Trento-Bondone is a monument of the European Hill Climb Championship, with its 17 km 300 course on a narrow, endlessly winding road (40+ hairpins) which even passes through three villages! The average speed is the lowest of all the European races contested each season, but the Italian classic is nonetheless the most difficult. Here, everything is different and far more complicated than elsewhere: memorising the course, maintaining speed over an unusual distance, concentration, tyre management, not to mention that unlike the other events of the season, where each driver is allowed two or even three timed climbs,  Trento-Bondone gives the drivers only one chance, thus leaving no room for error.

While all these stumbling blocks may be daunting to those facing the mountain for the first time, they do not seem to make any odds to Simone Faggioli. In fact, they even seem to spur him on, so strong is the Italian driver’s admiration of the course and his desire to master it. The seven-time European Hill Climb Champion once again won the event, adding a personal touch which literally blew away his spectators, followers and competitors, the closest of whom was relegated by more than 38 seconds! With his Norma M20 FC Evo Zytek now fitted with Pirelli tyres, Faggioli sliced 10 seconds off the absolute record of the race – which he himself has held since 2013. From 9’20’’, his time decreased to 9’10’’. At this rate, he could soon make the 9 minute mark!

The battle to join Faggioli on the podium turned in favour of the young Domenico Scola (Osella PA2000 Honda), who outstripped the regional driver of the stage, Christian Merli (Osella FA30 Evo RPE V8) by just under two seconds. With his Gloria C8P of small cylinder capacity, Federico Liber succeeded in setting a time under 10 minutes, a performance which Paride Macario (Osella FA30 Zytek) missed by only 6 tenths of a second. While he was in a position to aim for the Top 5, Luxembourger David Hauser (Wolf GB08F1) was forced to reduce his pace as he approached the finish to preserve his overheated car. He therefore had to settle for twelfth place.

In Category 1, the Porsche 911 GT3 of Marco Cristoforetti narrowly won against the Citroën C4 WRC of Tiziano Nones. In Group N, the Mitsubishis continue to rule and Italian Armin Hafner won by less than 4 tenths of a second against his compatriot “O’Play”, while Macedonian Igor Stefanovski, third in Italy, remains at the top of the provisional Championship classification.

The next event of the European Hill Climb Championship will take place in Slovakia, in Dobsina, on 18 and 19 July. One week later, the German round of the Championship will be contested in Glasbach.