SIMONE FAGGIOLI & NOVA PROTO NP01 AN ITALIAN DRIVER AND A FRENCH CAR ON THE ASSAULT ON THE RECORD
The legendary...
The legendary Pikes Peak International is a hill climb ra ce whose course winds along the slopes of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado. Due to its characteristics and history, it is considered the most fascinating in the world. The starting point of the race is lo cated at an altitude of 2,862 m. The race course covers a total length of 19.99 km, articulated by 156 curves and hairpin bends, for a difference in al titude of 1,439 m, with an average gradient of 7% and peaks of 10.5%. The fi nish line is located at an altitude of 4,300 m (this is the reason it is also called the 'Race of Angels' or 'Race to the Clouds').
In the past, the roadway had the unique feature of being partly asphalted and partly unpaved. In recent years, the asphalted sections have gradually increased, until the enti re route was paved for the 2012 edition. This followed a legal dispute that began in 1998 between the owners of the road and the environmental association Sierra Club, which demanded the stabilisation of the pavement made of gravel that damaged the forests below when it was washed away by rain. This change in the road surface received heavy criticism from drivers such as former race record holder Rod Millen, who felt that the di stortion of the race would lead to significant safety problems due to increased speeds and thus the end of the almost 100-year-old race. Another peculiarity is the lack of guard-rails or any other kind of protection along most of the track, so that participants find themselves running near incredible precipices. Moreover, since the starting and fini shing points are at different altitudes, natural conditions such as pressure, temperature and weather change, so that it is not at all uncommon to encounter sunny conditions at the start only to find icy roads or snowfall at the summit. Two - and four-wheeled vehicles can take part in the competition, which is a true cult classic for Ameri cans. The technical regulations have their own peculiarities that are not mat ched by international rules; therefore you can see the participation of cars of all kinds: from specially tyred formula cars to quads; from trucks to actual purpose-built prototypes. On the other hand, altitude al so influences engine performan ce (to a lesser extent if turbo charged engines are used), as the concentration of oxy gen and atmospheric pres sure decrease as one climbs in altitude.
PEAK
JUNE 22 - 2025
Roll of honour
The driver: Simone Faggioli
Forty-six years old from Florence, Simone Faggioli has collected a number of titles and victories that place him among the ‘greats’ of racing of all time. He made his debut in 2001, at only twenty-two years of age, with the sport prototypes and in 2002 he was already overall Italian Champion, a success that he repeated in 2003 and 2004. In 2005, the international consecration with the conquest of the absolute European Mountain Championship. In 2006 and 2007 with the Osella PA/21 Honda came a new two-year period of laurels with two consecutive national titles. In 2009 he was at the wheel of the Osella FA30, a single-seater with covered wheels powered by a Zytek 8cylinder 3000 cc engine, and with this vehicle he immediately won the European Championship. In 2010, 2011, 2012 and 2013, he won both championships, Italian and European overall. The 2014 season is the turning point, in fact, the search for new stimuli leads the Tuscan driver to change brand and car. The choice turns to the French manufacturer Norma with the two-seater M20 FC powered by a Zytek 3000 cc. engine with 500 hp. The adventure at the wheel of the new car began immediately and already at the debut, at Col St. Pierre, the first race of the continental championship, the victory arrived with a new record. And it would be like this for the entire championship until he became the overall European Champion. Same script for the Italian Championship, where with one race in advance he won the tenth tricolour title. In 2015 and 2016 history repeated itself and Simone Faggioli won both titles, becoming European Champion for the ninth time and winning the Gold medal at the 2016 FIA Masters. In 2017 the palmares is enriched again with the conquest of the continental title, so there are 10 European and 12 Italian titles. In 2018, more successes in Italy and Europe enriched by participation in the legendary American Pikes Peak hillclimb, where, despite some mechanical problems, he won second place overall and first in the two-wheel drive class on his debut, setting the third fastest time ever. At the end of the season, in France, another great achievement, he won the ‘Montée des Legèndes’, a race that saw great motorsport champions such as nine-time rally champion Sebastien Loeb, 24 Hours of Le Mans and Pikes Peak winner Romain Dumas and Formula 1 driver Romain Grosjean at the start. Successes in the Italian and European championships are repeated in 2019. 2020, due to COVID19, saw the cancellation of the continental championship, while the Italian one kicked off in June reduced to 7 races in 4 of which Faggioli won, setting a new track record in each one and eventually winning his umpteenth Italian title with one race to spare.In 2021, 2022 and 2023, there are still victories and tricolour titles. In 2022, Faggioli's talent crossed the ocean again and on board the official Lamborghini URUS he went on the assault on the category record in the Pikes Peak time trial, an attempt that turned out to be yet another triumph with a record time of 10:32:064 that improved the previous record by more than 17 seconds. In 2024, still aboard the Nova Proto Bardahl NP01, but in an updated version, he is the absolute protagonist of the new top Italian SuperSalita championship and at the end of the season a total of 16 races are won, including the ascent of the Teide volcano in the Canary Islands, the last race of the year. With these results, his national laurels rise to 18 and his continental ones to 11. These successes confirm him as the world's greatest road racing specialist and the most successful active rider. Won italian Championships 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2006 - 2007 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012 - 2013 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 - 2019 - 2020 - 2021 - 2022 - 2023 - 2024 Won European Championships 2005 - 2009 - 2010 - 2011 - 2012 - 2013 - 2014 - 2015 - 2016 - 2017 - 2019 2016 FIA Masters Gold Medal
2nd overall - 1st Rookie 1st 2-wheel drive - 1st thermal engines 11 11 18 18
Pikes Peak USA 2018
Montée des Légendes 2018 Overall Winner
The car, the engine, the tyres
Nova Proto Bardahl
The Nova Proto is a new-generation two-seater/race car built in France, the result of experience gained in European, Italian and French mountain speed championship races as well as Le Mans Series track races. The chassis is entirely in carbon and complies with the recent FIA regulations, raised by 30%, to pass the strict crash-tests imposed since 2011, the bodywork is in carbon. It will be powered by a FF V6 BT engine and will be fitted with Pirelli P Zero tyres.
FF V6 BT Engine
Manufacturer FF
Architecture 6 cylinders, 90 degree V
Displacement cc 3000
Fuel supply Biturbo
Power CV 800
Max. revs 8500
Lubrication Dry sump
Pirelli tyres
Model P Zero
NP01 V6 BT PIKES PEAK 2025
Car: Nova Proto NP01
Chassis: Carbon monocoque
Engine: FF 3000 V6 Biturbo
Power: 800 cv
Gearbox: Sadev SLR82
Tyres: Pirelli P Zero
Traction: Rear
Brakes: Disc AP racing
THE 2022 RECORD WITH THE LAMBORGHINI
After the first challenge in 2018, Faggioli's talent crossed the ocean again in July 2022, and on board the official Lamborghini URUS he went on the assault on the Pikes Peak ascent record. The attempt turns out to be yet another triumph for the Florentine star with a record time of 10:32:064 that improves the previous record by more than 17 seconds.
