Staged as the 45th edition of the Rampa Internacional da Falperra and hosted by Clube Automóvel do Minho, the event once again brought together a strong international field across both Production Competition Cars and Prototype Racing Cars. As one of the established fixtures of the European hill climb calendar, Falperra provided another important early-season test, with drivers looking to consolidate championship momentum after the opening rounds.

In Category 1, for Production Competition Cars, Reto Meisel delivered a standout performance in his Mercedes-Benz SLK 340, taking victory in Group 1 ahead of Spain’s Jose A. Lopez-Fombona Alonso in an Audi RS5 DTM and Croatia’s Domagoj Pereković in a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX. Meisel’s pace also earned him top spot in the Category 1 Best Performer classification for the event.

Javier Villa Garcia was also among the key Category 1 winners, claiming Group 2 honours in the BRC 110T, ahead of Portuguese Porsche 992 GT3 Cup drivers Patrick Cunha and José Rodrigues. In Group 3, Marek Rybníček continued his strong form in the Škoda Fabia RS Rally2, taking victory ahead of Matija Jurišić and Valdet Kacandolli, while Luis Antonio Penido Lopez led the way in Group 5 with his Renault Clio RS Cup Evo.

The results leave the Category 1 championship finely balanced after three rounds. Javier Villa Garcia leads the overall classification on 68 points, with Reto Meisel and Marek Rybníček both close behind on 65 points. Because apparently even hill climb standings need to be engineered for maximum tension.

In Category 2, for Prototype Racing Cars, Joseba Iraola Lanzagorta produced the leading performance of the weekend in Group P1, taking victory in his Nova Proto NP01 ahead of Petr Trnka and Christian Merli. The result also secured Iraola Lanzagorta first place in the Category 2 Best Performer classification at Falperra.

Fausto Bormolini topped Group P2 in the Wolf GB08 Mistral Turbo, ahead of O’Play in a Nova Proto NP03 and Jose Antonio Alonso Liste in a Tatuus F3 T318. In Group P4, Tereza Machová claimed victory in her Norma M20 F.

Despite Iraola Lanzagorta’s success in Portugal, Christian Merli remains at the head of the Category 2 overall standings after three rounds, with 65 points in his Nova Proto NP01. O’Play sits second on 61 points, while Iraola Lanzagorta’s Falperra victory moves him to 52 points and firmly into championship contention.

With three rounds now complete, both championship categories remain closely contested as the FIA European Hill Climb Championship moves deeper into the 2026 season. Falperra once again underlined its status as one of the discipline’s most significant and demanding events, rewarding precision, commitment and outright speed across one of Portugal’s most established hill climb venues.

Photographs from Round 3 of the FIA European Hill Climb Championship, the 45th edition of the Rampa Internacional da Falperra, are available for download here

Round 3 Results:

Category 1 – Production Competition Cars

Category 1 - Group 1:

1. Reto Meisel (SUI) – Mercedes-Benz SLK 340
2. Jose A. Lopez-Fombona Alonso (ESP) – Audi RS5 DTM
3. Domagoj PEREKOVIĆ (CRO) – Mitsubishi Lancer Evo IX

Category 1 - Group 2:

1. Javier Villa Garcia (ESP) – BRC 110T
2. Patrick CUNHA (POR) – Porsche 992 GT3 Cup
3. José RODRIGUES (POR) – Porsche 992 GT3 Cup

Category 1 - Group 3:

1. Marek Rybníček (CZE) – Škoda Fabia RS Rally2
2. Matija JURIŠIĆ (CZE) – Peugeot 308 1.6 TCR
3. Valdet KACANDOLLI (KOS) – Suzuki Swift N5-R

Category 1 - Group 4:

• N/A

Category 1 - Group 5:

1. Luis Antonio PENIDO LOPEZ (ESP) – Renault Clio RS Cup Evo
2. Vojtech BEJDA (CZE) – Peugeot 308
3. Krzysztof MIKOŁAJCZYK (POL) – Honda Integra Type-R

Category 1 - Best Performer:

1. Reto Meisel (SUI) – Mercedes-Benz SLK 340
2. Javier Villa Garcia (ESP) – BRC 110T
3. Jose A. Lopez-Fombona Alonso (ESP) – Audi RS5 DTM

Category 2 – Prototype Racing Cars

Category 2 - Group P1:

1. Joseba IRAOLA LANZAGORTA (ESP) – Nova Proto NP01
2. Petr TRNKA (CZE) - Nova Proto NP01-2 C
3. Christian MERLI (ITA) – Nova Proto NP01

Category 2 - Group P2:

1. Fausto BORMOLINI (ITA) - Wolf GB08 Mistral Turbo
2. O’Play (ITA) – Nova Proto NP03
3. Jose Antonio ALONSO LISTE (ESP) – Tatuus F3 T318

Category 2 - Group P3:

N/A

Category 2 - Group P4:

1. Tereza Machová (CZE) – Norma M20 F

Category 2 - Best Performer:

1. Joseba IRAOLA LANZAGORTA (ESP) – Nova Proto NP01
2. Petr TRNKA (CZE) - Nova Proto NP01-2 C
3. Christian MERLI (ITA) – Nova Proto NP01

Current Overall Standings after 3 Rounds

Category 1 – Production Competition Cars

Category 1- Overall Classification:

Category 1 - Group 1:

Category 1 - Group 2:

Category 1 - Group 3:

Category 1: Group 4

Category 1 - Group 5:

Category 2 – Prototype Racing Cars

Category 2: Overall Classification

Category 2: Group P1

Category 2: Group P2

Category 2: Group P3

Category 2: Group P4

Category 2: Best Performer