Crazy weather in the Canary Islands

The heavy rain and particularly the fog posed an enormous risk for the sports racers in the Los Loros hill climb in Arafo south of Santa Cruz de Tenerife. Albeit full of regret for the organisers, Christian Merli preferred not to take the start, having waited all day for the weather to improve.

Merli’s regret
“Unbelievable, yesterday we were at the beach, today we were stuck in the paddock, and tomorrow it’s supposed to be sunny and warm again. At this event everything took place in one day, with a practice run in the morning and two race runs in the afternoon. Of course it’s different for those whose cars have a roof and windshield wipers, and their speed is different too. With our Osella FA 30 Judd LRM we can’t risk hitting a fog bank in the rain. It’s too dangerous. I’m so sorry for the organisers, whose guests we have been in the last few days, and I have to say that they did understand the problem. Unthinkable weather for the Canary Islands. We waited until the very end, but it just kept getting worse. It’s a shame; we’ve had such a marvellous welcome here.”

Translation by Ruth Scheithauer