In the name of Simone Faggioli. The Tuscan champion does not betray expectations and makes it the 66th edition of the Monte Erice Hillclimb, inaugural test of the new Superclimb Championship. Faggioli shattered the records of the route that connects Valderice to Erice, covering the 11 kilometers 460 meters of the route, in two heats, with a time of 5’51″72, lowering the previous record, both in terms of the total and in the single climb, arriving, in the second, at 2’55”55. Faggioli’s victory, the 11th in Erice, has greater significance, because the opponents were very fierce, considering that 3 riders finished the individual climbs under 3 minutes and the total in a time under 6′. Keeping him company on the podium, therefore, were Luigi Fazzino from Syracuse and Francesco Conticelli from Marsala, penalized by an unfortunate choice in the setup chosen for the first climb.
The race was a succession of emotions, with the drivers enjoying almost summer weather conditions. And as a backdrop there was the public for special occasions, which filled the slopes of Mount Erice, witnessing the performances of the drivers in religious silence and making the protagonists of the motoring event feel their warmth as soon as Faggioli, the last to try his hand at the race, he crossed the finish line. The drivers, in fact, were inundated with affection and hugs and the winner took dozens of photos with the fans and gave just as many autographs. “Today Faggioli won, and he did it for the eleventh time – underlines Giovanni Pellegrino, president of the Automobile Club Trapani, the organizing body of the Hillclimb which this year celebrated the 70th anniversary of the first edition -. But, overall, I believe that he won this territory of ours, he won the sport and the riders, but also everything that was around the event. For this reason, therefore, I would like to award a special prize to those who were close to me so that Monte Erice came to fruition. This is living sport with harmony.”
Even in the ‘Historical’ the favorite on the eve did not disappoint expectations with Totò Riolo taking first place by setting the best time in both races and also managing to overcome a radiator problem at the end of race 1. In second place was Ciro Barbaccia from Palermo (Paganucci BMW 2000), who was also held back by problems, in this case with the gearbox. Third place, finally, for Salvatore Asta from Trapani (Bmw M3). In the third group, Gaspare Piazza from Trapani went to the top step of the podium (Fiat X 1/9 Silhouette) and according to Vito Oddo from Valderici. In the 2nd group, victory for Lucio Gigliotti (Fiat 128 Tc 1150), while Edoardo Piazza (Bmw 2002) won race 1, but did not complete race 2. In the 1st group there was a great battle between Tiberio Nocentini (Chevron B19) and the Austrian Mossler, both winners of a climb.
THE ABSOLUTE RANKING
1st Simone Faggioli Nova Proto Np 01 5’51.72
2nd Luigi Fazzino Osella Pa 30 at 5”97
3rd Francesco Conticelli Nova Proto Np 01 at 7”34
4th Francesco Caruso Nova Proto Np 01-2 at 9”04
5th Samuele Cassiba Nova Proto V8 Rg cartronik at 10”23
6th Domenico Scola Osella Pa/21 Age at 17”98
7th Andrea Di Caro Aprilia Np 03 at 21”78
8th Alberto Chinnici Osella Pa 2000 at 26”23
9th Mirko Torsellini Nova Proto Np 03 at 28”10
10th Vincenzo Conticelli Osella Pa 30 Evo at 30”73
The group rankings
Rs.: 1. Aquila (Peugeot 106) 8’16”19; 2. Bonfiglio (Citroen Saxo) at 1”28; 3. Venturi (Honda Civic) at 5”45;
RsT: 1. Loconte (Mini Cooper) 7’54”24; 2. Mondino (Mini Cooper) at 0″46; 3. Magdalone (Seat Leon) at 0”5;
Rs+: 1. Guzzetta (Peugeot 106) 7’19”81; 2. Currenti (Peugeot 106) at 2”20; 3. Prantl (Mini Cooper) at 3″73;
Rs Cup: 1. Giovanelli (Mini Cooper) 7’35”67; 2. Smoke (Peugeot 308) at 2”08; 3. Cardetti (Mini Cooper) at 3″88;
E1: 1. Aragon (Vw Golf) 6’40”25; 2. Tortora A. (Peugeot 106) at 18”39; 3. Freitag (Opel Kadett C Gt/e) at 22”1;
Tcr: 1. Tosini (Audi Rs3 Lms) 6’58”82; 2. Tortora S. (Peugeot 308) at 1”36; 3. Angelini (Vw Golf Gti Dsg) at 12”25;
GT: 1. Peruggini (Ferrari 488 Ch.) 6’40”61; 2. Iacoangeli (Bmw Z4) at 4″25; 3. Bondioni (Ferrari 488 Ch.) at 6”51;
E2Sh: 1. Gramenzi (Ar-Mg 4C Zytek) 6’50”95; 2. D’Antoni (Fiat 500 Evo) at 25”17;
Cn: 1. Scarafone (Osella Pa21) 6’31”65; 2. Marinelli Norma M20 Fc) at 1”61; 3. Leogrande (Osella Pa21) at 12”04;
E2 Moto: 1. Di Caro (Np03) 6’13”50; 2. Torsellini (Np03) at 6”32; 3. Gregori (Np03) at 11″26;
