Jonathan Mogotsi posted the fastest time of the three drivers in the new Volkswagen Golf R at the Simola Hillclimb. Image: Jonathan Mogotsi / Instagram
Simola Hillclimb: VW’s Jonathan Mogotsi on THAT moment in the new Golf R
Volkswagen factory driver Jonathan Mogotsi chats to us about his recent foray at the 2023 Simola Hillclimb after finishing third in class.
Jonathan Mogotsi posted the fastest time of the three drivers in the new Volkswagen Golf R at the Simola Hillclimb. Image: Jonathan Mogotsi / Instagram
Volkswagen factory driver Jonathan Mogotsi took part in his second Simola Hillclimb competition this past weekend in Knysna.
Mogotsi finished third in the A2 class final on Sunday behind Mercedes-AMG drivers Clint Weston and Mika Salo who were in far more powerful machinery.
MOGOTSI COMPETED IN AN E-GOLF AT THE 2022 SIMOLA HILLCLIMB
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The 31-year-old made his debut at the 2022 Simola Hillclimb in an e-Golf, beating fellow Volkswagen racing driver Daniel Rowe. For this year’s edition Volkswagen South Africa upped the ante and provided the pair with the brand new Golf R.
The flagship model is powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged engine producing 235kW and 400Nm. The R accelerates to 100km/h from standstill in 4.8 seconds and rockets onto a top speed of 250 km/h.
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Mogotsi and Rowe were also competing against former Norwegian rally driver Henning Solberg who was also behind the wheel of the new Golf R.
Mogotsi spoke exclusively to The South African about the challenges of driving in a hillclimb event: “Our strategy going into the weekend was to learn the car and push its limits and get to understand where its limits are as we only have five or six opportunities of 50 seconds each to get accustomed to the track.”
Volkswagen’s decision to take production cars to the Simola Hillclimb paid dividends as Mogotsi finished on the podium, and the young driver praised the new superhatch: “I was very impressed with the vehicle, as it’s four-wheel-drive I was expecting a bit of understeer but with all the nanny aids off the car has a tendency to rotate at the rear which is very pleasant.”
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During one of his runs Mogotsi inadvertently engaged the car’s drift mode button, and watch the video below to see what happened:
VOLKSWAGEN’S FLAGSHIP GOLF WENT ON SALE IN LATE APRIL 2023
Last month The South African reported that Volkswagen has finally revealed when the not so new Golf R will go on sale in South Africa and crucially how much the flagship model will cost.
Production issues and a shortage of parts are the reasons for the Golf R’s delayed launch in South Africa the German carmaker said, via motoring press agency Motorpress
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