Club Racing — news

The 42nd edition of the Pedavena-Croce d'Aune hillclimb in the Belluno region of Italy is shaping up as a high-calibre event, with 22 Sport-class cars confirmed on the entry list. The event will draw competitors and teams from across Italy and forms part of the Italian Mountain Speed Championship North series. Organisers have arranged over 2,000 spectator places, free shuttle services for attendees, and live television coverage of the competition.

The 43rd Coppa del Chianti hillclimb is moving into its decisive stage, with technical and sporting scrutineering scheduled for Friday, 18 September at Castellina in Chianti. The checks will take place at the service centre located at the former Molino Niccolai facility, running from 12:30 to 19:30, with an additional session on Saturday, 19 September. A total of 132 competitors are registered for the event.

The 43rd Coppa del Chianti, an eighth-round event in the Italian Historic Hillclimb Championship, will take place this weekend near Castellina in Chianti. Technical and sporting checks are scheduled for Friday 18 September from 12:30 to 19:30 at the service centre at the former Molino Niccolai facility, with an additional session on Saturday 19 from 08:00 to 09:30. A total of 132 competitors have entered the event. The hillclimb is organised by Targa Racing Club in collaboration with Siena Racing Driver and supported by the Automobile Club Siena. The driver briefing will be held on Saturday at 12:15, followed by the first of two reconnaissance runs at 13:00 over the 8 km course along the SR 222 Chiantigiana road through the Chianti Classico region. The Coppa del Chianti returns to competition after a three-year absence, with significant championship points available across all categories. Notable entries in the Sport Nazionale class include Alessandro Trentini (Milan) in a Lucchini SN87, Arnaldo Pinto (Piedmont) in a Lucchini SP90, Gaetano Palumbo (Syracuse) in a Lucchini Symbol, Antonio Lavieri (Basilicata) in a Lucchini SN88, and Angela Grasso in an Osella PA 10. Coverage of the event will be provided by AI Sport TV, with daily reports published on the Italian Historic Hillclimb Championship social media page. A full report will air on ACI Sport TV Magazine on Thursday 24 September at 21:00 (Sky channel 228 and Tivùsat channel 52).

Three significant hillclimb events are scheduled across Switzerland and Italy, marking the conclusion of the season for competitors in both countries. The 43rd Coppa della Città Les Paccots will serve as the finale for the Swiss hillclimb championship. The event takes place on a course just over 2 kilometres in length and is expected to attract a strong field of drivers competing for the title. In northern Italy, the Pedavena–Croce d'Aune hillclimb will host two concurrent championships this coming weekend: a round of the CIVM Northern Italian Championship and the IRS Cup. Organisers have assembled a high-calibre entry list for the Veneto region event. Meanwhile, Tuscany will host the 43rd Coppa del Chianti, a round of the Italian Historic Hillclimb Championship. The event marks the return of the Coppa del Chianti after a multi-year hiatus, with an 8-kilometre course and a strong historic car entry list expected.

The GT2 European Series is set to resume competition at Circuit Zandvoort, marking a return to track action for the one-make racing platform. The announcement signals a fresh start for the series, which will host its next event at the Dutch venue. Zandvoort, located on the North Sea coast near Amsterdam, is a traditional motorsport destination and has hosted numerous international racing events. The circuit's technical layout and established infrastructure make it a regular fixture on the European club racing calendar. Further details regarding the event date, entry list, and race format were not provided in the available information.

The Brescia-based AC Racing Technology team will field four entries at the 42nd Pedavena hillclimb on 19–20 September, the thirteenth round of the 2026 Italian Mountain Speed Championship North Zone. The event takes place in the Belluno province. In the RS Cup category, the title has already been secured by Salvatore Tortora, who claimed victory in the Super Salita on a Peugeot 308 with Imperial Racing Division. Tortora will not compete at Pedavena, but Paolo Venturi will defend second place in the standings, also driving a Peugeot 308. In the Mini JCW class, Gabriel Sodi aims to improve his current sixth-place position in the RS Turbo category. Sodi is the nephew of Simone Faggioli, who recently secured his twentieth Italian absolute mountain championship title. Sodi has already recorded three victories this season: Coppa della Consuma, Verzegnis-Sella Chianzutan, and Sarnano-Sassotetto. Stefano Gheza from Valle Camonica will also compete on a Mini JCW. Team principal Francesco Abate will make a one-off return to driving, piloting a Mini RSTB2.0 Plus—the car that earned Giovanni Angelini the national title. Abate and his brother Maurizio are targeting a class victory.

