Zajelsnik wins wet Eichenbühl hillclimb; Strasser dominates touring cars

Patrik Zajelsnik secured overall victory at the 57th Bergrennen Eichenbühl hillclimb in challenging conditions, piloting his Nova NP 01-2 Honda Turbo to a commanding performance on the 3km-plus Unterfranken course. The German-Slovenian driver's spectacular pace impressed spectators throughout the weekend and delivered him another significant triumph of the season.

Weather played a decisive role in the event's character. The day began under clear skies but a rain shower arrived before the sports car field took to the track, creating treacherous conditions for early runners. After several incidents and stoppages, organisers limited the meeting to two timed runs. The track gradually dried during the second run, allowing later competitors to tackle ideal asphalt. Despite the disruptions, strong crowds lined the circuit and witnessed high-calibre hillclimb racing.

Thomas Strasser of Tyrol claimed second overall and dominated the touring car category in his VW Minichberger Corrado R Turbo, delivering a commanding display that earned him one of his career-best hillclimb results. Third overall went to Benjamin Noll (Germany), who impressed in his Osella FA30 Zytek LRM, also taking the E2-SS 3000cc class win. Charles Valentiny (Luxembourg) finished fourth in his Subaru Impreza WRX STI, while Mikko Kataja (Finland) rounded the top five in his Toyota Starlet V8 Hayabusa, just 0.18 seconds behind after two runs.

In the E2-SS 2000cc formula class, Marco Lorig (Germany) won decisively in his Tatuus Formel Master S2000 Honda, with Bastian Voss second in an identical car and Patrick Rahn third in a Wolf GB08F1 Mistral PSA Turbo. The E2-SC 2000cc category saw Michael Bodenmüller triumph in his Norma M20FC Honda LRM, ahead of Peter Amann (Austria) in an Osella PA30/2000 Evo Honda and Dino Gebhard (Germany) in a Norma M20F Honda.