Christian Merli racing at the FIA Hill Climb Masters

The Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) has chosen the Gubbio – Madonna della Cima hill climb in central Italy for the highlight of the year: the FIA Hill Climb Masters 2018. The prestigious medieval town of Gubbio will be the backdrop of the first hill climb olympics in Italy, which bring together the stars of the European hill climb circus: 175 drivers from 22 countries all across Europe. A competition for the champions of Europe and for the nation teams.

The programme
Two practice heats on Saturday morning and three race heats on Sunday. The track is 3.310 km long.

The track in the words of the new Italian champion Christian Merli
“After the start in the Bottaccione gorge there is immediately a series of double bends to be taken in 4th or 5th gear. Then comes the first right-hand hairpin and, getting faster, it goes up and into another series of double bends. They lead to the long straight where you can exploit the 6th gear. In the final section, before the finish line, there are three more hairpins.”

The event
“I’m sure it will be a fantastic show, with as an extra the parade and the presentation ceremony of the drivers and nations on Saturday evening. The participants will be walking in procession from Piazza 40 Martiri to the heart of the historic centre, where they will be welcomed by the crowd in Piazza Grande right in front of Palazzo Pretorio, the town hall. Each national squad will be accompanied by flag bearers.”

Fiorenzo Dalmeri
The team captain of the 38 drivers who make up the Italian squad will be Fiorenzo Dalmeri.

Two rankings will be determined at the Masters: one for individual drivers, where the winners will receive gold, silver and bronze medals, and a Nations Cup. The race will be streamed live at https://www.youtube.com/FIAOfficialVideo
To see the complete entry list of drivers and nations, go to https://www.fia.com/events/hill-climb-masters/season-2018/entry-list-0

Ruth Scheithauer