6 race cars destroyed in fire after Hillclimb

The cause of the fire has yet to be confirmed.
Yochanaan Coetzee
Some competitors at this weekend's Jaguar Simola hillclimb in Knysna were in for a nasty shock when their cars caught fire while being transported on a truck along the N2.

Reports indicate the incident took place around 10:30 on Monday between Sedgefield and Buffalo Bay in the Western Cape.

R25m race car destroyed

Firefighters extinguished the blaze which reportedly damaged six vehicles. The cause of the fire has yet to be confirmed.

There were four V8 Masters Roush Mustangs which were destroyed in the fire. One which was pulled off the carrier, belonged to double South African rally champion Enzo Kuun, who finished second on the podium at Sunday's event in Simola in the Modified Saloon Cars class. His Datsun which was positioned in the front of the trailer, was also destroyed.

Another was driven by Steve Kimpton and the other Roush Mustang is owned by another King of the Hill champion, Charles Arton.

Even more devastating for Arton is that he also lost his 1979 March Formula Atlantic 79B with a 1.6-litre Ford BDA engine. The highly sought-after car is estimated to be worth millions.

Last is the #58 1969 MG B GT with a Rover engine of Anton Rollino. The car, which he had inherited from his late father, was the last race car his dad owned.

Andre Bezuidenhout emailed Wheels24: "I confirm that my F1 Dallara was not on the particular carrier and that my vehicle is safe. I express my shock as to the incident to the owners and the riders of the vehicles. The estimated damage is approximately N$15 million."

Ian Shrosbree, managing director of Knysna Speed Festival and organiser and founder of the Jaguar Simola Hillclimb, expressed his dismay and distress after hearing of the incident.

“After the resounding success of the last three days where each of the participating vehicles becomes part of the essence of the competition, this disaster impacts on us all. The loss of complete vehicles (some of them one-of-a-kind and literally irreplaceable) and the damage to others cannot be quantified.

“It is much, much more than just the value of what has gone up in flames.”

The cause of the fire is unclear at this stage, but will be investigated. The value of the affected vehicles has not yet been determined.

Jaguar South Africa, the main sponsor of the speed festival, responded to the incident via social media. – Wheels24

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