Merli 4th in Germany, clutch failure in third race heat
Thwarted by a clutch failure in the third race heat, Christian Merli in the Nova Proto NP01 with the Cosworth engine prepared by the Swiss Heini Mader finished fourth in the Int. 57th ADAC Hill Climb Race Osnabrück, the eighth round of the European championship. The Uphöfener Berg track is only 2.030 kilometres long. Four practice runs were held on Saturday and three race runs on Sunday. The multiple European champion was fastest in each of the first two race runs, but had to abandon the third shortly after the start due to a mechanical problem.
Interview
“Right after the start of the third race heat we had a problem, probably with the clutch. That has never happened to me before. The first two race heats went well, and we were fastest. But the track was wet in the first heat and we knew that that time would probably be discarded. The third run was the decisive one, but unfortunately we had to retire. That’s racing, and it’s a shame for the lost championship points. We can't afford to make any mistakes in the next few rounds."
The weekend at Osnabrück/Germany
On Saturday there were four practice runs on the 2.030 km track. The best time in the first run, on a dry surface, was for Sébastien Petit in the Nova Proto NP01-2 Turbo, while Merli was second, 0"191 behind. In the second run, Sébastien again topped the timesheet, with Christian 0"849 behind. Kevin Petit took the lead in the third run, 0"372 ahead of Merli and 0"700 ahead of Sébastien Petit. "Half of the track was dry," says the driver from Trentino, "and the other half wet.“ Many of the Category 2 cars, the sports racers, left out the fourth practice run.
The classification was determined by the best two out of the three race runs on Sunday. Wet asphalt in the first run, where Merli was 0"466 ahead of Kevin Petit by 0"466 and 0"571 ahead of his brother Sébastien. In the second race run the Scuderia Vimotorsport driver stopped the clock at 50"718 at an average of 144.100 km/h, with the Spaniard Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta 0"471 and Sébastien Petit 0"578 behind. Then the third run with the twist, when immediately after the start Merli's car slowed down noticeably and came to a halt. Sébastien Petit scored the best time.
Podium
1st Sébastien Petit (Nova Proto NP01-2), 2nd Kevin Petit (Nova Proto NP01) 0”372 behind. 3. Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta (Nova Proto NP01) 0”868 behind, 4. Christian Merli (Nova Proto NP01 Cosworth) 5”398 behind.
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