ITALIAN DRIVER CHRISTIAN MERLI BROUGHT A BEAST TO THE 2024 PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB
Colorado Springs, CO – The 102nd Running of the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, brought to you by Gran Turismo, has become part of race history. Among the top stories was Italy’s Christian Merli, a 51-year-old, European hill climb champion who not only won the Unlimited division in his 2024 Wolf Aurobay BG08 2.0 HP, but was crowned Rookie of the Year.
A STRONG START
Merli’s race week on Pikes Peak got off to a strong start on June 18th where he made two runs in the upper section. His Wolf literally led the pack with the fastest time of the morning.
Wednesday was qualifying day for Merli, and he proved the reliability of the Wolf when he was announced as top qualifier in the Unlimited division, five seconds ahead of Dan Novembre, also behind the wheel of a Wolf.
With poor weather conditions on the mountain on Thursday, practice runs in the middle and upper sections were cancelled.
By Friday, it was announced that Merli was a member of the Fast 15, PPIHC’s top qualifiers, and was, in fact, second-fastest behind overall PPIHC recordholder, Romain Dumas. Both drivers enjoyed meeting fans and signing autographs at the OPTIMA Batteries Fast 15 Alley at Fan Fest on Friday night.
Merli was the 17th car off the line on Race Day. He headed up the 12.42 mile course, and never looked back. He won the Unlimited division in 09:04.454 – just 11 seconds behind Romain Dumas, 2024 King of the Mountain.
Asked what made the Wolf so well suited to race on Pikes Peak, Merli explained, “I think that the light weight and great chassis of the car definitely contributed to the result, together with the work that Aurobay’s team did on making sure that the stock production engine we had wouldn’t suffer at altitude and deliver a constant 380 HP.”
Merli is no stranger to hill climb racing, capturing multiple wins in European Mountain Championship events from 2014 through 2019. He was also an Italian Mountain Speed Champion from 2018-2020, and continues to compete at the highest level of hill climbing.
EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS
Reflecting on his expectations for PPIHC compared to his race result, Merli shared, “I was, of course, hoping to get on the podium, although I was aware that it wouldn’t have been an easy feat considering the competition! Winning the Unlimited division and becoming Rookie of the Year was a great achievement for me!”
He continued, “Pikes Peak has been an incredible experience. It was the first time for both me and the team, but we pulled through and achieved the results we set out to do. It has been a month of hard work, but all the sacrifices have been replaced by the satisfaction of reaching what we wanted to.”
ACCOLADES AND ADVICE
As winner of the Unlimited division, Merli received the first place trophy along with a custom timepiece presented by Frederic Gasser of B.R.M North America. A second trophy was awarded paying tribute to his Rookie of the Year status. He was joined on the podium by division sponsor, Aiden Ryan of the Colorado Springs Airport, 2nd place finisher, Don Wickstrum, and 3rd place competitor, Duncan Cowper of the UK.
Merli offered advice for other rookies who are sure to follow in his footsteps, “Prepare properly, both physically and mentally. Only if you’ve participated at least once at this race can you understand its complexity. It is essential to learn the track. I spent five days with a normal car driving up and down the mountain before the first sessions ever took place.” Merli was quick to add, “I hope to come back and leverage the experience I got this year!”
GET TO KNOW CHRISTIAN MERLI
Fun Facts:
“As an Italian, I always appreciate a good plate of pasta with any kind of sauce.”
“I have my traditions before the race: I always enter the car from the right side, put on the right glove first – small things that I always do, even though I know they might not mean anything in the end.”
“I am quite lucky to live in Trentino, an Italian region full of beautiful lakes and mountains. When I’m not racing, my favorite hobbies are hiking in the summer, and alpine skiing in the winter. I must say that in Colorado you have some amazing mountains, and when I got here, there was still plenty of snow, so I got a bit envious of all the skiers coming down the slopes and almost wished I brought my skis!”
Any Pikes Peak heroes?
“I don’t have a single hero, however, I must say that I admire all the participants in this incredible race! I can especially recall the videos of drivers racing close to the edge, while countersteering, when the race still had unpaved sections.”
Biggest challenge during Race Week:
“Being a rookie, my main concern was racing the whole track for the first time. I didn’t know exactly how the tires, brakes and engine would behave on the long run; however, now I can say for certain that everything worked perfectly.”
Favorite track?
“In Europe, I’ve raced in plenty of hill climb competitions, so picking one isn’t easy. I usually prefer the faster ones, so if I have to name one, Ecce Homo would be one of my favorites.”
2024 Rookie of the Year and Unlimited Division Winner – Christian Merli
Photos by: Josh Hildenbrand, Larry Chen, Luis Garcia, Charles Zhao
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Contact:
Lisa Haight
Communications Manager / Historian
lisa@ppihc.org
(719) 685-4400
www.ppihc.org
