FIA Mountain Cup: Victory for Joël Volluz
SECOND IN ITALY At the Vallecamonica hill climb near Brescia, Joël Volluz finished second overall. The Valais native thus won the classification for the FIA International Hill Climb Cup. Faster was only Denny Zardo in a Norma M20 FC with 3.0 V8 engine. The Italian won the race on the 8.8-kilometer Malegno-Ossimo-Borno circuit even before [...]
Only Denny Zardo was faster in a Norma M20 FC with a 3.0 V8 engine. The Italian had already won the race on the 8.8-kilometer Malegno-Ossimo-Borno track once 16 years ago. With the best time in the first run in 3'46.08, the Italian laid the foundation for the day's victory.
Test with other tires
Joël Volluz in the Osella FA30 came closest to him with his second running time of 3'51.63. In the addition of the two race runs, the Valais native lost around 13 seconds. Volluz won the E2 race car group and, as a registered driver, the FIA International Hill Climb Cup classification.
In this traditional hill climb near Brescia (49th edition since 1964) he already competed in 2012 in the first year with the Osella and captured the day's victory.
Joël Volluz: "A top organized race on a great track. But this year it was a bit complicated for me. I tried a different brand of tire and got problems with the suspensions. Nothing was at stake, so this was a good test. With the Avon tires I'm used to, I could hardly have beaten Zardo, but I probably would have been around 3'48."
First home game in Anzère
Next weekend, the mechanic, who works in his father's garage in Vollèges, will start for the first time in 2019 in his home country (Ayent-Anzère). A week later, like some compatriots (Marcel Steiner, Robin Faustini, Ronnie Bratschi, etc.), he will again meet international competition at the big North German hill climb near Osnabrück.
Third place overall, 7.3 seconds behind Volluz, went to Sébastien Petit in the Norma M20 FC. After several races with a two-liter sports car, the Frenchman returned to the three-liter class with the sports car that had been rebuilt after his serious accident in May in Falperra (European Championship round in Portugal). As a result, he also struggled somewhat with the set-up.
Showdown in Osnabrück
Whether Petit can return to his old form will be seen on August 4 in Osnabrück, where he won in record time at the first attempt last year. European champion Christian Merli, who also set record times to win the day there in 2016 and 2018 in the Osella FA30, will probably be an almost unbeatable opponent for him, as he is for the strongest Swiss.
