year where all of us come together, have coffee, share a pizza, sit and chat, have plenty of laughs and enjoy a great time,” says Craig Czank, one of the stalwarts of the Simola Hillclimb, and a fervent competitor in a variety of formulas. Over the decades, Czank has raced just about everything on two and four wheels when it comes to sealed surfaces, from circuit racing, time-attack and hillclimbs to the power-hungry quarter-mile thrill of drag racing.

“There’s no other event that brings all the series and all the different competitors together at one time. Simola is totally unique, and the camaraderie and spirit is unlike anything you will find elsewhere,” he says, having competed in 11 of the 15 editions held to date.

“Obviously, it’s racing so everybody wants to win, but the support from other teams is unrivalled. This year I damaged the gearbox on my Lotus Exige on the Friday afternoon before King of the Hill. Less than an hour later BB Motorsport phoned me and said they would get any parts I needed, and I had a further five calls from some of my direct competitors who asked if they could help. That’s unheard of in motorsport. It’s more than a race, it’s like a big family and brotherhood as everybody is happy to provide advice and assistance, which makes it very special,” Czank says.

“The organisation of the Simola Hillclimb is also exceptional. We race on a normal public road and have makeshift pits, but the team pulls it off every year, putting together a truly world-class event that just gets better and better,” he says. “Coming to Simola has become a tradition for us. Even if we’ve had issues with our car and couldn’t compete, we’re still here to see our friends and be part of the action. When a daughter of one of my business partners wanted to get married on the Simola weekend, I said they need to move it as we’re all going to be at this event, which proves the passion people have for the Simola Hillclimb.”

The best of the best

As the owner of Czank Racing in Klerksdorp, motor racing is deeply ingrained in Craig’s lifestyle, and is a passion shared by his wife, Charlotte. Having competed in such a wide variety of series over the years, it’s safe to say that Czank has just about seen it all, yet he’s still amazed by the level of competition and the calibre of cars entered each year for the Simola Hillclimb.

“I go to hillclimbs all around the world, and you will never find a lineup of cars of the quality you see at Simola,” he says. “The cars are out of this world, and most of the competitors do it just for this event, for one race every year. That shows the spirit of the Simola Hillclimb where you have the very best drivers and some of the fastest cars in the world. It’s the true elite, and a privilege to even be here.”

Czank has competed with various cars at the Simola Hillclimb, including his Nissan Nismo R35 GT-R RC, a Toyota V8-powered Chevrolet Corvette C5, thunderous Backdraft Cobra, and the Lotus Exige. Czank Racing was one of the first teams to shoehorn Nissan’s mighty VR38 GT-R engine into the compact and lightweight Lotus Exige platform, with the car known as ‘Grotus’ making its debut in 2022. Talented racing driver Devin Robertson has competed with this car for the last two years, while Czank developed a new Exige for this year’s landmark 15th edition of the event. He stripped out his road car and equipped it with a twin-turbocharged Volkswagen VR32 V6 engine, dubbing it ‘Vrotus’.

“I love the Nissan R35 GT-R, but the Lotus Exige is amazing as it feels like a go-kart and really sticks to the road,” Czank explains. “For the first couple of years, we all threw a lot of horsepower at this event, and then we realised the weight hurts us. So we focused on the lightest car we can put the most horsepower in, and it’s the Lotus Exige.”

According to Czank, the 1.9 km Simola Hill course is defined by two sections – the first being a drag race from the start line to the Turn 2 right-hander, then the tight and twisty section at the top. “The big-power four-wheel drive Nissan GT-Rs get off the line quickly and are normally a second quicker than our rear-wheel drive cars to Turn 2, but then the Lotus is quicker in the Esses because it is more agile and better at changing direction, so it’s give-and-take and makes for great competition.

“It’s amazing to see how seriously the top guys take this event, and the amount of time, effort and money that is spent each year to develop the cars and go faster,” Czank adds. “For many years, if you managed 42 seconds it was quick enough to make the top 10, but now you have to break 40 seconds at least, and we counted 10 to 15 cars which are capable of doing that. This has created great rivalries amongst the competitors for the class wins and the overall King of the Hill title. That’s what makes it a spectacular event for the spectators, and keeps them coming back as well.”

Driving a legend

The 2025 Simola Hillclimb saw Czank competing in Classic Car Friday for the first time, taking on the hill in a 1991 Opel Kadett Superboss. This iconic car is owned by Farouk Dangor and is part of his stunning collection of race cars that he competed with over the years. The Superboss, in its legendary Speedy Car Sales livery, was campaigned by Dangor in the Stannic Group N championship that delivered some of the best circuit racing action ever seen in South Africa. It also created production car racing legends such as Michael Briggs and Deon Joubert.

“I loved driving the Superboss, and it was a privilege to be given this opportunity by Farouk,” Czank says. “Although I was outgunned by more powerful cars, I don’t think there was anyone with a bigger smile on their face than what I had every time I crossed the line at the top of the Simola Hill in this car. Sometimes having a huge amount of power is not as much fun as driving a slower car and pushing it to the absolute limit. I was driving the Superboss hard, almost clipping the corner markers at every turn, braking as late as I could and giving it everything. It was a huge amount of fun and very satisfying.”

With such enthusiasm and passion, there’s no doubt that Crank Racing will remain one of the most popular teams at the Simola Hillclimb. Even before the 15th edition was wrapped up, the crew was already thinking about the 2026 event. “We are already planning what we’re going to do for next year’s Simola, and the cars have already been decided,” Czank says. Exactly what the team has up its sleeve for the 16th edition remains to be seen, but we can’t wait to see them back in action in 2026!

The 16th edition of the Simola Hillclimb takes place from 30 April to 3 May 2026.