57th Eichenbühl Hillclimb preview: German championship contenders gather
The 57th Eichenbühl hillclimb in Franconia will mark a decisive stage of the German hillclimb championship, with only the final round at Mickhausen remaining on the calendar after this event. The organisers expect a high-calibre entry across multiple classes, competing on the demanding 3km-plus circuit that promises competitive racing and spectacle.
Prototypes and open-wheel contenders
German-Slovenian driver Patrik Zajelsnik enters as the favourite for overall victory, piloting his Nova NP 01-2 Honda Turbo in the 3-litre E2-SC category. Among his chief rivals in the same class will be veteran Alexander Hin in an Osella PA30 Zytek LRM. In the 3-litre E2-SS formula class, young German Benjamin Noll returns in a legendary Osella FA30 Zytek LRM, while Luxembourg's Tommy Rollinger will also contest the top times in his Osella FA30 Zytek. German regular Gerd Kauff completes the line-up in this category with his Dallara T12 Nissan.
The 2-litre E2-SC class is strongly populated. Michael Bodenmüller (Norma M20FC Honda LRM) and Georg Lang (PRC FPR VW Turbo) are expected to lead the fight, with German-Italian Francesco D'Acri (Elia Avrio ST09 Evo Suzuki) also among the contenders. Dino Gebhard will make his national championship debut at his home event in a Norma M20F Honda. Austrian Peter Amann (Osella PA30/2000 Evo Honda), Andreas Voss (Osella PA2000 Evo Honda), Otmar Fassold (Norma M20A Honda), Stephan Collisi (Behnke Condor BMW), and veteran Gerhard Siebert (Osella PA18 BMW) round out a competitive field. Jan Martinez-Schramm will contest the event for the first time in a PRC C/3 MS2 VW.
In the 2-litre E2-SS formula class, Bastian Voss leads the championship standings and will be among the favourites. Marco Lorig (Tatuus Formel Master S2000 Honda) has enjoyed a strong season, as has Patrick Rahn in his new Wolf GB08F1 Mistral PSA Turbo. Jürgen Frommknecht (Dallara F302 Evo Spiess) will also compete. In the E2-SH category, Marco Farrenkopf (Silver Car S2 Evo Suzuki) is expected to feature prominently.
Road car and touring car battles
The touring car overall victory is likely to be contested between Austrian Thomas Strasser (VW Minichberger Corrado R Turbo), seeking to repeat last year's success, and German veteran Holger Hovemann (Lamborghini Huracan ST Evo 1). Finnish driver Mikko Kataja will make his second outing in a uniquely configured Toyota Starlet V8 Hayabusa, while Luxembourg's Charel Valentiny (Subaru Impreza WRX STI) and fellow Luxembourger Michel Fernandes (Porsche 992 GT3 Cup) are also expected to challenge for top positions.
In the Pf Class 2 category, Michael Weber (Audi 80 Quattro), Christian Leutheuser (BMW M240i-Cup/GTR), and Sebastian Kühn (BMW 1M GTR) will compete, with Swiss driver Corsin Rietiker making his debut in a BMW E36 GTR V10. The Pf Class 3a field includes Florian Heß (Porsche 997.2 GT3 Cup) and Rainer Noller (Porsche 991.1 GT3 Cup) among the leading contenders.