Franco Scribante came out on top in the final King of the Mountain showdown as his 2018 Nissan GTR R35 roared to victory after intense hillclimb racing.
Cape Town, South Africa witnessed high-octane excitement over the weekend as nearly 80 supercars and ‘hillclimb monsters’ went head-to-head under the iconic Table Mountain, competing for the inaugural King of the Mountain title at the Speed Classic Cape Town.
Franco Scribante came out on top in the final King of the Mountain showdown as his 2018 Nissan GTR R35 roared to victory after intense hillclimb racing that saw cars clock top speeds of nearly 240km/h.
On Sunday, Scribante emerged victorious in a time of 35.260 seconds, 0.599 seconds ahead of second placed Reghard Roets, driving a 2014 Nissan GTR R35, before Dawie Joubert completed the podium finish in a time of 37.407, in his Lotus Exige.
“It was a really great day for us. We were absolutely nowhere when we got to the Class Finals, so I knew we would have to dig deep,” said Scribante who finished second on Saturday.
“But I didn’t know if it would be enough, so it was a miracle that it all came together for the final run and I cannot wait to be back again next year,” he added.
Despite being in contention for the crown throughout the day, it was heartbreak for Pieter Zeelie in the King of the Mountain shootout.
The inaugural Speed Classic Cape Town drew 15,000 spectators across two days of thrilling hillclimb action. Photo courtesy Speed Classic Cape Town.
Zeelie had regularly topped the timing charts, but a faulty start in his final run put him out of contention to be the fastest car on the day, with the course being described as one of the “most scenic tracks in the world,” by Enzo Kuun, Speed Classic Cape Town Race Director.
“To race with Table Mountain to my right, the Atlantic Ocean to my left and Lion’s Head behind me was an absolute privilege and epic experience,” he observed.
Close to 15,000 spectators witnessed the epic event, while close to 180,000 others joined the livestream across Saturday and Sunday.
The weekend success prompted Garth Mackintosh, Speed Classic Cape Town Event Director to declare that it “is poised to establish itself as a premier hillclimb event.”
“To see our vision come to fruition has been extremely satisfying. I think you can only get bigger and better from here and we are ready to invest and create a future event that can only go from strength-to-strength.”
You can access Speed Classic Cape Town results here:
