Photo Credit – World 4×4 Magazine
The MAXXIS King of the Mountains officially started on Friday 20th June with the registration of the teams and Technical Inspections which were carried out under the watchful eye of the referee Gael Azzolini assisted by Rudy Briani and “Vittorino” Pugliese. After this important procedure, Piermarco Acerni, Gael Azzolini, Neil Whitford and Dave Cole held a briefing with the competitors by giving them all the information needed regarding the prologue and the format of the race. At 14:30 the first car left the line to tackle the 5-km tracks of the prologue which included several off-road sections designed to test the off-road vehicles and drivers. Alberto Fortunati began the race but was soon in a rollover that ruled him out of the prologue; he was followed by a succession of other crews. Rob Butler was also the victim of a roll over immediately after the King Zone, in the most challenging climb where everyone gave spectacular performances that thrilled the audience. Team Ciani (Italy), with their new prototype set the fastest time (0:09:00). In the second place was the team of American Levi Shirley and in third place the team of the Belgian Axel Burmann. Jim Marsden, one of the favorites for the podium, was forced to retire from the prologue due to gearbox problems which, without the necessary spares put him out of the race.
Saturday entered into the heart of MAXXIS King of the Mountains with two laps of 25 kilometers. The pace of the whole day was dictated by Levi Shirley who made a quick getaway that seemed to secure victory of the race with two performances of note, although he was chased hard by the two of the top Italian teams. Hot on Shirley’s heels was the Umbrian Roberto Ciani who, although delayed by a small mechanical problem did not lose his fighting spirit and tried to limit the damage. Third on the day were the Tuscan Ferdinando Bartolucci and Luca Chelini who climbed from the fifth position in the prologue and were able to exploit the potential of their vehicle to climb the rankings. Axel Burmann was hampered in the afternoon by the rupture of the gearbox and the Swiss Stephane Zosso lost positions due to two flat tyres.
Sunday saw the end of this great adventure which has given prominence to Italy and the organisers Grip Motorsports at world wide level. The sounds of success at MAXXIS King of the Mountains have crossed borders and drawn attention from all around the world. Dave Cole from Ultra4 Racing spoke during the award ceremony and thanked the competitors, the media and the organizers for their excellent job on preparing and managing the entire event. All the teams commented that they had enjoyed the event and that the race had lived up to the reputation of Ultra4. Everything ran smoothly and even the weather’s conditions were perfect, giving a magnificent summer weekend.
Since the start of the prologue run the test of this first KoM has highlighted its protagonists; first of all Roberto Ciani (Italy) and Levi Shirley (USA) who fought at the highest level competition and always with the upmost sportsmanship. Ciani won the prologue with a spectacular performance while Shirley led the race since Saturday morning until the end when he was awarded with the title of “KING” of the first edition of the KoM. Roberto Ciani, with his co-driver Andrea Calandri, scored the second place showing all his skills and expertise as a driver; and the performance of his new prototype car. In third place we find the English Off Road Armory team of driver Rob Butler, which was also the manufacturer of the Shirley’s prototype. Also worthy of note is the performance of Ferdinando Bartolucci and Luca Chelini who, after the fifth place in the prologue on Saturday climbed up to the third position; a third place that would have been maintained if a mechanical problem in the hydraulic steering hadn’t delayed them during run 4 on Sunday.
In the Modified class, Alberto Fortunati and Paolocarlo Donati (Team Acerni Spoleto), even after an unfortunate start in the prologue, achieved their first victory in this spectacular new race. In second place the young team of Leo Moretti, third place goes to Alessandro Gentili and Massimo Peccheneda the Roman’s Team Valkyrie who also had another car in the race driven by Maurizio Cherubini, wich unfortunately had many problems during the first part of the race on Saturday.
The 2014 edition of MAXXIS King of the Mountains was an unforgettable off road race that will remain forever in the memories of those who can say ‘I was there’. Grip Motorsports, after this great success, looks forward to welcoming all the fans and team next year for an exciting new edition of King of the Mountains. Meanwhile the MAXXIS Ultra4 Europe 2014 series continues with the two upcoming events: King of the Valleys in Wales and King of Portugal. Before we close on this great event we have to thanks all the sponsors who have helped make this dream a reality; thanks to: Maxxis Tyres, AlliSport, Euro4x4parts, King Off-Road Racing Shocks, Acerni Offroad, 4 Technique, Xquattro and RCV Performance. Finally, a special thanks to all the volunteers who have worked tirelessly during the event at the MAXXIS King of the Mountains.
