Nine Maltese drivers will be on the start line, this weekend for the FIA HiIl Climb Masters 2018 competition, after being chosen by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA), the Malta Motorsport Federation announced on Thursday.

In a statement, the federation said that Malta had been accepted to take part in the FIA ​​prestigious event which will be held at Gubbio, Italy, between today and Sunday.

The Maltese team is formed by Mark Micallef, Matthew Zammit, John Zammit, Fabio Baldacchino, Kurt Camilleri. Added to that the federation will be represented by a quartet of drivers in the Nations Cup. Led by team captain Jonathan Tonna the team will be made up of Keith Camilleri, Noel Galea, Didier Bugeja and James Dunford.

The Masters will bring together 175 drivers, winners of national championships of 22 European countries, as well as the winners of the FIA Championship and Challenge Cup.

For this event, each driver will have to race with the same racing vehicle they have competed during the season.

The Masters will include two classifications: an individual standings, where the winners will be awarded gold, silver or bronze medals, and a Nations Cup where Malta will be competing for the first time against 21 countries.

In a statement, Parliamentary Secretary for Youth, Sports and Voluntary Organizations, Clifton Grima, welcomed the news and wished every success in this competition to the nine drivers during a courtesy visit before leaving towards Gubbio in Italy.

Tonio Cini, the president of the Malta Motorsport Federation said: “This prestigious event is a unique setting for unprecedented competition, between drivers who do not usually compete against one another.

“The Greeks, Spanish, Romanians, Slovenians, Swiss and Maltese rarely participated against each other, making it an event not to be missed. We augur all the best to the Team Malta and confident that our drivers who are members of Island Car Club, will make us proud,”