Club Racing — news

The 53rd edition of the Castellana hillclimb will celebrate six decades since the event's inception, with the competition returning to Orvieto from 25–27 September. The hillclimb, which began in 1966, has become a cornerstone of Italian motorsport over the past half-century. The Associazione La Castellana has been preparing the anniversary edition for several weeks, aiming to honour the event's long tradition within the Italian hillclimb calendar.

Maxim Dirickx has secured the 2026 Prototype Cup Europe driver championship, clinching the title at the season finale held at Spa-Francorchamps. The Belgian driver accumulated 158 points across the season to claim the crown. Aust Motorsport took the teams' championship in the same event, completing a double success for the outfit at the Belgian circuit.

The Touring Car Junior Cup championship got underway at Salzburg Ring with slipstreaming battles setting the tone for the season ahead. The Austrian circuit hosted the opening round of the series, where close racing and tactical positioning featured prominently as drivers competed for early championship points. The slipstream-dependent nature of racing at Salzburg Ring created opportunities for overtaking and strategic racing throughout the event, with competitors using tow advantage to challenge for positions. The opening round established the competitive landscape for the remainder of the season as the junior touring car grid begins its title campaign.

Mattis Pluschkell and Nigel Moore have secured pole position in their respective classes for the season finale of the Prototype Cup Europe at Spa-Francorchamps. The championship battle intensifies as the grid is set for the decisive round at the Belgian circuit.

Entries are now open for the inaugural Slalom Valle di Comino, a national ACI Sport event scheduled for 26–27 September in San Donato Val di Comino, in the Frosinone province of Lazio. The 2.85 km course will be laid out on Provincial Road 94, winding through the Ciociaria region's characteristic hairpin turns and chicanes. The event marks a significant moment for local motorsport, coinciding with the centenary of the Frosinone Automobile Club. Organisers Ianni Rent and Basilicata Motorsport have secured backing from twenty municipalities across the Comino Valley, positioning the slalom as part of a broader territorial promotion initiative that includes the Cento Miglia cultural and tourist route, which visited all twenty localities in April. The competition will serve as the eleventh round of the 23rd Interregional Challenge 26 series. Entries are open to single-seaters, prototypes, rallycross cars, rally vehicles, road cars in Racing Start and RS Plus formulas, historic vehicles, and a dedicated touring car slalom category. The event will be directed by Carmine Capezzera. Italian GT hillclimb champion Lucio Peruggini is listed as a testimonial. Registrations close at 24:00 on Wednesday 23 September via the ACI Sport online portal.

The 68th Monte Erice hillclimb, organised by the Automobile Club Trapani, opened its doors with technical and sporting scrutineering on Friday ahead of racing. The event counts towards the Italian Historic Speed Hillclimb Championship (CIVSA), Italian Mountain Speed Championship (CIVM), and Classic Car Tricolour series. Verification sessions ran from 08:30 to 17:30 in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele in central Trapani, drawing thousands of spectators to view the competing machinery before the uphill battle along the winding route from Valderice to the Erice summit. The evening programme included the awards ceremony for the second edition of the Salvatore Morselli Prize, honouring the late Trapani-based motorsport journalist. Francesca Aiuto secured the award with over 40% of votes cast by a panel of specialist journalists, chaired by Franco Cammarasana of La Gazzetta dello Sport. Three other finalists—Vincenzo Garraffa, Andrea Raiti, and Totò Riolo—also received recognition. A mandatory drivers' briefing followed at 18:30, led by race director Fabrizio Fondacci, to confirm final technical details ahead of competition. Giovanni Pellegrino, president of Automobile Club Trapani, described the weekend as an opportunity to celebrate sport, passion, and regional heritage, noting the event's role in promoting both national motorsport excellence and local tourism while honouring figures such as Morselli who documented the sport's history.

The Prototype Cup Europe will crown its 2026 champion at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend, 4–6 September. The season finale at the Belgian circuit will determine the series winner.

The Trophée Tourisme Endurance has released its provisional 2027 calendar, featuring nine events running from March at Magny-Cours through to the Finals at Le Mans in November. The schedule will include all championship grids across the season.

