By After record breaking events at Landshaag (new track-record – 1.08.795 – set by David Datzer, stay strong Datziii!) and Spoleto (new track-record as well – 1.05.45 – set by Maurizio Bottalico), now it is racing time at Bergrennen (Road Race Hill Climb) in Julbach, Austria, very close to the Czech and German borders.
The 1.597 miles (2.570 metres) long track on public roads from Julbach to Vorderschiffl will host the third round of the 2025 European Hill Climb Road Race Championship, inter-twined with Austrian Hill Climb Championship activities.
Previously highlighted super-star of this sport, Maurizio Bottalico, current leader of both four-stroke categories within the European Hill Climb Road Race Championship, set in 2023, record, timed overall, Superbike (1.04.584), Superstock 600/Supersport (1.06.798) runs.
This is a big question for road race fans, will we see another track-record attempt this weekend? Who will be Bottalico’s top challenger, subject to the recent TT 2025 exponent, fitness levels for racing, following misfortune in last week’s Opul Superstock TT race.
It may seem clear cut, that whoever reaches the finish line the fastest will accrue category triumphs, but this is not the case, it is determined via combined times from both heat races.
Christian Steinhauser (last year overall Julbach winner, Italian rider with IRRC wildcard experiences at Frohburger Dreieck and Horice), Salvatore ‘Salvo’ Sallustro (Manx Grand Prix rider, currently second in European Road Race Hill Climb Superbike Championship standings) are on the provisional SBK start-list, plus:
Austrian aces Thomas Altenhuber (2024 overall Landshaag winner, IRRC wildcard experiences from Horice), Thomas Mitgutsch (also Horice experienced), Harald Schleindlhuber, Markus Mitterbauer, Daniel Pfleger.
Manuel Schleindlhuber, Daniel Wiesinger, Italian Giacomo Failla and others astride Superstock 1000 apparatus, for example Klaus Burscher, Christian Mair and Mario Grunwald.
Horice Experienced, Kopcany Road Races Entrants last weekend David Schaberreiter (SBK entrant) and Thomas ‘Uccio’ Altendorfer (Supersport entrant), currently P2 in this season’s European Road Race Hill Climb Supersport (including Superstock 600) Championship add extra depth to the entry.
Potential favourites in Supersport and Superstock 600 categories, with above spotlighted Bottalico, Altendorfer, Failla and Mitgutsch are Austrian racers Alexander Kastenhuber, Mario Gastinger, Stefan Gastinger, Emanuel Reisinger, Daniel Kronschlager, Julian Enzelsberger and Thomas Lukas.
Italian Matthias Engl, Stefano Meli, quick Austrian female rider Svenja Wurm are also ready to race.
The Italian trio of Stefano Leone, Cosimo Sozzo and Marco Vigilucci feature amongst the Supersport 300 category whilst 250cc category exponents include Belgian Bernard Depierreux, Swiss Rolf Haller, Sepp Bader from Germany and Italians Angelo Testoni, Guido Testoni, Roberto Della Latta, the above-mentioned Marco Vigilucci along with Austrian joker in the pack Thomas Altendorfer.
Altendorfer’s teammate within the´Racetastic4 by Datziii #55 Road racing Team´ Julbach newcomer, Kramer Motorcycle propelled Finn ‘Crazy Chicken’ Chapman is the one and only UK entrant (now lives in Germany), with Kramer motorcycles newcomer for Julbach.
He is winner of Supermono race at ‘300 Curves of Gustav Havel’ from last month and was targeting making his Manx Grand Prix debut in August before withdrawing his entry (disclosed via Facebook).
With a record 240 registered riders for this upcoming weekend, including other great not mentioned here pilots, not forgetting select Sidecars teams, it is ignition go time!
Bergrennen Julbach 2025 weekend timetable (local time):
Saturday 14th June
11:00 AM Riders Briefing
12:30 PM – 6:00 PM Practice Session 1 / Practice Session 2
Sunday 15th June
8:30 AM – 12:00 PM Practice Session 3
12:30 PM – 5:00 PM Races (Heat 1 / Heat 2)
6:00 PM Prize Giving Ceremony
Photo credit: Jan Vavra
Words by Jan Vavra
