Christian Merli racing at the Trofeo Scarfiotti

Christian Merli, who recently took the overall win in the first round of the European championship in France, will be racing his Osella FA 30 Zytek LRM at the 31st Sarnano – Sassotetto Trofeo Lodovico Scarfiotti in the central Italian Marche region. It is the second round of the Italian hill climb championship CIVM and consists of a single race heat on a very technical 9.977 km track.

A one-off appearance in the Italian championship
“I’ve chosen to participate in the most important series, the European championship, but that doesn’t mean that I won’t be competing with the top Italian drivers if the schedule permits. Since I’ve got a free weekend, it’s a great pleasure for me to race at the Trofeo Scarfiotti. The Italian association ACI Sport has been doing a great job with the specialist press, and so I take the opportunity to give visibility to the sponsors who support me. I don’t understand why the European championship doesn’t get similar coverage in the national media.”

The Trofeo Ludovico Scarfiotti
“We won it in 2018, and last year we finished second overall and first among the single-seaters. Of course we always aim high and it’s going to be hard, because the track is challenging and the best Italian drivers will be present. A beautiful race, in a single heat and with lots of hairpin bends. An excellent test, because we always struggle a bit in the long races. We’re always looking for new solutions, and Sarnano is a track with many hairpins. I’m sure it’ll be very useful in preparing our Osella for the Trento – Bondone. So we’re taking this opportunity, hoping for warm and sunny weather.”

Ruth Scheithauer