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MERLI HEADS FIA EUROPEAN HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP TO CZECH CLASSIC

  • gb
27.05.22

The FIA European Hill Climb Championship (FIA EHC) reaches its fourth round of the season this weekend with the Ecce Homo Sternberk, a challenging and historic venue in the Hruby Jesenik mountains of Moravia, Czech Republic.

The 7.8km course of Ecce Homo first played host to motorsport in 1905 and the Ecce Homo hill climb has taken place every year since 1971, with the course climbing 307 metres from start to finish.

In total 213 cars have been entered for the event across the various classes, with 89 specifically entered in the FIA European Hill Climb Championship, plus 38 in the FIA Historic Hill Climb Championship. The entry is headed by four-time Ecce Homo winner Christian Merli. The Italian currently leads the points standings after wins in each of the season’s opening three events in France, Portugal and Spain and takes on the challenge of Ecce Homo having set a new course record of 2 minutes 39.88 seconds at the 2021 running of the event.

Merli’s great rival and fellow countryman Simone Faggioli, the all-time most successful driver with eight wins on the event, will be absent from the event due to clashing commitments in the Italian national series but there will be plenty of challengers for overall victory.

Local hero Petr Trnka, Czech Milos Benes, Frenchman Sébastien Petit, Germany’s Alexander Hin and Spaniards Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta and Gonzalo Cabaňas Fernández-Capalleja have all shown the sort of form needed to compete for top honours at recent events.

With senior categories for sports-prototype and open wheel cars, a cornucopia of GT and saloon cars in the closed roof classes and a number of historic competition cars all destined to take to the Ecce Homo course, a high calibre contest awaits from some of the best European hill climb drivers and the established local stars.

The action begins on Friday, May 27 and will finish on Sunday, May 29.

 

More info on https://fiahillclimb.chronomoto.hu/ehc2022/index.php