By Road racing fans have in bold on their calendars this week, the Cookstown 100 but let’s not forget after the record-breaking meeting at Landshaag, everything is ready for round two of this year’s European Hill Climb Road Racing Championship at Spoleto in Italy, intertwined with the CIVS Campionato Italiano Velocita in Salita) season opener.
If we quickly look back at the Spoleto to Forca Di Cerro hill climb’s first incarnation in 1925 (it means exactly 100 years ago), overall winner was Mario Umberto Borzacchini, friend of another four wheeled Italian driving legend Tazio Nuvolari.
The picturesque Mountain track in central Italy, two hours away from Roma and one hour from Perugia, greets this week roads scene/hill climb racing alumni, including number 19-plate holder for Super Twins races of TT 2025, Maurizio Bottalico.
Bottalico arrives to Spoleto as the leader of both European Hill Climb (Supersport and Superbike) Championships.
Category leaders for Supermoto, GP 250, Supersport 300 are respectively Philipp Neumuller, Guido Testoni, and jointly Supersport 300 leaders Marco Vigilucci and Cosimo Sozzo.
Previously illustrated, Bottalico, idol and multiple Champion of hill climb races, last year set in the European Superbike class a lap record at Spoleto, he’s also the current Supersport lap-record holder.
Bottalico’s friend, rival, the late great Luca Salvadori (overall lap record holder – 2024 Super Open 1000 Superbike CIVS Champion), is the main man in the promotional race poster.
CIVS organisers in memory of this great man, lap record holder as well at CIVS Deruta/Castelleone, ‘Lo Spino’ CIVS rounds plus Varsselring in Hengelo, have offered a reward of 1000 euros via the ‘Luca Salvadori, L’Assoluta Challenge’, for the rider who collects the absolute fastest times from CIVS rounds of 2025.
Briefly reflecting on Landshaag action (two weeks ago), a large enclave of Italian riders competed with above-mentioned Maurizio Bottalico, Guido Testoni, Marco Vigiluccci and Cosimo Sozzo.
Also in race mode were the likes of Stefano Bonetti, Christian Steinhauser, Salvatore Sallustro, Giacomo Failla, Hartmann Engl, Williams Alonzi, Vitas Frigo Babbi, Roberto Della Latta, Stefano Meli, Stefano Leone, Angelo Testoni, and Dario Cavana.
The CIVS season post Spoleto moves onto Deruta/Castelleone (17th-18th May), Pieve Santo Stefano/Passo allo Spino – ‘Lo Spino’ (7th-8th June), Isola del Liri/Arpino (5th-6th July), premiere of Repubblica di San Marino (9th-10th August) and Final Round 6 will be at Saline/Volterra (20th-21st September).
The full at present new revised qualifying/races timetable for the Spoleto/Forca Di Cerro CIVS 2025 event, which additionally features European Hill Climb Road Race Championship, reads as follows:
Friday, 25th April:
(Local time)
10:30AM – Free Practice 1
11:30AM – Free Practice 2
12:30PM – Free Practice 3
2:00PM – Free Practice 4
3:30PM – Free Practice 5
5:00PM – Practice Session 1– not timed
6:30PM – Briefing of Championship
Saturday, 26th April:
(All racing activities cancelled due to Pope Francis’ funeral on this day)
Sunday, 27th April:
(Local time)
8:30AM – Practice Session 2 – timed
10:00AM – 1A Race 1 (new date instead Saturday race)
12:00PM – 2A Race 1 (new date instead Saturday race)
2:00PM – 1A Race 2 – CIVS + European Hill Climb Road Race Championship
4:00PM – 2A Race 2 – CIVS + European Hill Climb Road Race Championship
6:30PM – Prize Giving Ceremony
An added bonus – lap record holders of Spoleto/Forca Di Cerro:
Superbike CIVS – Luca Salvadori – 1.05.48 (2024)
Superbike Europe – Maurizio Bottalico – 1.06.11 (2024)
Supersport CIVS – Maurizio Bottalico – 1.06.25 (2021)
Supersport Europe – Maurizio Bottalico – 1.06.57 (2020)
Photo courtesy of Jan Vavra
Words by Jan Vavra