Polish driver Alicja Cyrek has secured a competitive opportunity in the Radical Cup UK after winning the Racing Women Global Competition 2025/2026 programme. The 18-year-old invested her birthday money into the international driver development initiative, which culminated in her selection to compete in a Radical SR3 at Donington Park on 25–27 September 2026. Racing Women Global Competition is a structured talent pathway that evaluates drivers across multiple dimensions beyond lap times. Participants are assessed on driving technique, error analysis, learning speed, coaching receptiveness, concentration, pressure management and teamwork within a racing environment. Cyrek was among four Polish drivers selected for the Assessment Day in the UK and progressed through successive rounds of evaluation to claim the overall title. As part of her preparation, Cyrek has already completed test sessions in a Radical SR3 at Brands Hatch, gaining experience with the lightweight prototype's handling characteristics, aerodynamics and braking demands. She will be supported at Donington Park by Diana Prietz, a racing instructor and Radical SR3 competitor in Poland's national racing championships, who will work as her coach and mentor during the weekend's test and race programme. Prietz emphasised the importance of methodical progression: "When a driver moves into such a fast car, the goal is not to use 100 per cent of its potential from lap one. Understanding the car, drawing conclusions and building pace consistently is what matters. Each session should represent another step forward."

Michael Verhagen of Ferrari Warszawa secured the Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe Am class championship at Hungaroring during the penultimate round of the 2026 season. The Dutch driver wrapped up the title with a second-place finish in Sunday's race, extending his record to nine podiums for the year, including seven victories. Verhagen arrived at the Hungarian circuit leading the standings and converted that advantage into continental honours ahead of the season finale in Barcelona. In the main Trofeo Pirelli class, Sergio Paulet of Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM claimed victory from pole position, recording his sixth win of the season and setting the fastest lap in 1:45.569. Paulet had already secured the European title before Sunday's race. Niklas Abrahamsen (Formula Racing) finished second, while Hendrik Viol (Scuderia Praha Racing) took third. The Coppa Shell category remained competitive heading into the finale. Fons Scheltema (Kessel Racing) scored his first win of the season, cutting the gap to championship leader Sven Schömer (Penske Sportwagen Hamburg) to six points. Carl Runefelt (Autoropa Racing) claimed second and fastest lap honours in class, with Khaleed Boodai (Rossocorsa) rounding out the podium. In Coppa Shell Am, Shintaru Akatsu (Ineco – Reparto Corse RAM) took his maiden Ferrari Challenge victory. The Hungaroring event hosted Ferrari Racing Days across four days, attracting approximately 6,000 clients, fans and Scuderia Ferrari Club members. The programme featured cars from Ferrari's Corse Clienti offerings, including the XX Programme, F1 Clienti, Sport Prototipi Clienti and Club Competizioni GT categories. Ferrari unveiled the new 296 GT Modificata, a track-only model, as part of the Club Competizioni GT programme. The Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe season concludes at the Finali Mondiali on Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya from 17–23 November, where Verhagen will contest the final round with his Am class title already secured.

The 2026 European Hillclimb Championship will conclude in Buzet, Croatia, with the 45th running of the event in the Istrian region. The approximately 5 km course is expected to attract a strong international field competing across multiple prototype and touring car categories. Among the headline contenders, French driver Kevin Petit will pilot a Nova NP 01-2 C Honda Turbo in pursuit of the overall title. He faces stiff competition from Spanish rival Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta, also in a Nova NP 01-2 C Honda Turbo, and Czech driver Petr Trnka in the same machinery. North Macedonian Igor Stefanovski will contest his second outing in a Nova NP 01-2 C Honda Turbo. In Proto Class 2, Italian hillclimb veteran Fausto Bormolini will campaign a Wolf GB08 Mistral Aurobay Turbo. Spanish competitor Jose Antonio Alonso Liste brings a Tatuus F3 T-318 Alpine, while Slovenian driver Vladimir Stankovic will race a Wolf GB08 Thunder Aprilia. Czech driver David Dedek enters a Nova NP 03 C Ducati, and Kosovar Bardhyl Canolli will debut a Radical SR8 RSX RPE. Hungarian legend Laszlo Szasz makes his first appearance with a Reynard 2KL Zytek F3000, while Italian Simone Feroleto will drive an Osella PA 20/S BMW and Croatian Filip Magdic a Gibson Nemesis RME Honda Turbo. In Proto Class 3, Italian Antonino Migliuolo arrives as defending champion in his category after clinching the title at Ilirska Bistrica, piloting a Nova NP 03 Aprilia. Fellow Italian Francesco Ballarini makes his debut in the class with an identical Nova NP 03 Aprilia. South Italian Giovanni Lisi will race a Wolf GB08 Thunder Aprilia, and Albanian Gentjan Shaqiri competes in a Tatuus Formel Master S2000 Honda. Proto Class 4 features Czech driver Lukas Studeny in a Ligier JS51 Honda as a leading contender. Compatriot Karel Berger will race an Osella PA21 JrB Suzuki, Czech driver Tereza Machova a Norma M20F Honda, and Serbian Uros Brkic an Osella PA 21 Evo Honda K24. The touring car field includes Swiss driver Reto Meisel in a Mercedes Benz SLK 340 Judd. Croatian Domagoj Perekovic brings a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, Bulgarian Nikolay Zlatkov an Audi S1 Pikes Peak Quattro, and Slovenian veteran Milan Bubnic a Lancia Delta Integrale. Polish driver Szymon Piekos competes in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 8, Czech Lukas Keller a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9 AMS, Croatian Dejan Dimitrijevic a Seat Leon R32 Proto, Croatian Maro Slade a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 10, and Slovenian Janko Medved a Subaru Impreza MRC.

