Christian Merli at the 51st Subida al Fito in Spain

Christian Merli has recently scored two overall wins behind the wheel of his Osella FA 30 Judd LRM, in Austria and in France. Now the Scuderia Vimotorsport driver has made the long trip to Spain to take the start at the third round of the European hill climb championship, the 51st Subida al Fito north of Oviedo on Sunday.

Merli describes the Spanish event
“A track of 5.350 km. There are three race heats, and the best two are added up for the final classification. The track is very technical with a series of fast bends and a chicane to reduce the speed. It has no hairpins, and the final section is in the forest, where there is often residual humidity. The event is very popular with Spanish fans. We’ve climbed the podium four times.
Alexander Hin from Germany will also be racing here with the Osella FA 30 which our team takes care of, and we hope that he’ll do well after his unfortunate shoulder injury in the winter. He had a hard time in the first two European events, but let’s not forget that he took bronze in the overall classification at the end of the season in 2022.”
Merli is the holder of the 2’25”425 track record, established in the first race heat in 2018.

The 2023 European Hill Climb Championship calendar
16 April: Col Saint-Pierre (France), 30 April: Rechbergrennen (Austria), 7 May: 51st Subida al Fito (Spain), 21 May: 42nd Rampa Internacional da Falperra (Portugal), 4 June: 42nd Ecce Homo Sternberk (Czech Republic), 18 June: 62nd Coppa Paolino Teodori (Italy), 2 July: 14th Hill Climb Limanowa (Poland), 20 August: 78th Course de Côte de Saint-Ursanne (Switzerland), 3 September: 29th GHD Ilirska Bistrica (Slovenia), 17 September: 42nd Buzetski Dani (Croatia).

Translation by Ruth Scheithauer