The 2025 Simola Hillclimb event in Knysna was marred with tragedy as seasoned racer Pieter Joubert lost his life in an accident on the hill while performing a qualifying run on Sunday morning.

At the request of the family, Sunday's King of the Hill challenge continued in a shortened format to honour Joubert. And honour him they did, with drivers putting on a spectacular display of driving skill in the final Top 10 shootout.

This culminated in a new record in the Modified Saloon Car category, with 2021 winner Pieter Zeelie performing a best run of 37.090 seconds in his Toyota MR2 Super GT, slashing 1.039 seconds off Nissan R35 GT-R driver Franco Scribante's previous record.

Zeelie was the first saloon car competitor to break through the 40-second barrier during qualifying with an astonishing time of 37.553 seconds. While an unexpected electrical glitch during the Class Finals ended that run prematurely, more importantly he put on a faultless performance in the final run of the day to secure the 2025 King of the Hill victory. He finished 1.280 seconds ahead of Roets.

“We worked hard on the set-up of the car, and everything just came together today,” Zeelie said. “We turned the boost up for the Class Final, but we couldn’t find out what caused the engine to cut out, so I decided to turn the boost down for the Top 10 Shootout, so I’m confident that a 36-second time is definitely possible after today,” the winner added.

Reghard Roets finished second overall with a time of 38.370 seconds in his BB Motorsport Nissan GT-R.

The 2025 event also saw some electrified action, with seven-time World Rallycross champion Johan Kristoffersson blitzing the electric vehicle record with a fastest time of 39.001 seconds in the Volkswagen Polo RX1e, while also securing third overall.

Although the silent motor did little to excite, the WRX champion did manage to mesmerise the crowds with perfectly controlled four-wheel drifts through many of the corners, which Kristoffersson put down to tyre choice.