Hill climb: Return of three greats

Joël Volluz made his comeback in a race dependent on the test event in St-Ursanne. At the Swiss European Championship round, the 27-year-old from Valais was allowed to start out of competition in the small field of demonstration vehicles.

Anyone who didn't know would not have guessed that Volluz had a serious accident on this very route two years ago. Almost as fast as back then, he now drove the rebuilt Osella FA30 to Les Rangiers.

Therefore, nothing stands in the way of his first race appearance after two years in Oberhallau.

Joël Volluz: "I am satisfied. It went very well in St-Ursanne. My head is also playing along again. Therefore, it is clear that I will start in Oberhallau this weekend."

Will Steiner's track record fall in Oberhallau?
What the 2016 title favorite will be capable of (until the accident) is difficult to estimate. The record on the exactly 3000 m track in the Klettgau region of Schaffhausen has been held by Marcel Steiner since 2012 in 1'08.49 (157.7 km/h), set on an Osella FA30.

After his performance in Anzère, a new record is most likely to be set by Eric Berguerand in his Lola-Cosworth, which is finally running smoothly, if the weather plays along. The older of the two fast race car drivers from the Valais was the record holder in Oberhallau before Steiner.

Swiss premiere of Christoph Lampert in the Osella FA30
Another Osella FA30 with a V8 engine has been driven since this year by Christoph Lampert, who is best known in Oberhallau and on the Gurnigel. The Vorarlberg native has become accustomed to the new machine, which a generous sponsor has made available to him, at various mountain races.

Lampert is very familiar with both Swiss tracks from previous starts, most recently with the Osella PA2000. The border crosser also benefits from the support of budding European champion Christian Merli, who helps him with chassis settings and driving tips.

The expectations of last year's third-place finisher on both tracks are correspondingly high.

Christoph Lampert: "While Merli is getting the last out of his Osella-Zytek, I'm still at about 80 percent. The FA30 has endless potential, but thanks to the track knowledge I can now really concentrate on driving. That's why I'm already planning to have a say in the podium, although Marcel and Eric are hard to beat on their home tracks."

Simon Hugentobler in the Ferrari red Osella PA30
Oberhallau, where he was third overall in 2016 and fourth last year, means a new start for Simon Hugentobler. The man from Suhr is switching from the Reynard 97D to an Osella PA30 with a V8 engine in the E2 sports car category.

Hugentobler had to postpone the premiere with the car he bought from Italy until the shoulder injury he suffered in Eschdorf in May (a fall while pushing his son Robin Faustini's Reynard) has healed.

All the more he is now looking forward to the comeback, for which he was able to prepare with a few laps on the Anneau du Rhin in Alsace just this week.

Simon Hugentobler: "The Italians' show with these cars is tremendous, and they're also beautiful to look at. After so many races as a helper and spectator, I'm really eager to drive again. My expectations? Results with reasonable running times, as close to the top as possible."

In memory of Martin Wittwer
On Saturday, three practice runs for all racing fields are on the program in Oberhallau starting at 7:30 am. On Sunday, the first of three race runs will start at the same time.

One year after the fatal accident of Martin Wittwer, which will be on everyone's mind, one would like nothing more than for this popular event to run as smoothly as possible.

Therefore, the sporting outcome is actually secondary.

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