The long wait is over. Hemberg, where the last race was held in 2019 (see video), will be the venue for the season opener of the 2022 mountain championship. 165 male and female drivers have registered for the first race in the post-Corona era. With a few exceptions, all the drivers are from Switzerland.

Dominators are at the start again
After what feels like an endless dry spell, predicting who might take the first one-day win in 2022 is almost impossible. True, the dominators of the 2019 season, Eric Berguerand and Marcel Steiner, are both on the grid. But the stars of the scene, of all people, have hardly raced at all in the past two years.

Lola F3000 driver Eric Berguerand: "I did some preparation on the kart track in Château Gaillard. Other than that, though, I never raced. My last race was Les Paccots 2019."

Marcel Steiner also doesn't necessarily travel to Toggenburg with many race or test kilometers. After the vehicle fire in Anneau du Rhin, he is happy to be able to take part in the race at all.

Roll-out, training and race at the same time

The Bernese had a different idea of the switch to the Honda turbo engine: "We'll see in Hemberg how competitive we are on the mountain. The tests we did on the circuit before our LobArt caught fire make me confident. But it's difficult to make a forecast. For us, Hemberg is roll-out, training and race at the same time. It's good that we have four to five practice runs each at Hemberg and at the next race in La Roche. That suits us."

Robin Faustini with Osella FA30 at the start
One of the drivers who could spoil the party for the two is Robin Faustini with his new partner Midland (left gallery). The driver from Aargau has not yet completed a Grand Prix distance on his Osella FA30, but the 2021 Oberhallau winner has recently attracted attention at the hill climbs in Sternberk (CZ) and Skradin (HR) with 4th and 3rd places. In Croatia, he was only 0.2 seconds slower than mountain legend Simone Faggioli in the second run. Faustini's motto for 2022 is: all the way or not at all.

Robin Faustini: "Berguerand and Steiner are both very experienced and fast. If you want to hold a candle to them, you have to give everything. The races in the Czech Republic and Croatia helped me prepare. Since a good chassis is more important in Hemberg than pure engine power, I reckon we've got a good chance. But I don't know exactly where we stand in relation to the competition either."

Thomas Amweg is candidate for day win
Alongside Berguerand, Steiner and Faustini, Thomas Amweg (right gallery) is also a candidate for the day's victory. However, the 2019 Gurnigel winner will have to make do at the start in Hemberg with the Lola T94/95 with which his father Fredy secured his 15th and last title in the Swiss mountain championship in 1998. The planned entry of the ex-Volluz Reynard 95D is still a long time coming. The pistons for the Reynard have still not come.

Battle of lower displacement formula cars
The performance of the lower-displacement formula cars will also be interesting. A four-way battle between Joël Burgermeister, Philip Egli, Thomas Zürcher and Christian Balmer is brewing. Burgermeister, like Faustini, prepared for the Swiss mountain season in Ecce Homo and won his class there in commanding fashion.

In the touring cars, the name of Roger Schnellmann (Mitsubishi Evo) is at the top in the E1 and that of returnee Frédéric Neff (Porsche 996 GT2R) (center gallery) in the Interswiss category. A victory by another driver would be a big surprise.

Each class is held in three heats
Things get underway on Saturday, June 11, from 7:30 a.m. with practice runs. On Sunday, the race heats will be held between 9:45 and 18 hrs. Each class will have three runs (if possible). The two fastest times will be added together.

The dates of the Swiss Mountain Championship 2022:

• 18 / 19 June La Roche - La Berra
• 23 / 24 July Ayent - Anzère
• 19 to 21 August St.Ursanne - Les Rangiers
• August 27/28 Oberhallau
• September 10 / 11 Gurnigel

Source: Christian Eichenberger, motorsport.ch
bergrennen-hemberg.ch

For the first time since 2019 and after two pandemic years with restrictions, the 24h Le Mans fall again on the June of a year. The video shows scenes from last year. The start of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans is set for Saturday, June 11, 2022, at 4 p.m. sharp. The finish will be 24 hours later on Sunday, June 12, 2022, also at 4 pm.

Pitwalks and autograph sessions
The 24 Hours are much more than just a race: Visitors - admitted without restrictions for the first time since 2019 - can expect a fan festival with pitwalks, autograph sessions and numerous concerts along the route.
For spectators, the gates opened already on Monday of the race week for a walk through the pit lane and meetings with the drivers from 27 nations. The race is the highlight of the year in the small town of Le Mans (center gallery).

