After having written history with the great victory in 2025, the Tuscan champion returns ahead of everyone in the qualifications of the most famous hill climb in the world with his Np01 Atm Bardahl
A year ago he wrote a historic page in motorsport by winning the overall classification of the legendary Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, first Italian pilot to succeed. Today Simone Faggioli proves that he has all it takes to attempt a sensational encore on the most famous mountain in international motorsport. The highly decorated Florentine ace, bearer of the Nova Proto factory team, has in fact conquered the pole position of the edition 2026 setting the best overall time in the three days of testing and qualifying, a result which allows him to prepare the defense of his title of “King of the Mountain” under the best auspices.
Combined ranking
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The first days of action on the famous American climb therefore confirmed the great form of the Italian champion. As per tradition, the pilots faced a different sector of the route every day, without being able to carry out a complete test of its 20 km of hill climb. Faggioli was the fastest in the combined ranking of the various sectors, ahead of two of his most accredited rivals: the British Robin Shute on Sendycar V1 and French Romain DumasFord factory driver and five-time race winner. In any case, the pole represents an important signal from Faggioli in view of the 104th edition of the race, scheduled for this Sunday 21 June.
LA Np01 Atm Bardahl
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To retain the scepter won in 2025, Faggioli relies on a profoundly evolved version of the Nova Proto Np01 Atm Bardahlthe car with which he achieved the sensational victory last year. The French prototype has in fact been updated specifically to face the extreme conditions of Pikes Peak and the main innovation is represented by the arrival of a new twin-turbo V6 engine developed by Atm Motori, designed to guarantee maximum efficiency and high performance even at the prohibitive altitudes of the American mountains, where the rarefaction of the air puts the engines and mechanical systems to the test. In fact, let us remember that the route develops along the slopes of Pikes Peak starting at 2,862 meters and arriving at an altitude of 4,300. In the middle there are 156 curves with an average gradient of 7% and peaks exceeding 10%.
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looking for an encore
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In light of the particular conditions in which it races, Pikes Peak is considered an extreme challenge in motor sports, a battle in which precision, courage and mechanical reliability must coexist perfectly. With the sensational victory achieved last year, Faggioli crowned a career that already included 11 European and 19 national hill speed titles, but being able to repeat it this year would give further depth to the already historic triumph of last season. His teammates will also be there to support him Franco Carusomaking his debut in the competition, and Diego Degasperihis second American experience.
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