With victory at the Ilirska Bistrica hillclimb in Slovenia, the latest round of the FIA European Hillclimb Championship, Pirelli driver Simone Faggioli has claimed his ninth title: equaling the record for the most number of titles in the sport.
Faggioli used Pirelli’s hillclimb tires to secure his latest title, which use technology derived from Pirelli’s Formula 1 tires. The P Zero hillclimb tires are available in three compounds – soft, supersoft, and ultrasoft – as well as a Cinturato wet tire for heavy rain.
The unique and challenging conditions of hillclimbing require a tire that can deliver top performance instantly, with a rapid warm-up even in the cold conditions that often characterise this high-powered and high-altitude sport. Faggioli won seven out of 10 rounds this year to clinch the championship, with one round still to go, driving a Norma M20 FC protoype.
“I’m absolutely delighted with this latest achievement, which is a real team effort,” said Faggioli. “Tires are such a crucial part of this sport, so I want to thank Pirelli for all the improvements we have made over the course of the year. The team also has done a fantastic job. It wasn’t such an easy start to the year, but things got better and better, so to equal the record is absolutely fantastic. I couldn’t be happier.”
The 37-year-old has spearheaded Pirelli’s development of its hillclimb tires, which have proved to be extremely effective in a huge variety of conditions and are manufactured in Pirelli’s new motorsport facility in Slatina, Romania.
The FIA European Hillclimb Championship is the oldest FIA championship in existence, having first run in the 1930s.
