ROSSLYN, South Africa – Nissan, which was crowned King of the Hill for both production and modified saloon cars at the 2017 Simola Hill Climb in South Africa, has entered three category-defining vehicles for this year's competition.
First among the three is a first-generation Nissan NISMO LEAF RC (race car) that will be driven by Nissan product manager and test driver Janus Janse van Rensburg. This is the first time in South African history that an all-electric vehicle is entered in a Motorsport SA sanctioned event.
"The NISMO LEAF RC is truly special," said Janse van Rensburg. "It's powered by a completely standard 80 kW LEAF electric motor, but the entire drivetrain has been moved to the back of the vehicle and now powers the rear wheels."
Aside from the standard drivetrain, the LEAF is completely hand-built from aircraft-grade aluminium and carbon fiber. It features a roll cage, fully adjustable brakes and suspension as well as semi-slick racing tires. It weighs 930 kg.
"Our team will work closely with MSA safety marshals and medics to train them on this new form of propulsion," said Janse van Rensburg. "While there is no risk of a petrol fire, charging the 390 Volt battery requires a unique set of safety precautions."
The NISMO LEAF RC will be joined by the much renowned "Armageddon" Nissan GT‑R of BB Motorsport. Armageddon will again be driven by Wilhelm Baard, the reigning King of the Hill and the first person to break the 40-second barrier up the Simola Hill in a modified saloon car.
Since winning the 2017 Simola Hill Climb, BB Motorsport and Baard have refined the aerodynamics, handling characteristics and further improved engine performance.
Saturday morning in the 2017 Simola Hill Climb
Simola Hill Climb Day 2: A Chat with Wilhelm Baard
"This year, Armageddon will have even more horsepower that can be called on if needed. It also has a more finely tuned aerodynamic and handling package," said Baard, who was nominated for the 2018 Pirelli SAGMJ Motorsportsman of the Year as the two-time Simola and reigning Nelspruit King of the Hill. "The fact that there will be Nissan GT-Rs competing with anything from 700 horsepower to more than 1 500 horsepower is testimony to Nissan's engineering brilliance. It is no wonder that the Nissan GT‑R is the most sought-after hill climb vehicle at Simola."
Last year, Baard broke the psychological 40s barrier for modified saloon cars when he set a winning time of 39.892 seconds up the 1.9-km track. This year, he believes that one of the front-running supercars will break 39 seconds.
"We are expecting very tough competition from other supercars, especially the other GT-Rs at the event," said Baard. "Aside from a new record up the hill, we believe that the competition will make for great spectating on Saturday and Sunday."
Edrich Zwiers will also compete in the NISMO BB Motorsport racing colours alongside Baard in a modified R35 Nissan GT‑R.
"I race my GT‑R on track, so it was not developed as a specialist hill climb vehicle, but I still believe I could break 40 seconds this year," said Zwiers, who has dramatically modified his R35 GT‑R with the help of BB Motorsport and Nissan South Africa. "Our GT‑R has been fitted with semi-slick tires, a straight-cut billet gearbox, front and rear racing differentials from Quaife and a new clutch basket that can handle 2,000 horsepower. BB Motorsport has also upgraded all the major engine components and the engine mapping, which will make this R35 GT‑R a completely different beast to the model that gave us seventh place in the King of the Hill last year."
While Zwiers and Baard will fight it out in the modified saloon car category, Reghard Roets will return to defend his title as the 2017 Saloon Car King of the Hill.
The Saloon Car category does not allow for any vehicle modifications, other than those that can be fitted by the manufacturer to a new vehicle. This means that Roets's R35 GT‑R from Melrose Nissan will feature road-going tires and 95-octane petrol. Roets won the category last year with a final run of 44.540 seconds, beating fellow GT‑R racer Jaki Scheckter by 1.415 seconds. It was his maiden entry in the competition.
"I really look forward to returning to Simola this year with the same GT‑R as last year," said Roets. "While Baard and Zwiers have shown the breadth of the GT-Rs' capabilities, I believe that our R35 GT‑R will show why the standard GT‑R has become such an iconic supercar."
Nine Nissan GT-Rs have entered the 2018 Simola Hill Climb, including an R32 GT‑R and an R34 GT‑R.
Nissan is the undisputed King of the Hill in South Africa
Simola Hill Climb: A 360 ride with Jaki Scheckter in his GT‑R
Related:
Nissan is the undisputed King of the Hill in South Africa
Join the 2018 Jaguar Simola Hillclimb action via Live Streaming! #JaguarSHC https://t.co/BgyJ9Ym9p7 pic.twitter.com/6iy9yJUJlj
— KnysnaSpeedFestival (@SpeedFestivalCX) May 1, 2018
Contact
Patience Dumisani
Senior Manager, Product Communications
Tel: (012) 529 5000
Mobile: 079 074 0922
patiencedu@nissan.co.za
Veralda Schmidt
Media Relations Manager
Nissan South Africa
Tel: (012) 529 5680
Mobile: 082 820 8562
veraldas@nissan.co.za
For more information about Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.'s products, services and our commitment to sustainable mobility, visit Nissan-Global.com. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn, and view our latest videos on YouTube.
More about Nissan in Africa:
Website: http://www.nissan.co.za