Sicily's Monte Erice hillclimb returns this weekend for its 68th edition, with a competitive entry list across multiple categories competing over the 5-kilometre course. Although the event will not carry the highest status within the Italian hillclimb championship this year, organisers report that sections of the track have been resurfaced ahead of the race. In the top E2-SC Sportprototype class, Luigi Fazzino is among the leading contenders, piloting an Osella PA30 Zytek Evo. The young Sicilian has impressed throughout the season with this machine. His main rival appears to be fellow islander Samuele Cassibba, who has delivered strong performances in his Nova NP 01-2 C Judd. Also in contention are Francesco Conticelli (Nova NP 01-2 Zytek), Franco Caruso (Nova NP 01-2 C Zytek), Achille Lombardi (Osella PA30 Judd), and Vincenzo Conticelli (Osella PA30 Zytek Evo), making for a closely matched field. In the 2-litre E2-SC category, Francesco Leogrande is a strong favourite with his Osella PA21 4C LRM Turbo, though he faces competition from Salvatore Micciche (Osella PA2000 LRM Turbo), Salvatore Castellano (Nova NP 01-2 Synergy), and Andrea Pezzani (Osella PA2000 Evo Honda). The smallest E2-SC class up to 1.6 litres features Michele Puglisi (Nova NP 03 C Aprilia) and Gerardo Rosa (Osella PA21 JrB Aprilia) as leading contenders. In the touring car and GT categories, Alessandro Gabrielli leads the field in a Ferrari 296 Challenge, with strong opposition from Giacomo Ferrazzano (Lamborghini Gallardo GT3), Erosse Petrucci (Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo), Gabriele Lanzillotti (Ferrari 458 Challenge Evo), and Sebastian Frijo (Lamborghini Huracan ST Evo 2). The historic classes feature drivers including Giovanni Cassibba (Osella PA 20/S BMW), Harald Mössler (Daren MK3 Cosworth), and Tiberio Nocentini (Chevron B19 Cosworth).

The 71st Coppa Nissena Trofeo Michele Tornatore – honouring the memory of Livio Alessi and Luigi Campione – will determine the Italian Supersalita (hillclimb) champions and award crucial points in the Sicilian hillclimb championship for both modern and historic cars. Organised by the Automobile Club Caltanissetta, the historic event will close entries on Monday, 7 September. The competition will crown national champions while contributing to the season-long Sicilian hillclimb standings across multiple categories.

Italian driver Giuseppe Agnello returned from the 32nd edition of the Ilirska Bistrica hillclimb in Slovenia with positive impressions despite a challenging result in the competitive field. The 5-kilometre course, characterised by high speed and a technical mid-section with steep gradients, proved demanding for his Lotus Exige S1, which lacked outright power compared to rivals but performed well on the straights. Agnello, competing for ACN Forze di Polizia, reported steady improvements throughout the weekend, lowering his times across multiple runs. However, a mistake at the first major braking point—a roundabout section—cost him time on one of the timed runs when he was forced to reverse and rejoin the course. The asphalt proved slippery in the opening section despite high temperatures and rubber laid down by earlier competitors. The Bologna-based driver acknowledged that his car's power deficit placed him far down the final classification in Group 5 of the CEM series, facing competitors with both more powerful machinery and greater familiarity with the Slovenian layout. Nevertheless, Agnello highlighted the value of the experience gained during Friday's reconnaissance and his first participation at this event. Agnello praised the atmosphere and camaraderie of the weekend, noting the presence of drivers from across Europe and the encouragement from local enthusiasts. He emphasised that competing in an internationally recognised event delivered rewards beyond the timing sheets, citing the human connections formed with fellow competitors, mechanics and fans.

The Sicilian town of Altofonte will host its tenth edition of the Altofonte Rebuttone slalom on 12–13 September, combined with the inaugural Altofonte Festival dei Sapori & dei Motori (Food and Motors Festival). The dual event, organised by Scuderia Armanno Corse Palermo and backed by the regional government and Palermo Metropolitan City, will be officially presented to media and authorities on Friday 11 September at 11:15 in the municipal council chamber. The slalom competition takes place on Sunday 13 September over three timed runs on a 3.8 km course using provincial roads connecting Altofonte and Piana degli Albanesi. The event counts towards the Sicilian slalom championship and will award the Memorial Gaetano Armanno and Coppa Ninni Mulè trophies. Race director is Manlio Mancuso. Entry closes Wednesday 9 September at 12:00. Early confirmations include Salvatore Catanzaro (Gloria B5 Evo Suzuki, four consecutive slalom wins this season), Francesco Bigione (Gloria B5 Evo Suzuki), and Riccardo Cerniglia (Bogani SN84 Suzuki). The festival component runs Friday 11 to Sunday 13 September in Piazza Falcone e Borsellino, featuring tastings of local extra-virgin olive oil, street food, vintage and modern car displays, folk performances, and guided tours of local churches and historical sites. The organisers have printed over 5,000 bilingual promotional leaflets and arranged shuttle buses from car parks to the town centre. The event is supported by sponsors including Banca di Credito Cooperativo Altofonte e Caccamo. Accommodation in the area is reported to be approaching full capacity. Further details are available at www.scuderiaarmannocorse.com, on Facebook (Altofonte Festival) and Instagram (@altofontefestival).