The Island Car Club (ICC), in conjunction with the Rabat Local Council, recently hosted the second round of the 2012 Hillclimb Championship in Mtaħleb.

Many had expected Hubert Camilleri to take a back seat after winning the title for a record 12th time last year but the veteran racer showed that he has lost none of his appetite at Mtaħleb.

Camilleri clocked the best time of the day on board his Chevron B43 with a scorching 53.183sec run, a new record at the renowned racing venue.

Fabio Baldacchino was second with a time of 53.637. This was an excellent performance from the rookie driver in his OMS and a creditable third place was also achieved by Matthew Zammit in his Van Diemen F1000 – 53.882.

Zach Zammit had to retire after an incident with his Ralt following a slight oversteer which led to a minor collision with a barrier at Farmhouse Corner. In the end, he had to settle for fourth.

Jason Muscat led Group 5 in his Radical Prosport with a remarkable time of 55.378 as Anthony Bernard produced a blistering 57.640 in his four-wheel Mitsubishi Evo to place among the single-seater category.

Joe Cutajar followed in his Ford Escort Mk2, winning his class and posting the fastest Group 4 time. He was followed by John Zammit, who topped the Group 3 ranking in his Lotus.

The best performance on the day for front-wheel drive cars was achieved by Didier Bugeja in his Peugeot 106. Steve Borg was second in his supercharged Mini and Etienne Grech third in a Citroen Saxo.

Kurt Camilleri was fastest in Group 1 with his Mitsubishi Evo.

The next event from the hillclimb and sprint series will be held in Miżieb on April 22.