Merli at Rechberg in Austria, 2nd European championship round

Christian Merli will be lining up in his Cosworth-powered Nova Proto NP-01 at the second round of the European hill climb championship, the 51st Rechbergrennen at Tulwitz north of Graz in Austria on Sunday 27 April. Merli has won at this event five times, from 2016 to 2019 and in 2023. On the 4.440 km track there will be three official practice runs on Saturday and two race runs on Sunday, with the two Sunday times added up for the final classification. Merli recently finished second in the single race heat in France, with the second heat cancelled due to bad weather; those were his first few kilometres behind the wheel of his new car.

A few words after the race in France

“First of all I have to say that it’s still very early days with the new car. In France things went pretty well for the first outing with the Nova. In the first practice run, on a dry surface, we set a good time. I then made some changes before the second run, but despite the better time I wasn’t happy. I preferred the setup from the first run. On Sunday the rain turned everything upside down. Despite the rain I was happy with my time in the first race run. Kevin Petit was really fast. Then the downpour came and the clerk of the course cancelled the second heat.”

On to Austria next

“It’s an event I like and I’ve won here five times. A fantastic crowd and an excellent organisation. I’m hoping for good weather so I can get to know the new car as well as possible. The track is 4.440 km long. The start is flat, and there is at once a fast section with a series of double bends in high gears. Then four wide hairpins, a fast section and a 90 degree left-hand corner just before the finish line. Three official practice runs where we’ll decide on the best setup and tyres for the two race runs.”

The FIA European Hill Climb Championship programme

13 April: Col Saint-Pierre (France), 27 April: Rechbergrennen (Austria), 11 May: Rampa da Falperra (Portugal), 18 May: Subida al Fito (Spain), 1 June: Ecce Homo (Czech Republic), 8 June: Trento – Bondone (Italy), 20 July: Limanowa (Poland), 3 August: Osnabrück (Germany), 17 August: Saint-Ursanne (Switzerland), 31 August: Ilirska Bistrica (Slovenia), 21 September: Buzetski dani (Croatia).

Translation by Ruth Scheithauer