Terminillo: Italian Hillclimb, weather Chaos

Heavy rain and cold temperatures, the unexpected enemies of the Terminillo race

A very intense race finale took place yesterday at the Rieti-Terminillo event, part of the Italian Supersalita Championship. Around 2:30 PM, the weather decided to bring the race to an early end for the few prototypes that were still set to climb the mountain. From halfway up the course, heavy rain and hail gave no chance even to the most experienced drivers. Stefano Di Fulvio won aboard his Nova Proto NP 01 Zytek, clocking a time of 5’05”27. Cold, rain, and hail accompanied the final stages of the 60th Rieti Terminillo L’Energia. The 58th Bruno Carotti Cup goes down in history for its dramatic conclusion — both due to the cold and the unexpected turn of events in a day that had begun under summer sun, attracting thousands of spectators along the route. The crowd also enjoyed the parade and display of rare vintage cars, stars of the Rieti Terminillo Tribute and Classic. Samuele Cassibba and Andrea Di Caro completed the race podium. Simone Faggioli, running in pouring rain and far from dry-track conditions, finished in 5’29.54, placing 11th overall. His words, echoing the experience gained from winning this year’s Pikes Peak, summed it up perfectly: the mountain made the final call.

Marco Iacoangeli and Z4 GT3, GT winners

Always outstanding when he succeeds in his feats, the Roman driver delivered an impressive performance yesterday on the long Rieti track, making his rivals sweat with a time of 5’35.62. With mild temperatures and superb grip from the Michelin tires throughout the course, he was able to keep his foot down even through corners that not everyone dares to push, allowing his aging Z4 GT3 to shine as queen of the parc fermé.

Following him in the standings was Lucio Peruggini from Foggia, driving a Ferrari 488 Challenge Evo. He completed the race in 5’40.72 — his first time crossing the finish line after failing to do so in 2024 due to a crash in the early part of the course.

One of the most anticipated cars was the brand-new Ferrari 296 Challenge driven by Giovanni Del Prete. Despite his skilled handling, the car still shows some teething issues in hillclimb racing. Nonetheless, he secured third place overall among the GT cars, posting a time of 5’45.71.

TCR group, Salvatore Tortora wins with a Rs3 Audi

Salvatore Tortora, driving an AUDI RS3, returned to victory in the TCR group. The driver from Salerno held off challenges from Luca Tosini from Brescia, who, in the same car, remained consistently aggressive. Third place went to another Salerno native, Angelo Marino, in a Cupra Leon, who fought hard to stay in the title hunt.

A full points haul also went to Antonio Scorza, also in an Audi, competing in the DSG transmission category.

Another strong performance came from Anna Maria Fumo from Puglia in her Peugeot 308, taking another win in the Racing Start Cup group. In the RSCup 2 category, Gabriele Giardini from Pesaro celebrated a great result in Rieti with his Renault Clio Cup.

Below is the overall classification from the 58th Coppa Carotti as published by ACI Sport.