Sanremo will host a concentrated rally festival from 14–18 October, bringing together five separate competitions across modern, historic and electric categories. Registration for all events in the western Liguria region opened on 16 September and closes on 9 October. The headline event is the 73rd Sanremo Rallye, running 17–18 October over roads in the Ponente Ligure. It serves as the final round of the Italian National Rally Championship (CIAR-Sparco) and the 13th round of the European Rally Trophy (ERT), which will conclude two events later in Germany. On the same weekend, the 27th Rally delle Palme will start and finish in Bordighera on 18 October, counting towards the regional Zone Rally Cup. A special stage on Porto Sole seafront is scheduled for Saturday afternoon 17 October. Historic rallying will run in parallel with the 41st Sanremo Rally Storico (17–18 October), the eighth and final round of both the Italian Historic Rally Championship (CIRAS) and the FIA European Historic Rally Championship (EHRC). The 40th Coppa dei Fiori regularity event will also take place, largely over the same roads, as the final round of the Italian Historic Rally Regularity Championship (CIRAR). A new addition is the inaugural Sanremo Rally Electric, a single-model speed rally for ADAC-Opel Mokka Cup entries running 16–18 October. The all-electric Opel vehicles will compete against the clock on Ponente Ligure stages, marking what organisers describe as a potential milestone for alternative-energy motorsport. Together, the five competitions will determine champions across Italian and European categories while drawing top national and continental drivers to the Riviera.

The 11th edition of the Slalom Curinghese will take place on 24–25 October on the Provincial Road 114 between Acconia and Curinga in Calabria, Italy. Organised by Lamezia Motorsport, the event serves as the national finale of the Italian Hillclimb Championship (Trofeo d'Italia Slalom) and counts towards the Calabria Hillclimb Challenge. Preparations are underway on both the administrative and track fronts to ensure competitive racing conditions and spectator comfort. The event traditionally attracts top drivers from across Italy and draws significant local support, with the surrounding region mobilising to welcome competitors, families and visitors. The Curinga hillclimb is known for close competition and has become a fixture on the national calendar. Entry details and documentation will be published on the organiser's website at www.lameziamotorsport.it as registrations open.

Nearly 60 crews, including 21 competing in historic cars, have entered the 70th Wisła Rally (18–19 September), the season finale of Poland's KIQ Rally Car Championship. The championship battle will go down to the wire, with all four drivers still mathematically capable of claiming the title. Adrian Rzeźnik and Kamil Kozdroń lead the standings on 138 points, just one point ahead of Jarosław Szeja and Marcin Szeja on 137. The outcome will be decided across 13 asphalt special stages totalling 112.94 km in the Beskid Mountains. The championship fight is tightly bunched. Łukasz Byśkiniewicz and Łukasz Jastrzębski sit third with 124 points, while Jarosław Kołtun and Ireneusz Pleskot are fourth on 111 points—a 27-point gap to the leaders. The final round carries a 1.5 multiplier on championship points, meaning victory is worth 45 points plus a bonus five for the Power Stage, totalling 50 points available. Both Rzeźnik and Szeja can secure the title with an outright win regardless of Power Stage results. For Byśkiniewicz to win the championship, both drivers ahead must finish outside the top two, while Kołtun faces the steepest climb, needing to overhaul more than 27 points. The Rally3 class features eight cars split evenly between Renault Clio Rally3 and Ford Fiesta Rally3 machinery. Michał Chorbiński and Adam Chrzanowski lead on 140 points, with Jakub Ulanowski five points behind on 135. In the 2WD category, Dariusz Poloński and Łukasz Sitek in a Lancia Ypsilon Rally4 hold a commanding 47-point advantage over Sergiusz Janowski and Krzysztof Grzenia, needing just three points to secure the title. The historic championship will also conclude at Wisła, with 17 of 21 registered crews competing for points. Paweł Molgo and Michał Jucewicz lead in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo V on 120 points, ahead of Janusz Suś and Marek Jarosz in a BMW M3 E30 on 104 points. The rally begins Friday with a test stage and opening ceremony at 15:00 in Wisła's amphitheatre, followed by six special stages. Saturday features seven stages culminating in the Power Stage at 16:01, with the awards ceremony at 20:00.