European Hill Climb Championship: Christian Merli wins in Rechberg, Kevin Petit finishes 2nd

The European Hill Climb Championship kicked off at the end of April with the Rechberg Hill Climb in Austria, a true pilgrimage for fans of the discipline. Each year, the event attracts tens of thousands of spectators who take the opportunity to see the best European hill climb drivers in action. Reigning European Champion Christian Merli (Nova Proto NP01 V8) shone brightly on April 25th and 26th, winning the first race of the season ahead of Kevin Petit (Nova Proto NP01 Turbo), who finished third last year. The French driver also got his season off to a good start with a guest appearance in France at the Saint-Jean-du-Gard – Col Saint-Pierre Hill Climb, which he won ahead of his former rivals. This year again, the Alsatian driver is competing in the entire European Championship. Czech driver Petr Trnka, also driving a Nova Proto NP01, completed the podium at Rechberg.

European Hill Climb Championship: Ronnie Bratschi wins in the closed car category

Unlike French hill climbs, the European rounds adhere to the "Performance Factor," which places cars into groups based on their engine displacement and potential performance. As a result, the three drivers mentioned earlier have been competing in Group P1 of Category 2 since 2025, corresponding to the highest-performing open-top cars. In Category 1, the equivalent of the Production category in France, closed-cockpit cars range from Group 5 to Group 1, the latter showcasing the top-of-the-line machines. Czech driver Ronnie Bratschi and his supercharged Mitsubishi Lancer Evo VII RS secured the overall victory in Category 2 and Group 1 for this first round, ahead of local driver Nikolay Zlatkov (Audi Quattro Pikes Peak) and Swiss driver Reto Meisel (Mercedes Benz-Benz SLK 340). The next round of the season, the Subida al Fito, will take place on May 09th and 10th in Spain.

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