The 2025 Trydel EZIUP and GO Victorian Hill Climb Championship (VHCC) continued with Round 3, hosted by Ballarat Light Car Club at Mount Leura.
83 competitors lined up for the two-day public road event with perfect weather conditions all weekend.
Drivers enjoyed five runs on Saturday and four on Sunday, with many opportunities to increase their pace throughout the weekend.
Dean Tighe took home his first VHCC Round victory with a time of 28.39 in his Dallara F395.
David Mahon and Alan Foley kept the pressure on Dean throughout the weekend, with Mahon clocking an impressive 28.59 in his Dallara F394 and Foley setting his best time of 28.70 in his RFoley Libre.
Both drivers delivered standout performances on their final runs, challenging 2024 VHCC Champion Mike Barker, who missed the podium with a 29.01 in his Hayward 6.
Mirko Grbic finished fifth outright and was also the quickest tin top for the weekend, racing his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 7.
In the tin top battle, Grbic dominated the field, finishing clear of David Harris in his Subaru WRX and Zachary Hanlin in his BMW 140i.
With an impressive 29.96 run, Grbic earned a place among the elite sub 30-second tin tops in Mount Leura’s history.
Sarah Bail was the fastest female competitor, setting a 36.99 in her Mallock U2 Mk21 Sports Car.
The class battles produced some of the closest racing of the weekend, with David Casey securing the final win in Sports Cars Open/Closed up to 2000cc by just 0.37 seconds from Sei Vella.
Geoff Cooling and Tom Foley were separated by a mere 0.1 seconds in Sports Sedan AWD, while John Read and Lasith Liyanage couldn’t be split in Production Sports, both clocking identical times of 38.89 seconds.
The Improved Production 0-1600cc class saw Warren Heath take the top spot with a time of 35.41 set on the third run of the day, well ahead of the tight battle between Damian Faulkner and Peter Lock, the second and third place finishes separated by 0.29 seconds. Formula Vee provided a fittingly dramatic finish with Leigh Ball and Harold Roberts tying for second place with matching 39.91-second laps.
With so many tight finishes and record-breaking performances, Mount Leura remains one of the most exciting challenges in the championship.
Round 4 of the 2025 Trydel EZIUP and GO Victorian Hill Climb Championship will take place on April 27 at Bryant Park, hosted by PIARC.
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