We went to Simola not knowing exactly what to expect. We came home with five podiums across five Alfa Romeo entries consisting of factory and privateer alike. That result belongs to everyone who contributed, but we’d be lying if we said we weren’t quietly emotional about what this weekend meant for us.
The Results
When the noise died down and the final times were in, the Alfa Romeo effort at Simola 2026 looked like this:
- Class B9: 1st — Janus Janse van Rensburg, Stelvio Quadrifoglio
- Class B10: 2nd & 3rd — Andre Steenkamp (4C) and Tony Casey (Giulia Quadrifoglio)
- Class A3: 3rd — Art Denisov, Giulia Quadrifoglio
- Class A8: 3rd — Trevor Tuck, Junior Electrica Veloce
Five entries. Five podiums. By many accounts, the most talked-about campaign of the entire weekend.
What Happened on the Hill
Janus delivered the headline result. Putting the Stelvio Quadrifoglio on top of its class — ahead of unrestricted, purpose-built Dakar machines — is the kind of result that makes people reconsider what a production SUV is capable of. He’s defended his class win and done it convincingly.
Trevor Tuck and the Junior Electrica Veloce wrote a piece of history quietly and without fuss. On its very first motorsport outing, the first fully electric Alfa Romeo claimed a class podium finishing third behind the AMG GT63 SE and the new BMW M5. That result will and should be referenced for a long time.
Art Denisov, on his Simola debut in a factory-backed Giulia Quadrifoglio, placed third in class, eighth in the Shootout and 35th overall. He described it as a dream come true. Given that he earned his seat by impressing the right people in his own privately-entered Giulia, the full-circle nature of that result isn’t lost on us.
And then there were our two. Andre carried the 4C exactly as we hoped — light, composed, and fast through the sections where bigger cars had to work harder. Tony managed the gap between what his Giulia wanted to do and what the electronics would allow, and stepped onto the podium in a class that included a Nissan GT-R. Both of them trusted the preparation. That trust meant a great deal to us.
What This Meant for Us
We are a small from-the-ground-up team. We are Alfa people before we are anything else, and this opportunity, supporting five of Alfa Romeo’s best at South Africa’s premier motorsport event, alongside the official Alfa Romeo South Africa effort is not something we take for granted.
Our boss Ashley put it simply: we are honored and proud. That’s the truth of it. Janus extended us the opportunity to showcase our skills and our passion at the biggest stage South African motorsport offers, and our team held our name high across every run, every debrief, and every adjustment in between.
For us, the podiums are more than results. They’re confirmation that the hours in the workshop, the years of understanding these platforms, and the decision we made to commit entirely to Alfa Romeo — all of it pointed somewhere worth going.
Simola 2026 was that somewhere.
Thank You
To Janus and the Alfa Romeo South Africa team for bringing us into this campaign. To Andre and Tony for trusting us with their cars and their runs. To Art from Mother City Car Company, Trevor, and everyone at Stellantis SA, Motul SA, and all the sponsors who made this effort possible.
And to every Alfisti who showed up, cheered, and made Simola feel like the kind of event it deserves to be. A special thanks to Chris Wall from CW Media for the awesome pictures!
South African Biscioni rock.
Forza Alfa.