Ronnie Bratschi gears up for Hemberg
SWISS SPORT Nine months after his last hill climb with the Mitsubishi, Ronnie Bratschi made a victorious return to the race track in Italy. The two-time FIA E1 champion from Seedorf UR will also be competing in the Swiss season opener in Hemberg on June 10/11. He is regarded as one of the fastest and most successful touring car drivers on Swiss and European mountain tracks. Since the engine failure in [...]
He is considered one of the fastest and most successful touring car drivers on Swiss and European mountain tracks. Since the engine failure in August 2016 (in St-Ursanne), however, Ronnie Bratschi has no longer been able to prove this. However, the points he had accumulated up to that point in the FIA International Hill Climb Cup were enough to win the title in the E1 category once again.
In the meantime, the man from Uri had the turbo engine, which now has well over 600 hp, revised and optimized at Egmo (Eggenberger Motorsport) in Lyss. At the same time, Bratschi lightened his tried-and-tested car by a few kilos and improved details. However, the Evo VIII RS is still almost 300 kilos away from the lightweight high-flyer of Reto Meisel.
Nevertheless, Bratschi is once again taking up the fight for the title or at least a podium place in the Swiss mountain championship for touring cars. "It will be difficult against Meisel's Mercedes SLK 340, but should there be rain or mixed conditions at one or the other mountain race, I certainly fancy my chances. Even in the dry, I was never far away from him until my retirement last year. In addition, Reto is also dependent on technology..."
Bratschi's first start in nine months has already been satisfactory in any case, although not everything on the car is optimal yet. At the 48th Int. hill climb Verzegnis-Sella Chianzutan near Udine, the only Swiss among 240 drivers from nine nations won the strong E1 category. He was thus the second fastest with a roof over his head behind an Italian in a Fiat X1/9 from the E2-SH group (Silhouette).
With an overall time of 5:39.43, the man from Central Switzerland took more than four seconds off the leading Czech in the FIA E1 Cup, Trneny, in a Skoda Fabia WRC without power limitation. Only Bratschi's Austrian arch-rival Karl Schagerl was faster in a four-wheel-drive Golf that was at least as powerful, but a broken drive shaft slowed him down in both races.
Already in the previous year Bratschi won the group E1 in Verzegnis and even took the day's victory. The first race run had been aborted before the start of the racing cars due to a heavy thunderstorm and the whole event was not continued.
"It was good that I was able to race and test the car before the start in Switzerland. Some things still didn't work as they should," reveals Bratschi. Last year's overall runner-up behind Eric Berguerand will definitely be ready for the season opener in Hemberg on June 10/11.
While Reto Meisel's start is still uncertain due to work commitments and a lack of preparation time, Roger Schnellmann, Thomas Kessler (both Mitsubishi) and Romeo Nüssli (Ford Escort) are three other fast drivers with turbo bombers expected at the start in Hemberg. The countdown to the popular mountain race in Toggenburg has begun...
