Monte Erice hillclimb: tight field set for race day after practice
Five drivers separated by just five seconds set the tone for a closely contested Monte Erice hillclimb, with race day scheduled for Sunday. Luigi Fazzino topped the practice timesheets in his Osella PA30 Evo, posting 3'01"54 on the second timed run, but the field behind him is bunched tightly. Franco Caruso in a Nova Proto NP01 trails by only 76 hundredths of a second, while Francesco Conticelli, also driving a Nova Proto NP01, sits third, 2.41 seconds back. Achille Lombardi (Osella PA30) and Michele Puglisi (Nova Proto NP03) complete the top five, with Puglisi notably competitive despite running a 1150cc engine against the 3000cc machinery of his rivals.
Practice conditions were warm and dry, drawing a substantial crowd to the Sicilian mountain course. Race director Fabrizio Fondacci and his deputy Francesco Sanclemente oversaw proceedings with strict safety protocols in place. Organisers expect a full house on Sunday as the event shapes up to be one of the most evenly matched editions in recent years.
The 2024 Monte Erice counts towards both the Italian National Hillclimb Championship and the Italian Historic and Classic Hillclimb Championship. In the historic categories, Harald Mössler (Austria, Darek Mk3) led Group 1 practice in 3'50"67, Marcello Calandrino (Porsche 911 Carrera RSR) topped Group 2 in 3'55"39, Salvatore Caristi (Fiat 128) led Group 3 in 3'48"26, and Totò Riolo (PRC A6), the national championship leader, set the fastest Group 4 time of 3'32"00.
Automobile Club Trapani, the event organiser, renewed its partnership with Rotary Trapani Erice for the "End Polio Now" campaign. At the finish area, spectators were invited to experience the Monte Erice course via a detailed simulator provided in collaboration with Sim Siciliarally.
Race day begins at 08:00 with the first run, followed by a second timed ascent. The provincial road connecting Valderice and Erice will close to traffic from 05:30, with a brief window until 06:45 for essential journeys. Full closure takes effect from 07:00 until the official start.