Mancin struggles with gearbox issues at Pedavena hillclimb

Michele Mancin faced a difficult weekend at the Pedavena–Croce d'Aune hillclimb, hampered by technical problems with his Citroën Saxo Group A that left him unable to compete for top honours. The driver from Rivà qualified third in the A-S Group and A-S1600 class during Saturday's opening practice session, but slipped to fourth in the second run, finishing just outside the provisional podium positions.

Mancin identified a faulty differential as the primary obstacle to competitive pace. "We started reasonably well," he explained, "but we immediately realised we were short on power with this gearbox setup. I'd arrive at the chicane needing an extra gear that simply wasn't there, and the same problem affected the final straight. In the second run we improved by over four seconds, but at least three points on the track I had to wait for the next corner, losing time."

Despite exploring every possible adjustment ahead of Sunday's runs, the issue persisted. Mancin finished fifth in his class in race one and fourth in the final climb of the weekend, ending the two-day Belluno event fifth overall in the A-S category and A-S1600 class.

"My race-one time matched Saturday's best," Mancin added, "and while we tried to trim here and there, there wasn't much more we could do under these conditions. I'm encouraged by my second run but disappointed with the rest of the weekend. On the positive side, the atmosphere in our class is excellent—we're all friends once the helmets come off."

The result fell short of expectations in both the Italian National Hillclimb Championship (northern zone) and the International Race Salita series, though Mancin remains focused on the remainder of the season. "We know where to make changes to get back to the front," he concluded. "Once the differential is sorted, we're confident we can compete for podiums and wins again. The season isn't over yet and we still have time to aim high."