The Speed Festival in Knysna is fast becoming one of the premier motorsport events on the South African racing calendar. From 11 to 20 May, fast cars, classic cars, go karts, soap-box racers and 4×4 adventurers will compete in a week-long celebration of automotive competition.
Of course, the highlight of the festival is the Renault Simola Hillclimb, which will see an array of historic racers, the ultimate street-legal road rockets and the highest level of exotic cars go head-to-head in a race to set the fastest time up the hill to the Simola Golf Estate.
But the festival isn’t only for hardcore race fans, as there’s an assortment of event throughout the week for the entire family to enjoy in the picturesque Western Cape town. The festival kicks off with the Knysna Kart Grand Prix, on Friday 11th May, which happens on the Thesen Island harbour area. On Sunday the 13th May, the Knysna Motor Show should have something for all enthusiasts to ogle.
This year sees the introduction of the 4×4 Knysna Elephant Trail, which will open some of the trails in the natural forests around Knysna that are normally not available for public use from Monday 14 to Wednesday 16 May. The 4×4 Challenge will test the off road skills of adventurous 4×4 owners, an event that is open for standard and modified production vehicles. The Wednesday and Thursday are the days set aside for the Knysna Soap Box Derby, which will see local schools compete for glory on the same tarmac used for the hillclimb, as well as the Corporate Soap Box race – where companies compete. Also on the Thursday is the Knysna Speed Festival charity golf day, held at the Simola Estate.
The Friday before the main hillclimb event is parade day for all the competing cars, and all the cars will be on display at the Knysna waterfront car park after the parade. The showcase of the week is of course the Renault Simola Hillclimb which will see some of the fastest and hottest cars in SA , driven by some of the biggest names in local motorsport compete for the “King of the Hill” title.
For more details, see the Knysna Speed Festival website.