Pole position for Toyota Gazoo Racing
With his three victories, Sébastien Buemi is, together with Marcel Fässler, the most successful Swiss race driver at Le Mans. On Sunday, he could become the sole Swiss record holder. The man from Aigle (VD) is aiming for his fourth overall victory at the Sarthe. He and his Toyota Gazoo Racing team laid the foundation for this with pole position last night (by teammate Brendon Hartley).

Buemi also benefited somewhat from the low number of hypercars. Because on Wednesday, in the actual qualifying session, nothing went right. The Toyota with the #8 (Buemi/Hartley/Hirakawa) only finished in 29th place and was thus the slowest prototype.

Since there are only five cars in the hypercar class, all of them qualified for Thursday's hyperpole session.

Second best Swiss is Louis Delétraz
Geneva's Louis Delétraz qualified fifth in the 27-car LMP2 field. Rolf Ineichen (from Team WRT) starts in P14. The two Le Mans rookies Sébastien Page and David Droux (Graff Racing) tackle the race alongside in 23rd place in the middle of the LMP2 car field.

Nico Müller has to start from the very back
Nico Müller, Mathias Beche and Fabio Scherer had no luck. Scherer will start from position 28, Beche and Müller from the very back. The Audi factory driver only completed a single lap in qualifying due to engine problems. The motto here is quite clear: Things can only get better in the race!

Of the four male and female drivers in the LM GTE Am, Thomas Flohr has the best starting position in his class with fifth place on the grid.

Right behind Rahel Frey (also on a Ferrari 488, gallery on the right) Nicolas Leutwyler (Porsche 911 RSR) starts 45th, Christoph Ulrich (Ferrari 488) 49th.
With Cool Racing and Realteam by WRT (both LMP2) as well as Spirit of Race and Kessel Racing (both LM GTE Am), a total of four teams are racing under the Swiss flag.

Last Le Mans race for the Porsche 911 RSR
On Saturday, June 11, the teams will have one last opportunity to perform system checks during the 15-minute warm-up in the morning. The flying race start to the 24h Le Mans 2022 will feature the top Hypercar class, 27 LMP2 cars, seven GTE-Pro cars in the final Le Mans outing of the Porsche 911 RSR (gallery left) and 23 sports cars in the GTE-Am class.

Source: Christian Eichenberger, motorsport.ch
24h-lemans.com

In the first four months of the year, the Four Rings registered around 3100 charging processes in Nuremberg at the world's first fast-charging station with six reservable high-power charging slots. On average, that's 24 charging processes with around 800 kWh per day.

In addition, an average of 35 customers a day visited the approximately 200-square-meter barrier-free lounge, which also includes a 40-square-meter terrace above the loading cubes (pictures in the gallery).

The service offerings such as the exchange station for micromobility batteries and a delivery service for purchases were also well received.

Green electricity from sustainable sources
Second-life batteries from dismantled test vehicles of the brand serve as electricity storage. Thanks to the 2.45 MWh intermediate storage unit, the entire site in Nuremberg requires only a 200 kW connection to the low-voltage grid to continuously fill the storage modules.

A green power contract ensures that only electricity from sustainable sources is used. Photovoltaic modules on the roof additionally supply up to 30 kW of green energy.

Service landscape with fitness offers
In Zurich, Audi will use a further modified swivel arm that allows cars to be charged barrier-free with up to 320 kW across the entire width of the individual parking spaces. The operating displays at the charging points are height-adjustable and the paths between the cube and the vehicle are sufficiently wide for wheelchair users.

In addition, two 55-inch screens point out, among other things, the extensive service landscape around the hub - including numerous food and fitness offerings as well as an e-bike sharing service in the immediate vicinity.

Compared to Nuremberg, the more compact version of the Audi Charging Hub in Zurich is also based on the modular principle, according to which different sizes of a charging hub with and without a lounge can be realized.

audi.ch

At Photo Basel, a parallel event to the renowned art fair Art Basel, the Zurich-based mobility think tank Rinspeed unveils a 3-D NFT (Non Fungible Token). Such "indivisible uniques," currently still a somewhat fuzzy hipe in the world of art, have also taken a fancy to the founder and CEO of Rinspeed.

Frank M.Rinderknecht: "Future technologies have always shaped our DNA. They have been an integral part of our creative work since the beginning. The Metaverse and NFT are now opening up completely new and exciting worlds for us. And it is in these visionary worlds that we would like to anchor ourselves."

3D installation as part of the new world
As a prelude, Rinderknecht will present a unique animated 3-D installation at Photo Basel between June 14 and 19. It is intended to connect the analog and digital worlds in an innovative way.

The Squba seems to literally dive toward the viewer, offering an experience in the third dimension. Via an integrated QR code, viewers can get the spectacular vehicle directly on their smart device via augmented reality without downloading an app.

