Slalom: Hot phase in the title fight

After a three-month summer break, the Swiss Slalom Championship is entering its seventh and penultimate round at the Drognens armory in Romont. With Martin Bürki (VW Polo/E1-1600), Philip Egli (Dallara F393/E2-SS-2000) and Hanspeter Thöni (Peugeot 106/ISN-1600), three drivers are still at the top of the standings with six full class wins without losing any points.

Advantage Bürki
It is quite possible that this will remain the case after the race on the same Waffenplatz course as in the Romont slalom in mid-June. Then the decision will be made on the first weekend of October in Ambri. If everyone prevails there, too, the passage with the class strength will come into play, which currently still speaks in favor of Bürki.

In Drognens, the defending champion will have competition from his own family, with his 26-year-old son Mike making a comeback in the second MB Polo after one and a half years. There will certainly be no gifts or barnstorming.

Martin Bürki: "Three years ago he was faster than me once in the first run. Mike asked afterwards if he should lup in the second run. But that's out of the question for me. If I want to win, then I'll do it under my own steam. If I only manage to do it when others are lapping, then I know that my time to retire has come."

Mason is back
Like Bürki as runner-up in the Mountain Cup, Philip Egli kept fit in the summer with starts in the mountain races of Anzère, Oberhallau and on the Gurnigel. His goal is not only a medal position in the championship, he wants to be the first driver ever to win the day at all the season's races with his optimal Dallara race car.

Things are not going to be easy. After Marcel Maurer was not at the start in the previous three slaloms, the man from Bern returns fully motivated with his Tatuus-Rernault. Especially since he won a year ago in Drognens and Ambri ahead of Egli. It will be exciting...

Eugster has upgraded
In the battle for the stage wins, Lukas Eugster will have an even more serious say than before. The man from Herisau now competes with a shorter gear ratio in the Ligier-Honda JS53, which he was able to try out at the Walzenhausen hill climb. This allowed him to at least get significantly closer to the fastest race car drivers.

If Eugster makes it into the top 5 as a sports car soloist as usual, then he too will score the maximum number of points (140) after deducting a strike result. The same applies to Christian Darani, who only suffered a razor-thin defeat in Frauenfeld with his Fiat X 1/9 in the E1-2000. Theoretically, the wild man from Ticino could also still be champion if the top 3 in the SM table really stumble once.

IS Trophy already decided before the final
The Interswiss Trophy is concluded in Drognens. With the absent Stephan Burri (VW Polo) as champion and Jürg Ochsner (Opel Kadett 2.0) in second place, the top overall positions have already been taken. With another victory in the 1400cc class, however, Stefan Schöpfer (Audi 50) can still displace his club colleague Urs Banz (Opel Ascona) as the best-placed driver in the class up to 2.5 liters from third place. Schöpfer also holds this position in the Swiss Mountain Cup.

First match point for Muzzarelli
A preliminary decision can be expected in the Suzuki Swiss Racing Cup, whose training and race rounds will already be held at the LOC slalom on Saturday. Marcel Muzzarelli goes into the penultimate race with a 16-point lead over Simeon Schneider and 18 points over Fabian Eggenberger. If the Thurgau native is 20 points ahead after that, he will have the title in the bag before the final in Ambri.

Things get underway on Saturday from 7.45 a.m. with the first practice sessions for the LOC categories. The first race runs are on the program from 1.30 pm. On Sunday, practice starts at 7.30 am. The race runs will follow from 1.30 pm.

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