Test race in Czechia for Christian Merli in his Osella FA 30

TThis weekend Christian Merli is taking part in a test race, the “Ecce Homo Short” at Sternberk north of Brno in the Czech Republic. The track, shortened to 4.800 km, will see two official practice runs on Saturday morning, followed by two race heats in the afternoon. The same programme will be repeated on Sunday. The Scuderia Vimotorsport driver will be at the wheel of his Osella FA 30 LRM Zytek, which will carry the number 10. The event counts for the Czech championship. A 700 km trip to test the updates made to Merli’s 3-litre single-seater.

Christian, the first hill climb of the year
“We’re off, and I’m glad. A familiar track, since it’s part of the European Hill Climb Championship. It’s only 4.800 km long instead of the usual 7.800. It’s certainly going to be a test race for us, since we’ll be using the 2019 engine while we’re waiting for LRM to prepare the 2021 evo version. Next we hope to be able to race in the first round of the European championship, the 54th Rampa de Boticas in Portugal on 9 May, then at the 49th Subida al Fito in Spain a week later.”

The track
“After the start there are several fast bends, to be taken high geared. Then you brake for a tight right-hand hairpin followed by a straight with a left-hand hairpin at the end. Another 250 km/h straight, a right-hand hairpin, a straight, two left-hand bends and the finish line. Definitely a great opportunity for us to check out the limits of our Osella.” The entry list includes drivers not only from the Czech Republic but also from Slovakia, Poland, Austria, Italy, France and Switzerland. You can follow the race on http://www.eccehomo.cz.

Ruth Scheithauer