Faggioli dominates 53rd Cronoscalata della Castellana hillclimb

The 53rd Cronoscalata della Castellana took place in Umbria under ideal autumn conditions, with the 6-kilometre course delivering spectacular racing and drawing a large crowd to Orvieto. The event proved a showcase for hillclimb competition, with competitors tackling the demanding layout across two timed runs.

Simone Faggioli secured his 20th national hillclimb championship title with a commanding performance at the wheel of his Nova NP 01-2 C Judd. The Italian driver's aggressive style and outstanding pace impressed spectators lining the course and earned him the overall victory. Stefano di Fulvio finished second in the general classification, piloting a Nova NP 01-2 C Honda Turbo and delivering an impressive display on his home event. Samuele Cassibba completed the podium in third place, also driving a Nova NP 01-2 C Judd and posting strong times across both runs.

Luigi Fazzino claimed fourth place overall, just 0.16 seconds behind Cassibba after two timed runs, and secured the CIVM Southern Championship title at the wheel of his Osella PA30 Zytek Evo. Giuseppe Vacca rounded out the top five in his Nova NP 01-2 Mugen, improving throughout the weekend. Filippo Ferretti finished sixth overall and won the E2-SC class up to 1,600cc in his Wolf GB08 Thunder Aprilia, while Ivan Pezzolla took seventh place in a Nova NP 03 C Aprilia from the Faggioli Team and claimed second in the 1,600cc E2-SC category. Michele Gregori and Fausto Ferretti completed the top eight and nine respectively, with Gerardo Rosa rounding out the top ten on his first appearance at Orvieto.

In the touring car category, Giuseppe D'Angelo triumphed in his Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo, edging Rosario Iaquinta's Ferrari 458 Challenge Evo by just 0.42 seconds. Francesco Lombardo took third place and the E1 class victory in his Peugeot 205 Rallye 16V. Salvatore Tortora won the TCR class in an Audi RS3 LMS TCR on his debut in the car, while Kristian Fiorucci claimed the RS class in his Peugeot 308 RC and Giovanni Grasso won the E2-SH class in a Renault 5 Super GT.

Several competitors encountered technical difficulties during the weekend. Franco Caruso retired his Nova NP 01-2 C Zytek after the second practice session, while Achille Lombardi's Osella PA30 Judd suffered a problem in the first run but was repaired in time for the second. Matteo Moratelli was unable to continue his debut in an Osella PA2000 LRM Turbo after a technical issue in practice, and Domenico Scola's comeback in the sport ended prematurely when his Osella PA2000 Evo Honda developed a fault. Michele Puglisi crashed his Nova NP 03 C Aprilia into straw bales near the finish in the second run, sustaining significant damage.