Unlimited racer Faggioli brings international hill climb experience to Pikes Peak

Sunday's Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, will feature drivers from 13 countries. Among them is Italy's Simone Faggioli, who returns seven years on from his outstanding rookie run of 8m37.240s in the Race to the Clouds in 2018. His lauded result, behind the wheel of Norma M20 SF PKP, landed him in second-place overall, earning him the Rookie of the Year award. The only competitor besting him was Romain Dumas in the all-electric VW I.D. R with his course record time of 7m57.148s.

To date, Faggioli is one of only five drivers to clock a sub-9-minute run, having joined Dumas, Sebastien Loeb, Rhys Millen and Robin Shute in the elite group.

Faggioli is a highly decorated European hill climb racer, having won the European Hill Climb Championship an impressive 11 times. He is also a track record holder at Trento-Bondone, and a 12-time winner.

In the past year alone, Faggioli secured his fourth consecutive victory at the Trofeo Vallecamonica, setting a new track record of 3m42.600s on the 5.3-mile Malegno-Ossimo-Borno course in his Nova Proto NP01 Bardahl (pictured above), the same car with which he will compete on Sunday at Pikes Peak in the Unlimited division.

• Pikes Peak run order set as qualifying concludes

In 2024, Faggioli established the first benchmark for road cars in the Set the Time event at Rieti-Terminillo. In partnership with Pirelli, he drove a Porsche 911 (992) on the route of the legendary hill climb. He also won the Rieti-Terminillo race itself in his Norma M20 FC last year.

Although he hasn't competed on America's Mountain since 2018, Faggioli certainly made his mark in the motorsports world when he was selected to drive the Lamborghini Urus up the mountain in a private, certified course time attempt. His clocking was 10m32.064s in a production SUV, though not an official race record, was sanctioned by the PPIHC and recorded by the official timekeepers. The run, completed on the challenging 12.42-mile course, demonstrated the Urus Performante's exceptional performance capabilities and showcased Lamborghini's commitment to pushing boundaries. This demonstration highlighted the vehicle's balance, powertrain resilience at high altitude, and overall durability in extreme conditions.

"Pikes Peak is a very extreme race. Everything is demanding," said Faggioli. "It’s a challenge inside 'the' challenge."

• You can watch the 2025 Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo, live and in its entirety on the RACER Network and RACER+ streaming app, Sunday, June 22. For more on RACER+, head to racerplus.com.