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FIA European Hill Climb Championship 2026

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25.09.2026 Kevin Petit and Reto Meisel Claim Buzet Victories

On September 20, 2026, the 10th and final round of the FIA European Hill Climb Championship (EHC) took place in Buzet, Croatia. Confronting the challenging 5,001-meter tarmac ribbon, Europe’s elite hill climb contenders locked horns in fierce, down-to-the-wire battles to conclude the season in front of a spectacular backdrop of passionate fans.

In Category 2 (Competition Cars / Prototypes), France's Kevin Petit stormed to yet another outright victory, putting a dominant exclamation mark on his stellar late-season form. He was closely shadowed across the finish line by his rivals from the Czech Republic and Spain.

  • 1st Place: Kevin Petit (FRA) – Nova Proto
  • 2nd Place: Petr Trnka (CZE) – Nova Proto
  • 3rd Place: Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta (ESP) – Nova Proto

In Category 1 (Production Cars) Groups 1 and 2, Swiss veteran Reto Meisel used all his experience to master the course, capturing the top step of the podium ahead of his fierce challengers from Poland and France.

  • 1st Place: Reto Meisel (SUI) – Mercedes-Benz
  • 2nd Place: Karol Krupa (POL) – Skoda Fabia
  • 3rd Place: Nicolas Werver (FRA) – Porsche

The 2026 campaign was a true war of attrition, characterized by a relentless, packed calendar and unpredictable weather conditions. Mechanical heartbreaks, critical tire-strategy gambles, and unexpected DNFs constantly shook up the standings in both categories, ensuring the championship fight went down to the absolute wire at the season finale in Croatia.

With the mandatory dropped scores calculated, the final official FIA European Hill Climb Championship classification is locked in:

Category 1 (Production Competition Cars)

In a nerve-wracking, fractions-of-a-second thriller, the young Croatian prodigy kept his composure under immense pressure to defend a razor-thin three-point margin and seal the title.

  1. Matija Jurišić (CRO) – 211 pts
  2. Reto Meisel (SUI) – 208 pts
  3. Marek Rybníček (CZE) – 201 pts

Category 2 (Prototype Racing Cars)

Boasting immense consistency and a dominant surge in the second half of the season, the Italian ace emerged victorious from a dramatic, season-long game of musical chairs to lift the championship crown.

  1. "O' Play" (ITA) – 197 pts
  2. Fausto Bormolini (ITA) – 176 pts
  3. Lukáš Studený (CZE) – 172 pts

A massive thank you goes out to all competitors, teams, and drivers who made the thrilling and highly successful 2026 season an unforgettable chapter in hill climb history.

Ranking EHC Overall Buzetski dani

Ranking EHC Overall Buzetski dani (PDF 1 MB)

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31.08.2026 Ilirska Bistrica 2026: Kevin Petit and Reinhold Taus Triumph

On August 30, 2026, the high-speed Slovenian track of Ilirska Bistrica took center stage for the FIA European Hill Climb Championship (EHC). At the penultimate round of the season, Europe’s elite drivers put on a thrilling show, battling for hundredths of a second in front of a massive crowd of motorsport fans. While a dominant French driver claimed the overall victory in Category 2 (open race cars), a practice crash by favorite Reto Meisel completely shook up the standings in Category 1 (touring cars).

Category 2 (Race Cars / Prototypes): Petit Unstoppable

In the premier class, Frenchman Kevin Petit celebrated a commanding overall victory, underpinning his absolute peak form. He was followed by top Eastern European drivers, with Igor Stefanovski causing a sensation after his recent step up to the top tier.

  • 1st Place: Kevin Petit 🇫🇷 (France) – Nova Proto NP01
  • 2nd Place: Petr Trnka 🇨🇿 (Czech Republic) – Nova Proto NP01-2 C
  • 3rd Place: Igor Stefanovski 🇲🇰 (North Macedonia) – Nova Proto NP01

Category 1 (Closed Cars / Touring Cars): Taus Seizes the Opportunity

After Swiss championship dominator Reto Meisel was unable to start the race due to a crash during Saturday's practice session, the path was clear for a thrilling battle. Austria's Reinhold Taus seized the opportunity perfectly, celebrating a highly cheered touring car victory.

  • 1st Place: Reinhold Taus 🇦🇹 (Austria) – Subaru Impreza P4 Turbo
  • 2nd Place: Kevin Raith 🇦🇹 (Austria) – Porsche 992 GT3 Cup
  • 3rd Place: Milovan Vesnić 🇷🇸 (Serbia) – Audi RS3 LMS

Following this spectacular weekend, the championship is now entering the home stretch before heading to the traditional season finale in Buzet, Croatia, this September.

