Ilirska Bistrica, Hill Climb

The Ilirska Bistrica hillclimb, branded GHD (Gorsko-hitrostna dirka, "mountain speed race"), is one of Slovenia's best-known motorsport events and a long-standing round of the FIA European Hill Climb Championship. The course climbs the public road from Ilirska Bistrica toward the village of Sembije, in the southwest of the country at the northern edge of the Dinaric Alps. The timed run measures roughly 5.0 km and gains about 165 metres of elevation, finishing near 580 metres above sea level, with a flowing mix of fast sections and tighter mountain corners that has made it a favourite among European hillclimb specialists. Run over a late-August weekend with practice and qualifying ahead of the championship runs, the event has been staged in its modern form since the early 1990s and reached its 32nd edition in 2026. Outright times have dropped to under four minutes for the leading single-seater and sports-prototype machinery, reflecting average speeds above 150 km/h over the ascent.

Also known as: GHD Ilirska Bistrica, Gorsko-hitrostna dirka Ilirska Bistrica, GHD I Feel Slovenia Ilirska Bistrica, Ilirska Bistrica - Sembije