The Island Car Club revisited Mtahleb for the seventh race of the 2011 Hillclimb Championship, in what turned out to be an intense event that resulted in the championship being thrown wide open again, with three drivers now in contention for top honours.

The initial feedback from drivers was that the water streaming down the valley was causing patches of dampness.

With the result that grip was inconsistent and sporadic, this led to drivers erring on the side of caution, waiting for the conditions to improve before pushing their cars to the limit.

Nonetheless, times put in at this juncture were comparable to the final times of the previous event , which was held in perfect conditions and with a much higher asphalt temperature, indicative of the ongoing improvement in the level of driving in the championship.

Once the practice run was done and dusted, drivers began to tackle the road in earnest. With times dropping by as much as two seconds per run, it was evident that drivers were gunning for victory in this penultimate race, with spectators regaled with some demonstrations of superb car control.

Final ranking was as follows: Alan Curmi, Zach Zammit and Jason Muscat in first, second and third overall. Group four was led by Joseph Cutajar, followed by Teddy Aquilina and Philip Tabone.

Nicolai de Giorgio, Edward Calleja and Evan Abela Scolara led group three in that order, whilst Anthony Bernard, Andrew Cassar and Didier Bugeja where the fastest three in group 2. Fabio Baldachino was the fastest in Group 1, followed by Terrence Vella and Anthony Aguis.

The Island Car Club thanked the Rabat local council, in particular the mayor, Sandro Craus, for making this event possible.

The next event will be held next Tuesday, 13 December, at Gnejna.