Sunday’s racing, part of Round 7 of the FIA European Hill Climb Championship (FIA EHC) and Round 8 of the Polish Hill Climb Championship (GSMP), included one practice run and two race runs. The event ended with another victory for Italian champion Christian Merli (Nova Proto NP01), while among closed-body cars, the fastest was Polish driver Grzegorz Rożalski (Mitsubishi Lancer).
108 drivers from across Europe lined up for the morning practice run. The Sunday competition on the 5,493-meter course constituted Round 7 of the FIA EHC. Over the weekend, around 35,000 spectators followed the battles between the fastest drivers from Poland and across the continent. Everyone emphasized the unique atmosphere of this motorsport celebration.
During the morning practice, Gabriel Kubit, the only Polish driver competing in a Category 2 single-seater, had a minor collision. Damage to his ADR3 Mugen prevented him from continuing the event. He leaves Limanowa with points only from his Saturday victory in GSMP Category 2.
In the first race run, Igor Stefanowski from North Macedonia (Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo) brushed the energy-absorbing barrier. A red flag was shown on the course. As per the regulations, Sebastian Stec, who was already on track, had to return to the start and repeat his run. After the cleanup of debris, the race resumed. Stec finished with the fifth-fastest time among Category 1 cars. The fastest was once again Grzegorz Rożalski (POL, Mitsubishi Lancer), who beat his own track record with a time of 2:03.545. Ronnie Bratschi (CHE, Mitsubishi Lancer) had the second-best time, and Karol Krupa (POL, Skoda Fabia CT) was third.
In the overall classification of the race run, dominated by Category 2 prototypes, Christian Merli (ITA, Nova Proto NP01) again led the field, getting within one second of his 2018 track record (1:51.398). Behind him were Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta (ESP, Nova NP01) and Kevin Petit (FRA, Nova Proto NP01).
In the second race run, another red flag appeared during GSMP drivers’ attempts, following a barrier impact by Martyna Serafin (Renault Clio Sport). Drivers behind her returned to the start to repeat their runs. Later, a turbo failure in a 1,000+ hp Mitsubishi Lancer brought the run to a halt again, requiring a special crane-equipped recovery vehicle. Sebastian Stec, once again preparing to restart, had to refuel before his repeat attempt.
As the most powerful cars approached the starting line, excitement among fans and journalists peaked. The final results of the competition were eagerly awaited.
Grzegorz Rożalski came close to his previous best and, with a total time of 4:08.227, claimed victory in FIA EHC Category 1, Round 8 of the GSMP, and Group 1, which features the most powerful championship cars. In the general FIA EHC Category 1 classification, he beat Ronnie Bratschi by just 2.374 seconds, and third-placed Karol Krupa by 6.479 seconds.
In FIA EHC Category 2 and the overall race classification, Christian Merli won for the eighth time, ahead of Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta and Kevin Petit.
In the general classification of Round 8 of the GSMP, the podium consisted of:
- 1st: Grzegorz Rożalski
- 2nd: Karol Krupa
- 3rd: Sebastian Stec
The 16th Limanowa Hill Climb – Przełęcz pod Ostrą proved to be a major sporting success for Polish drivers. Alongside Rożalski and Krupa, Poles claimed FIA EHC podiums in various groups:
- Maciej Hawro (Honda Integra) won the highly competitive Group 5
- Group 4 went to Matija Jurisič (HRV)
- Group 3 was won by O’Play (ITA), strengthening his championship lead
- Group 2 went to Karol Krupa
- Group 1 was dominated by Grzegorz Rożalski
In the Historic Category of Round 8 GSMP, the winner was Arkadiusz Borczyk (Honda Civic VTi), followed by Adam Garbacz (Honda Civic EK4 Rallye) and Marcin Przybyszewski (Honda Integra).
In the National Category (cars with expired international homologation), the win went to Teodor Kocur, driving a motorcycle-powered Speedcar Wonder crosscar, ahead of Cezary Turek (Renault Megane RS) and Krzysztof Mikołajczyk (Honda Integra).
Detailed results are available at: www.wyniki-online.pl
The Strategic Partner of the event was the Małopolska Region.
[Press Release]