Photo: Club Motori Italia Tasmanian motor enthusiasts will have a grand opportunity to see popular Italian automotive machinery in action this weekend when the annual CMI Hillclimb returns to the streets of Hobart.
Organised by Club Motori Italia, the gathering invites car enthusiasts from across the island to participate in the 21st edition of the well-known event, located just north of Hobart.
More than 40 competitors have already secured their spot for the single day event, with a diverse range of Italian cars including Alfa Romeo’s and Fiat’s to compete alongside an abundance of Asian and other manufactured cars.
A number of previous winners will be returning for another shot at the trophy, including 20th anniversary winner, Gary Griffiths.
Griffiths will again pilot the silver Subaru WRX that posted a session-best 46.41 this time last year, while one of his closest competitors, Jamie Lonergan will also return in his own WRX entry.
Lonergan has finished in the top three on multiple occasions and will certainly be eager to return to the top step of the podium come Sunday, with his most previous win coming in 2020.
There will be five competitors representing the host club in an Alfa Romeo, with the GTV6 expected to have a good run with both Nick and Michael Correa to take the wheel, while Graham Mitchell will run in the 147 and John Madigan in the Alfasud TI.
The remaining entry is Gary Lucas, who will challenge in a Fiat 130TC.
The hill climb is expected to deliver a challenging experience to all competitors, with the tight and twisty roads allowing for the ultimate test of driver skill and perception, rather than seeing the car with the most horsepower run away with it.
Clerk of Course Kim Briggs was looking forward to getting the event underway and encouraged spectators to come along and enjoy the show.
“We have been running this event for 21 years now, a lot of work goes on behind the scenes and everyone is really excited,” Briggs said.
“The work started months ago for us, there is a lot of process involved and it is a collective effort from a lot of people, who themselves will get out there and race which is great to see.
“We are happy to have around 40 cars taking part, there is a great range of old and modern cars which is good because it helps create more interest.
“The Domain is a closed shop in its own little area, there is plenty of room for spectators to come along and watch from the designated areas, you always see people up there so I encourage people to come and check it out.”
The 21st edition of the CMI Domain Hillclimb will take place near Hobart on Sunday 26 November.
Keyword: Italian cars on show in Tassie hill climb