HEAD FOR THE HILLS
The Knysna Hillclimb was run on May Day on the outskirts of one of South Africa’s most scenic tourist spots. It’s the most talked-about motorsport event on the South African calendar, and as usual it drew a sell-out crowd, run in perfect weather over the long weekend that gladdened the hearts of all and sundry.
Classic Car Friday was run for four-wheeled machines ranging in age from 1926 to the year 2000 and over 60 old-timers (the cars, not the drivers) lined up for the flat-out run of about two-and-a-half kilometres up to the Simola Golfing Emporium. Needless to say, a good time was had by all.
Craig Czank and his 1989 Nissan Skyline R32, the very first rendition of Japan’s ultimate wolf in sheep’s clothing, which looked for all intents and purposes like a four-door sleeper you could buy right here in South Africa. In its heyday it was capable of running very close to Porsche and Ferrari levels of giddy duo.
Enzo Kuun was one of our top rally drivers in the late 1980s and early 1990s pedalling a fire-breathing, rough-riding Golf GTi to great effect. The Cape Town-based ace regularly finished in the top three positions in South Africa’s premier rally series. Noted for his calm, sunny disposition and his extraordinary speed in one of our most competitive motorsport eras, today Enzo is a successful businessman and an avid collector of fine classic machinery. He ran his Ferrari 348 to great effect at Knysna, notable for the motorised music he played all the way up the hill.
Ian Schofield is no stranger to the winner’s circle in Knysna. The veteran driver, originally from the UK, is a past-winner at Knysna, driving his understated-looking bronze-coloured March 77B single-seater. Powered by one of the most potent naturally aspirated four-cylinder motors in classic motorsport history, Ian set fastest time of the day, beating out his perennial rival in Knysna, Franco Scribante.
The immaculate Chevron B19 sports racing car fielded by the Scribante motorsport clan is the best-turned out classic racer in the country, thanks to a huge budget enjoyed by Franco and his motorsport siblings in various types of machinery. Franco Scribante is a multiple winner in Knysna and this year the 10 000 rpm two-litre Cosworth Ford engine in the back of his Chevron sounded as thrilling as ever. He just missed out on the top spot-on Classic Car Friday.
At the other end of the horsepower scale, you had John Craig’s Nissan Sentra 200 Sti sedan. This 1996 Group N-spec racer was a championship-winning car in its era and John’s car is really understated, run in unadorned road-car livery by the likeable engineer-cum-master-driver. John has been racing since the 1970s in hometown Killarney circuit in the Western Cape. No surprises, he went extremely rapidly on May 1.
Roy Obery’s 1979 Porsche 924 GTP Tribute car was one of the early turbocharged machines produced by the Zuffenhausen factory in Germany. Converted to racing-spec by Roy, the standard 924 was a budget Porsche back in the days, and a similar machine was owned in road-going form by South Africa’s double motorcycle world champion in 1980, one Kork Ballington!
Rui Campos’s Martini-liveried Porsche 911 RSR is a replica of an all-out factory racer. The white projectile ran in World Championship events in 1974 in 3,0-litre naturally aspirated form and produced 330 horsepower, enough to dominate the Group 4 category of the championship. Johannesburg-based Rui, whose sons raced very successfully in Volkswagen Polo Cup events, is a man with motorsport in his veins.
And last, but by no means least is Margaret White who pedals an obscure 1967 Mallock Mark 6B. This British club-racing machine ran a ubiquitous Ford engine in its heyday and was very successful fast grass routes level. The Mallock takes huge….errr, skill… to drive quickly and Margaret is unphased by the cutaway flanks of this car which leaves her overalled torso extremely vulnerable at speed. Quick for its day, the Mallock is one of the most obscure and rare machines ever to compete in Knysna.
Story by Stuart Johnston
