On 17–18 October, the Achladokampos Hill Climb took place, the second-to-last round of the hill climb championship. We were always going to enter, since we need more time with the updated car and more familiarity with it. The Dimitsana Hillclimb 2026 left us with mixed feelings after everything that happened, and honestly it knocked us down mentally. Achladokampos gave us a much-needed morale boost and a chance to gather more experience, aka data, from the car.
Once again we weren’t chasing anything in the standings. Our only reference point was our Achladokampos Hillclimb 2023 run, which we used as the baseline for our preparation. With the positives from July’s Dimitsana hill climb on tyres and geometry in mind, it was time for a tougher test. The car has a new look. Our beloved scoop, which according to the dyno DIDN’T WORK but sure looked good, has been replaced by a new bonnet that sits higher and has a vent, and that brought new numbers on the dyno. After years of work, we now have the wildest 200hp engine in E10! (and we have the dyno sheet to prove it)
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Another finish, with valuable data
As for the event itself, we’d forgotten that championship hill climbs mean early mornings. There were 85 entries overall and 8 in our class, and for the first time I felt nervous, and not the useful kind of nervous. The weather was strange and rainy (classic Achladokampos by now, I think), so we started practice on a damp road that was quite wet in places. I decided to keep testing and getting used to the Pirelli RK7s, which gave me a fantastic feel on both practice runs. However, the car is now wilder in medium-speed corners and breaks loose sooner on corner exit. That caught me out on the first run, but on the second I tried to stay on top of it.
On Sunday the weather was better and warmer, and the tarmac was in better condition. I started the race feeling stiff, without the confidence you need, on the first sector. On the second sector I came close to matching the fastest car/driver combinations in E10. Our best time was 3:55.39, quicker than last time and with plenty of margin left. Watching the video, I can see where that time will come “easily.”
What I take away
Unfortunately, hill climbing can show its teeth to competitors and spectators very easily. The many accidents and delays wear out the drivers as well as the crowd. On Saturday we almost had to do our second practice run with the headlights on.
On the racing side, the lesson is that the car is now ahead of us, and we need to step up a bit to match it. Once again everything worked perfectly. We didn’t even open the bonnet. A huge thank you to my father; without him we wouldn’t be where we are today.
This year’s Achladokampos event had perhaps the biggest crowd I’ve ever seen at a hill climb. Many thanks to the dedicated spectators who stayed until the end and applauded us on both days. Driving back down past the crowd and hearing that ovation was a unique feeling, and so is stumbling across videos of our runs online.
Till next time...
Photos: Racing Press
