Hills Race in Rivanazzano 80 dragster inflames the crowd at the airport

RIVANAZZANO

The big family of “local” fans of American drag racing responded as expected, if not even better. At the end of the three days that saw the 18th edition of the Hills Race take place on the Rivanazzano Terme airport runway, the event can be decidedly successful, three years after the last edition, due to restrictions due to the advent of covid19.

The very high level of the entry list, this year too, certainly influenced well: about eighty, in fact, were the competitors who challenged each other on the famous quarter mile (just over 402 meters), many of which foreigners, coming in particular from Switzerland, France and Germany. The high number of subscribers confirms the excellent qualities of the event, which attracted the best continental specialists: particularly crowded, once again this year, the two top categories, namely the Pro ET and the Super Pro ET, which scored , respectively, 29 and 18 participants. Numbers, on the whole, completely in line with those recorded in past editions and further confirmation of the constant increase in popularity and appreciation experienced by the discipline, first of all with reference to Italy. This year the Hills Race also gave some thrills, when on Saturday afternoon the German Manuel Kreiter, competing with his Pontiac Firebird dragster in the Super Pro ET category, at the end of his “launch”, for reasons yet to be ascertained. , lost control of the vehicle which, after avoiding the other competitors waiting to return to the paddock, went off the track at over 250 kilometers per hour, overturning several times. Promptly rescued, Kreiter was extracted from the wreckage of his vehicle and taken to hospital: despite numerous fractures and a punctured lung, the German driver on Sunday evening managed to publish a few words on social media to reassure friends and family about his state of health.

For the record, the race saw the victory in the Super Pro ET of Emanuele Gilioli (Chevrolet pick up) who overtook the Swiss Alex Halter (Plimouth Road Runner), while in the Pro ET Oliver Carli Sacco (Chevrolet El Camino) won. ) ahead of the German Martin Weikum (Chevrolet Camaro). In A1, AMP driver Roberto Bailo (Pontiac Tran AM) won, ahead of Michele Dicarlo (Chevrolet Camaro). In A2 via Oscar Chiozzini (Mercury Cougar) on Gianpiero Riva (Dodge Challenger). Finally, in the A3, with a Swiss family final, Isabelle Berthet (Dodge Ram) won, who overtook Mario Jean Luc Jacot (Pontiac Trans AM) in the final. –

Alberto Anzoniazzi