Mountain Cup: Everything speaks for Martin Bürki

The Swiss Mountain Cup is reserved for drivers with touring cars up to two liters and racing sports cars up to 1.6 liters. Likewise, the Renault Classic Cup is eligible for this sub-ranking, and for the "Historics" it is even the only opportunity to participate in a Coupe, as in rallies.

Diversity and equality of opportunity are therefore guaranteed. However, if there weren't two strike results, the circle of contenders for the championship podium would shrink after just three of the eight hillclimb races.

Four drivers at the top of the table
Although nine people won their classes in Hemberg and Reitnau. But only those of Martin Bürki (VW Polo/E1-1600), Danny Krieg (Audi A4 STW/E1-2000), Philip Niederberger (Opel Kadett City/IS-2000) and Rolf Reding (Toyota GT86/SuperSeries-2000) had at least five drivers. This is a prerequisite for the full points award.

While the successes of Bürki and Krieg were no surprise, for Niederberger and Reding it was confirmation of their top performance with which they earned these class victories. They all form the top of the table after Reitnau with 40 points each.

Lack of participants in Massongex
In a few days, it's just statistics. Next weekend, the Massongex-Vérossaz hill climb will be held for the first time since 2015. Its popularity does not seem to have increased in the meantime, despite the new organization, because all classes are more thinly populated than at any other race for years.

This is reflected above all in the Mountain Cup. Niederberger and Krieg will not be competing in the Lower Valais and Reding has only two opponents on the start list there. Thus Bürki, who can only be stopped by a technical defect, will normally be the only rider from this quartet with another 20 points.

He's happy, although he'd rather have more opponents to keep the starting position exciting like in the slalom. But he has also earned this situation.

Martin Bürki: "I love the task of racing everywhere and for a championship. That's why I already took it easy on the material in Reitnau after a good first run close to my class record, because I didn't want to risk anything before Massongex. When you race mountain and slalom for championship, you have to do double duty in every respect."

War lacks time
For Danny Krieg, who was closest to his Schwyz colleague Reto Steiner with the Ford Escort RS in Hemberg and Reitnau, the absence in Massongex has personal reasons.

Danny Krieg: "I've never raced there and don't have time to do all the hillclimbs for work and family reasons. I would like to drive everything, but that always requires a lot of effort before and after each race."

In the previous races, the 2016 Berg-Pokal winner was still clearly above his record times with the optimal Audi A4 STW. In Hemberg, he wanted to force something in the first race run - with the result that he drove one gear higher than before in the final meander of the bends, coming across and hitting...

Danny Krieg: "Now I know how well I drove the Audi two years ago. From 2014 to 2016, I drove slaloms and hillclimbs only with this car, and I still lack this routine. The Porsche GT3 was easier to drive. But that final tweak will come..."

The big races follow in midsummer
From the race after next in Anzère (22 Jui), the points calculation will look different again for many. Like the European Championship race in St-Ursanne (August 19) and the following popular Swiss-German mountain races in Oberhallau (August 26) and on the Gurnigel (September 9), the race in the Valais has a large field of participants.

As there is no date overlap with a slalom in 2018, Martin Bürki's third double after 2014 and 2015 is nevertheless already foreseeable. However, the placings in the Mountain Cup behind him are completely open.

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