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Petter Solberg to compete in Simola Hillclimb

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Volkswagen Motorsport has announced the line-up of drivers and cars which will be competing in the annual Simola Hillclimb racing event. Now in its 13th year, the Simola Hillclimb event will take place from 4 to 7 May 2023.

“We are very excited to announce that Petter Solberg will be making his way to South Africa to race in the Polo R WRX Supercar. Solberg’s partnership with Volkswagen started in 2017 where he set up the PSRX Volkswagen Sweden team in partnership with Volkswagen Motorsport. Solberg won the Team’s Championship in both 2017 and 2018 before his retirement from full-time racing. We are thrilled to have Petter come out of retirement to race for us in South Africa,” said Mike Rowe, Head of Volkswagen Motorsport.

With two Drivers’ titles and two Teams’ FIA World Championship wins, the Polo R WRX Supercar is arguably the most successful race car of the modern Rallycross era. Standout features of the Polo R WRX Supercar include engine cooling which has an emphasis on aerodynamics thus making it far more efficient. The rear wing of the supercar creates more downforce and allows a wide range of set-up options. The Polo R WRX Supercar’s engine develops 419kW of power with a torque peak of 650Nm at 5 000 rpm. The four-cylinder engine is coupled with a sequential, six-gear racing transmission and it takes just 1.9 seconds to complete the 0 – 100km/h sprint.

The Volkswagen Motorsport line-up this year will also include its factory drivers Jonathan Mogotsi and Daniel Rowe who will be competing the new Golf 8 R. The Golf 8 R’s drive output is generated by a 2.0-litre four-cylinder EA 888 engine. The Golf 8 R accelerates to 100 km/h in just 4.8 seconds with the top speed being 250 km/h. The Golf 8 R impresses with the combination of 400Nm of torque, cutting-edge running gear and the most progressive all-wheel drive in its class.

Graeme Nathan will be the fourth driver representing Volkswagen Motorsport. Last year, Nathan came in close second in the Class B2 finals in one of the closest margins in the history of the Simola Hillclimb; 0.016 seconds. Graeme Nathan will be competing in the Polo SupaCup racing car yet again this year.

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Alan Straton

Chief Cook, Bottle Washer and Broom Mechanic at MyPE
Passionate about Port Elizabeth and definitely NOT packing for Perth. Alan's ethos is epitomised in the words of Nelson Mandela; "I have fought against white domination and I have fought against black domination. I have cherished the idea of a democratic and free society. If need be, it is an ideal for which I am prepared to die." See more articles by Alan.