The event, which grew tremendously in the four years that it was run and had become one of South Africa’s premier motorsport events, has been unable to secure a title sponsor following the withdrawal of its previous sponsor, necessitating this decision.

Unfortunately our previous sponsor unexpectedly withdrew very late in the day leaving us with little time to find a replacement. We tried our best, but unfortunately most of the companies that were interested had already committed their budgets to other marketing initiatives. As the event has grown so much in recent years, and the cars have become faster, we could not compromise on competitor or spectator safety and infrastructure, hence we had to make the hard decision to cancel the event.

We are aware that a number of competitors and spectators have already booked accommodation, and made travel and leave arrangements to attend the Hillclimb. We would like to sincerely apologise for any inconvenience caused as a result of having to cancel at this late stage. Ideally, we would have preferred to make the announcement earlier, but while there was a chance of saving the event we believed that we had to pursue all options.

The organisers have every hope of reviving the event in 2014.

Knysna Speed Festival Team

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