Bratschi: Return with new Mitsubishi
MOUNTAIN RACING Fans have been waiting a long time for this. Almost ten months after the accident in Hemberg, Ronnie Bratschi returns to the scene with a new Mitsubishi Evo RS. The first test race is on Sunday in France. Everything happened very quickly on June 10, 2017 in Hemberg: Shortly after the start of his first training run [...]
Everything happened very quickly on June 10, 2017 in Hemberg: Shortly after the start of his first training run, the cardan on the Mitsubishi Evo VIII broke. Ronnie Bratschi was only a passenger and crashed heavily into a tree trunk that had been put down for track safety.
He hit the lower end of the car so badly (see photo) that the car was irreparably damaged. Fortunately, Bratschi was unhurt in the side impact except for a few bruises.
Early end of season and start to rebuild
The season was over for the man from Uri before it had really begun. The engine, transmission and differential were still usable, so the 31-year-old from Uri soon set about rebuilding a completely new car that had been optimized in every detail.
As a trained polymechanic, the 2015 and 2016 FIA Hill Climb Cup winner did most of the work himself.
Ronnie Bratschi: "You can't buy a car like this anymore. I incorporated a lot of ideas and pushed the limits of the Group E1 regulations without exceeding them. I strengthened certain things and made others easier. The basis had worked, so it's not a huge leap. It's just all a bit better than before."
Low center of gravity, safe and rigid rally cell
For the chassis, Bratschi attached importance to the lowest possible center of gravity. Because the rally cell from OMP proved itself in the accident and can be bought cheaply, he installed one again. The self-made man reinforced everything that serves safety and rigidity.
Bratschi also designed the aerodynamic details himself and also produced the molds for them with the help of a body shop. This means that replacements are always available quickly.
In collaboration with KW, the Swiss slalom champion and 2013 mountain runner-up also modified the suspension, which had been damaged in the accident anyway.
The weight should be around 1080 kg, as before. The exact value will be revealed by the first run on the scales.
Engine with more than 700 hp
The 2.1-liter turbocharged engine optimized by Egmo (Eggenberger Motorsport) in Lyss is still under the hood. Bratschi is somewhat cryptic about its performance.
Ronnie Bratschi: "The horsepower number has a seven at the front... I would have plenty of torque, but we take something out because of the stability. I only call up full power when it's necessary."
Power is still transmitted to both axles with an intermediate differential via a sequential 5-speed transmission, but without a paddle shifter. For Bratschi, this is not reliable enough because of the electronics, especially since he has never had any problems with the manual transmission.
Selected hill climbs in Switzerland
It will complete its first functional test next weekend at the French hillclimb championship race in Abreschviller. The 2.1 km short and winding track is ideally suited for this, as is the Eschdorf hill climb in Luxembourg on May 5/6.
The first start in the FIA Hill Climb Cup is then planned for the end of May in Verzegnis. Two years ago, the man from central Switzerland sensationally took overall victory at the big Italian hill climb near Udine. When the race was stopped due to a thunderstorm, he was leading the touring cars.
What comes after that, he still leaves open.
Ronnie Bratschi: "I'll see how it goes. After that, I'll decide further. My goal is to do some races in Europe. In Switzerland I will do a few selected races."
No matter where he competes, fans can look forward to seeing Ronnie Bratschi and his beautiful new Mitsubishi Evo VIII RS.