In the European Hill Climb Championship overall standings, Croatia's Matija Jurisic leads the touring car category with 204 points, while Italy's "O'Play" leads the race car category with 187 points.

Ranking EHC Overall Ilirska Bistrica

Ranking EHC Overall Ilirska Bistrica (PDF 395 KB)

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17.08.2026 Kevin Petit with emotional victory

The legendary hill climb in the Swiss Jura once again delivered pure action this year. On the lightning-fast track, Europe’s elite battled for every hundredth of a second. In the open sports car class, France’s Kevin Petit celebrated an emotional maiden victory. He relegated Spain’s Joseba Irarola Lanzagort to second place and the Czech Petr Trnka to third. The European Championship standings for touring cars (Category 1) were dominated by the experienced Swiss driver Reto Meisel. Behind the Mercedes driver, Nicolas Werver from France took second place. The third place on the championship podium was secured by the Swiss driver Roger Schnellmann. It was an all-round successful motorsport festival that fully lived up to its reputation as a European hillclimb classic.

Ranking EHC Overall Les Rangiers

Ranking EHC Overall Les Rangiers (PDF 1 MB)

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20.07.2026 Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta/ESP triumphed at Limanowa

Over the past weekend (19 July 2026), the legendary Limanowa Hill Climb once again drew Europe’s elite drivers to Poland for the seventh round of the FIA European Hill Climb Championship (FIA EHC). On the extremely demanding 5.4-kilometre track, the competitors delivered spectacular battles against the clock under challenging and changeable weather conditions.

In Category 2, the duel for the overall victory reached a dramatic climax. Ultimately, Spain's Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta triumphed with an outstanding performance behind the wheel of his Nova NP01, securing the top step of the podium. Just a blink of an eye behind him came Czech driver Petr Trnka, who launched an aggressive pursuit in his Nova Proto NP01-2 C. The open-wheel podium was completed by Frenchman Kevin Petit, also driving a Nova Proto NP01. The top 3 in Category 2 at a glance:

  1. Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta (Spain) – Nova NP01
  2. Petr Trnka (Czech Republic) – Nova Proto NP01-2 C
  3. Kevin Petit (France) – Nova Proto NP01

Category 1 also delivered high-class motorsport for the numerous fans lining the track. Polish local hero Szymon Piękoś made perfect use of his track knowledge, piloting his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo to a well-deserved victory. He was closely followed in second place by fellow countryman Karol Krupa (Poland), who delivered a characteristically strong performance in his spectacular Skoda Fabia CT. The final podium spot was secured by Swiss hill climb veteran Reto Meisel, who successfully steered for the first time a powerful Mitsubishi Lancer Evo to third place. The top 3 in Category 1 at a glance:

  1. Szymon Piękoś (Poland) – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo
  2. Karol Krupa (Poland) – Skoda Fabia CT
  3. Reto Meisel (Switzerland) – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo

Following this thrilling race weekend, the European hill climb elite leaves Poland behind and looks forward to the next traditional highlight on the calendar: in mid-August, the championship will visit the Swiss classic in St. Ursanne – Les Rangiers.

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29.06.2026 Merli wins his national race

At the 65th Coppa Paolino Teodori in Ascoli Piceno on 28 June 2026, Christian Merli (Italy, Nova Proto NP01) won the sports car class, narrowly ahead of Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta (Spain, NP01-Emap-Turbo) and Kevin Petit (France, NP01-Emap-Turbo). The Touring Car Category 1 was won by the Swiss driver Reto Meisel in a Mercedes SLK340 Judd, ahead of Lucio Perrugini (Italy, Ferrari 296), with Meisel securing victory despite challenging conditions.

Ranking EHC Overall Ascoli

Ranking EHC Overall Ascoli (PDF 1 MB)

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2026 FIA approved

The following ten events are scheduled in the 2026 calendar and approved by the organisers:

Date Race Track Country
25 - 26 April 2026 Hill Climb Rechberg Austria
09 - 10 May 2026 Subida al Fito Spain
16 - 17 May 2026 Rampa International da Falperra Portugal
06 - 07 June 2026 Ecce Homo Sternberk Czech Republic
13 - 14 June 2026 Internationales Glasbachrennen Deutschland
27 - 28 June 2026 Coppa Paolini Teodori Italy
18 - 19 July 2026 Hill Climb Limanowa Poland
15 - 16 August 2026 Course de côte St. Ursanne - Les Rangiers Switzerland
29 - 30 August 2026 GHD Ilirska Bistrica Slovenia
19 - 20 September 2026 Buzetski Dani Croatia

The organiser reserves the right to modify unilaterally the calendar in case of necessity.

 

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