MALEGNO-BORNO SPEED HILLCLIMBING
A CHALLENGE FOR THE SUMMIT BREATHLESS
The Trofeo Vallecamonica Malegno-Ossimo-Borno has written and continues to write pages of sport and passion in one of the most adrenaline-fueled disciplines of motorsport: speed hillclimbing.
Just under four minutes. Almost nine kilometers. Hairpin bends and straights. Applause, bonfires, impromptu campsites and the ever-present sound of engines. The Vallecamonica Trophy could be summed up in two lines like this. A race that over the years has carved out a place of honor in the hearts of fans. One of the most popular and complete speed hillclimbing races in Italy on whose ramps great names and authentic legends have competed.
Although there are three versions of the route, the Malegno-Borno, as it is called by most fans, has always maintained its spirit, its DNA, a speed hillclimbing race that is very fast in straights but also driven and technical. Here, speed and the best performing car are not enough to win, you need brains, knowledge of the route, method. The best wins. Always.
There are those who have dreamed of being able to win it and have never succeeded, there are those who have won it ten times, and there are those who give up many other opportunities so they can take part, to be able to say “I was there.”
And the real excitement, in any case, is the one you experience up there, in Borno, at the finish line that is a reward in itself, that goal that has to be reached in the shortest possible time. Some drivers say they could go up those 8,800 meters with their eyes closed, because to win hillclimbs you have to know them by heart, like a circuit.
The only sure thing is that the public has always made a pilgrimage along the route since the night before, lighting fires, pitching tents and experiencing the same emotions that the spectators of the first edition experienced in 1964. The noise of the engines going up the valley, braking at the last minute, the absolute precision. It doesn’t matter whether it’s a Porsche Carrera, like the one that “Noris” drove to victory in that long ago 1964, or a high-performance Osella FA/30, the scream of the engine will thrill everyone.
Because here, at the end of the day, what counts is knowing that you have reached the top, perhaps even lowering the time of the year before by a few tenths of a second.
THE ROLL OF HONOUR AND THE RECORDMEN
The Trofeo Vallecamonica is first and foremost history, automotive heritage. Since the victory of ‘Noris’ in the first edition in 1964, the anecdotes could fill books. The unbeatability of Mauro Nesti, for example, capable of winning ten editions of the race and currently still the driver with the most victories. Or the tradition of the Caffi family, with the victory, a real feat, achieved by Angelo in 1965 at the wheel of the Alfa Romeo Giulia, and the two victories of Alex in 2005 and 2011, not to mention the monstrous performance in 2018 with the Porsche 911 GT Cup. Or even the 34 starts of Gian Antonio Franzoni, currently the undisputed recordman in terms of participation.
In addition to the winners, the great importance of the Trofeo Vallecamonica is reserved for the fastest drivers.
On the old course of 8,600 metres the unbeaten record remains that of Mauro Nesti, who in 1984 clocked 3’46.00 with the Osella BMW 2000. The heat record on the current course of 8,800 metres with chicanes belongs to Christian Merli (3’41.60) set in 2015 at an average of 139.5km/h. Alex Caffi holds the record in the sum of times, with a total of 7’26.60 set in 2011, while the fastest driver is still Pasquale Irlando, who in 1999 on the Osella PA20/S clocked an average of 140.913km/h.
