Christian Merli wins Cividale Castelmonte hillclimb with new course record

The 49th Cividale Castelmonte hillclimb race in Friuli, Italy, concluded with standout performances from several drivers. Christian Merli secured the overall victory during his comeback, driving a Nova NP 01-2 C Cosworth. Merli set a new course record, improving upon his 2023 time by 2.3 seconds. Federico Liber took second place overall in a Nova NP 01-2 Judd, followed by Diego Degasperi in third.

In the E1 category, Luca Spinetti achieved a significant victory driving a Subaru Impreza E1 +3000 for the Garda Lake Race team. Spinetti’s performance at Cividale Castelmonte marked a successful end to his 2026 season, where he secured eighth place in the absolute classification. His season included notable wins at Verzegnis – Sella Chianzutan and Vittorio Veneto – Cansiglio.