Repsol’s presence in the spectacular world of hill climbs always featured Andres Vilarino. The collaboration lasted a dozen seasons, in which the pairing earnt 4 continental titles and victories in international events.
The European Hill Climb Championship was inaugurated in 1957, awarding two annual titles depending on vehicle class. In 1983 the number of races was reduced to twelve events, with the division of Czechoslovakia in 1994 leading to a calendar of Austria, Portugal, Spain, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy, France and Slovakia. Amongst the standouts of some 40 years of the discipline were champions Wolfgang von Trips (1958), Ludovico Scarfiotti (1962 y 1965) and Arturo Merzario (1969) –all Formula 1 drivers.
The presence of Repsol in hill climb racing is synonymous with the career of Andrés Vilariño, and he was proclaimed Spanish Champion in 1984. The following year, the Lola T294 BMW 2.0 debuted in its first of three editions (with a white background) with the Repsol logo. A series of misfortunes and intense competition impeded Vilarino from retaining his crown, but he took the runner–up spot to Fermin Velez that year.
THE EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP
For 1986, the Repsol Hill Climb Team decided to expand its horizons and enter the European Championship. Repsol proposed that Vilariño would participate in both this and the Spanish series, but with many clashes in dates he decided to dedícate himself to the European stage and leave the Spanish Championship to Pancho Egozkue –under the Repsol youth scheme CS brand.
Despite his almost total inexperience of the tricky and fast tracks on the European calendar, and the dominance of Italian Mauro Nesti, Vilarino took some excellent results in his rookie year and won in Rechberg. The initiative of mechanic Antxon Munoz led to a crude predecessor to tyre warmers being created using electric blankets, and caused a sensation in the series. At the Rampa da Falperra, in Portugal, Vilarino clocked the fastest time in practice –although a mechanical issue in the race impeded his ability to turn i tinto a win. At Le Mont-Dore, the Spaniard managed to battle with the best of the French drivers, including Chamberod, Xiberras and Lacaud, in a group separated by just two tenths of a second after the initial climb. The Repsol man would finish third, and repeated the result at the Ecce Homo, Oberjoch and Montseny events to take third overall in his first European campaign.
Happy with the results acheived, Repsol decided to repeat the project for a second season. Vilarino won the Ecce Homo –his first of 6 consecutive triumphs in that race. Again he placed third overall that year.
With a new red livery for the Lola T298 (due to the change in colours for Repsol Motor Oil), Vilariño undertook his third European season in 1988 and claimed second place –denied by Nesti by the slimmest of margins. Vilarino would rue a judging decision requesting him to repeat a section at the Cesana–Sestriére event, after he had made an excellent call on tyre choice beforehand. His disqualification meant that despite wins in Hungary and at the Ecce Homo and Türckheim, he would miss out on the title.
FOURTH TIME A CHARM
The Repsol Hill Climb Team were determined to win the title, and went at the European Championship again in 1989. The Lola T298 was decorated blue that year, to represent the arrival of Carlos de Miguel as manager. A switch to the BMW 2500cc engines at the midway point in the season would eradicate the 2L machines. Vilarino would finally take the crown after wins in Portugal, the Ecce Homo and the Swiss St. Ursanne–Les Rangiers.
Year after year, Vilarino would have increased experience and development of his BMW engine, led by mechanic Jean–Pierre Fleur. He had a new set of rivals after Nesti’s retirement, in form of Walter Pedrazza, Philippe Darbellay and Bernard Chamberod –plus the veteran Herbert Stenger. However, they could not stop Vilarino from retaining his title, with seven wins in the 1990 season: Austria, Portugal, Czechoslovakia, Germany, Italy, Switzerland and Hungary were all conquered as he dominated the year.
Despite not starting well in 1991, with a crash in torrential rain at the Rechberg opener, he would take a third European Championship that year. He would win the Jaizkibel, Falperra, Ecce Homo and Türckheim events, as Spain upped its representation in the class with Pancho Egozkue, Riera, Goiburu and Gutierrez all coming through.
FOUR CONSECUTIVE TITLES
In 1992, Pepe Amau came in as the Repsol Team head, replacing Francchino Tunzi –chief mechanic for Vilarino for almost six seasons. With new aerodynamics for the aging Lola T298, Vilarino managed to win six races that year: Rechberg, Falperra, Jaizkibel, Mecsek, Ecce Homo, Sestriere and Les Rangiers. He set seven new records for a twelve–race season. Egozkue took third place behind Stenger.
The 1993 season was also strong in terms of isolated results, as Vilarino took three wins at Rechberg, Andorra and Les Rangiers and set another five absolute records. However, a series of problems in various races saw him miss out on the title to Egozkue as he crashed out at the final round in El Fito.
Obliged to renew materials, the Repsol Team opted for a new Norma chassis developed in France, but which proved to be inadequate for hill climb competition. The Ford Cosworth engine produced by Mader proved to be too cumbersome, and was soon replaced by a conventional BMW motor. Vilariño was only able to win in Santo Emilianio and at the St. Ursanne–Les Rangiers, and was dissatisfied at the end of the season as Egozkue clinched his second title. The Repsol Team would subsequently withdraw from European competition.
BACK TO SPAIN
Vilariño returned to the Spanish Championship in 1995, but his comeback hit an early roadblock when he suffered a huge crash at the Arrate hill climb. His car was seriously damaged and he was psychologically affected by a close call with a guardrail. In spite of this, Vilarino debuted at Jaizkíbel with a Osella PA9/90 identical to that prviously used by Egozkue to win his European titles. Whilst he would not achieve the desired results, he would win races in Cantabria, Logroño, Asturias, La Coruña and La Montaña (Cantabria).
Again behind the wheel of a Norma in 1996 (first with a CN engine and then with a C3) and with Pepe Arnau back in charge after a brief reunión with Francchino Tunzi in 1995, Vilarino improved his results as the season went by, winning the La Dehesa de la Villa in Madrid and El Castillo in Soria, before another win at the season–closing El Fito race.