Purchase option for 26 unique vehicles
With this NFT action, Rinspeed dives into a new metaverse dimension. Why not move under water in one of the parallel universes? The 3.D-NFT will offer many additional features. James Bond's ingenious tinkerer Q probably would not have imagined this even in his wildest dreams.

Rinspeed's one-of-a-kind NFT, along with an option to purchase the 26 unique vehicles in the Rinspeed Collection, can be purchased this summer through a well-known auction platform.

rinspeed.com

Varied stages and changeable conditions ensured a neck-and-neck race - in the modern as well as in the historic class. The fact that there was a new winner in the end, Jonathan Michellod on Skoda Fabia Rally2, was the icing on the cake.

13th rally on a Skoda Fabia Rally2
For 28-year-old Joe Michellod and his co-driver Stéphane Fellay, it was their 13th rally in a Skoda Fabia Rally2 (or R5) - the seventh in the Swiss Rally Championship. And the young man from the Valais, who is sponsored by Olivier Burri, got off to a flying start.

Joe Michellod: "I am overjoyed. It went very well for us right from the start. And we didn't make any mistakes even in the changeable weather conditions on the first day. The fact that I am the third Valais native after Florian Gonon and Sébastien Carron to win the Rallye du Chablais makes me particularly happy."

New leader of the Swiss championship
Michellod has taken the lead in the championship. The man from Verbier leads with 67 points ahead of Hirschi (64) and Jura winner Mike Coppens (52). Last year's champion already lost 2:49 minutes to the leader on the first day. In SS11, he added another three minutes. It was not until the end of the rally that Coppens achieved two best SS times.

Ivan Ballinari, champion of 2018 and 2019, was also unable to intervene in the fight for victory, but defended 4th place in his VW Polo in a commanding manner against Cédric Althaus (Skoda Fabia).

Florian Gonon won on Ford Escort MKI
The rally in the VHC was similarly exciting as in the modern class. Florian Gonon, Swiss Rally Champion of 2009, prevailed over Eddy Bérard on his Ford Escort MKI with a narrow lead of 13.3 seconds. Third place went to Marc Valliccioni (both on BMW M3 E30s), 25.1 seconds behind. The latter secured victory in the European Historic Rally Championship (EHRC). Second place went to Sweden's Mats Myrsell, with Britain's Marty McCormack third.

And so it goes on:

• June 24 and 25 Rally di Alba (I)
• September 8 - 10 Rally Mont-Blanc (F)
• September 30 - October 1 Rally del Ticino
• October 13 to 15 Rally International du Valais

Photo: Franck Budel
rdch.ch

For a few weeks now, the blue and yellow Ford Mustang Mach-E has been in the care of Gerhard Schaub, president of the Zurich Municipal Police Association. Now it is being handed over to various cantonal and regional police forces for demonstration drives. The fully equipped police vehicle is intended to raise awareness of the Ford brand among blue-light organizations.

Police prefer Ford models worldwide

"Ford is a sought-after partner in the blue light business worldwide," explains Herbert Konrad, Manager Fleet Ford Switzerland. "Especially with police corps in the U.S., where Ford is the clear number one in the police business."

But Ford is also highly popular with blue-light organizations in Europe. "With the Swiss Police Mach-E, we want to bring Ford more into play in Switzerland as a brand for police corps," says Herbert Konrad. "The Ford S-Max is already very successful in the police business throughout Europe. In the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia, it's even number one among patrol cars."

Wide range and interesting price

"With electric vehicles, the range is the decisive factor," explains Gerhard Schaub. "In addition, the Mustang Mach-E offers a good amount of space, and on top of that, it undercuts the other suppliers on price." According to Schaub, the reactions so far have all been positive.

"Due to the complete upgrade, the Mach-E will be used in serious operations with the police corps," confirms Gerhard Schaub. For this purpose, the Stromer not only comes in the new blue-yellow design, but is also equipped with the blue light bar with modular options

ford.ch

Mitsubishi Motors Europe gives a preview of the upcoming new generation of the ASX. A wide range of drive versions has been developed especially for the European market.

The entry-level engine is a 1-liter turbo gasoline combined with a 6-speed manual transmission. The three-cylinder engine produces 91 hp. From the 1.3-liter 4-cylinder gasoline engine, Mitsubishi draws 140 horsepower for the 6-speed manual version and 158 horsepower along with 7-speed dual-clutch.

Plug versions also on offer
The new generation ASX will be the first Mitsubishi model to be launched in Europe with a full hybrid drive. It combines a 1.6-liter gasoline engine with two electric motors and an automatic multi-mode transmission. The system output available is 145 hp.

A plug-in hybrid is also in the range. This powertrain with a 1.6-liter gasoline engine, two electric motors and a 10.5-kWh battery delivers a maximum of 160 hp. All these powertrains will be available from spring 2023. The new ASX, which is based on the CMF-B platform of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance, will be manufactured at Renault's Valladolid plant.

mitsubishi-motors.ch

Polestar expands its Polestar Engineered product offering with the introduction of the Model 2 BST Edition 270. The new variant leverages the company's long tuning expertise with the clear goal of developing the most dynamic electric car to date.

As the model name indicates, only 270 units will be built exclusively for Europe, North America and China. Up to ten units are planned for the Swiss market.

Mechanical and design modifications

Polestar CEO Thomas Ingenlath: "We had a great response to the specially modified Polestar 2 that we unveiled at the Goodwood Festival of Speed in 2021. The response made it clear that we should put such a version into production."

The production vehicle includes mechanical and design modifications and is intended to offer a superior dynamic experience. Two electric motors and the 78 kWh battery achieve a maximum output of 350 kW (476 hp) and 680 Nm of torque.

Lowering by 25 millimeters ex works
Suspension modifications include lowering by 25 millimeters, special 2-way dampers from Öhlins, a front cross brace, stiffer springs and new 21-inch alloy wheels. For the tires, Polestar relies on 245/35 R 21 Pirelli P Zero, and the standard 4-piston brakes are from Brembo.

The limited-edition model is available in Thunder or Snow exterior colors and with a Charcoal Weave Tech interior. Production is scheduled to begin in the middle of the year, with deliveries starting in the fourth quarter.
The Swiss prices have not yet been determined.

polestar.com

From the very first meter, the Golf R 20 Years wants to make itself heard. The driver-selectable emotion start with the 333 hp 2-liter turbo gasoline engine activates "a rev overshoot up to 2500 rpm and particularly present acoustics".

When shifting up manually in S and S+ gears, the transmission provides noticeable feedback from the drivetrain every time the right shift paddle is pressed. In addition, new engine tuning enables particularly spontaneous load changes.

By "preloading" the turbocharger can be kept at speed and activated more quickly during subsequent acceleration. The throttle that remains open in overrun phases also improves dynamics on the road.

R-Performance comes as standard
The Golf R 20 Years comes as standard with the equipment from the R Performance package - including torque vectoring and the two additional driving profiles Special and Drift. At the rear, the roof-edge spoiler emphasizes the sporty look, and the 19-inch Estoril alloy wheels are fitted as standard.

The instrument panel made of real carbon fiber and the decorative inlay in the door trim have a noble appearance. Various blue R logos adorn the special model.

From fall at Swiss dealers
Like all Golf models, the special model is produced at the Wolfsburg plant. In Switzerland, the R 20 Years can be ordered now, and it will go on sale in the fall.
The anniversary model costs 68,300 francs.

volkswagen.ch

Classic SUV elements such as the chrome-look underride guard, the roof rails and the optional running board are combined with shaped edges in the side of the new Mercedes GLC. This is intended to visually combine elegance, sportiness and off-road performance and continue the successful formula of a sporty luxury vehicle.

Inside, the seat design and new door panels emphasize high quality. The latest generation of the infotainment system with two large, standard displays and full-screen navigation makes the interior even more digital.

More than 100 kilometers purely electric
The GLC model range includes four-cylinder gasoline and diesel engines combined with an electric motor. The three 48-volt mild hybrids GLC 200, GLC 300 and GLC 220 d deliver torques of 320 to 440 Nm and maximum outputs of 197 to 258 hp, each with boost assistance of 17 kW (23 hp). The three other engine variants GLC 300 e, GLC 400 e and GLC 300 de are plug-in hybrids with the same combustion engines.

As system outputs, they offer 313, 335 and 381 hp with the 100-kW E-motor, with total torques of 550, 650 and 750 Nm. Mercedes quotes a WLTP range of 104 to 120 kilometers.

Driving safety through new control systems
The GLC boasts enhanced on- and off-road features. These include simplified operation via the offroad screen, a better overview thanks to the transparent engine hood, and optimum traction and driving safety thanks to new control systems.

Key components of the chassis are a new four-link front axle and a space-link rear axle. A technology package with Airmatic air suspension and rear axle steering is available on request. This reduces the turning circle by 0.8 to 11.0 meters.

The new trailer menu and the trailer route planner are designed to make trailer driving as safe and pleasant as possible. The vehicles can be ordered in Switzerland from mid-June 2022 and will be delivered to dealers in the fall. Prices and equipment on ASnfrage,

mercedes-benz.ch