Simone Faggioli doesn’t speak a word of English. Yet the Italian driver sent a message Sunday to all 72 competitors that everyone understood:

There’s a new King of the Mountain.

Faggioli’s speed spoke for him as he clocked in at 3 minutes, 37.196 seconds for The 103rd Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, presented by Gran Turismo.

This year’s Race to the Clouds only ventured to Glen Cove as weather made the 156-turn, 12.42-mile spectacle more than 60 percent shorter due to winds near the summit that exceeded 80 miles per hour.

Inclement weather also delayed the start by two hours and 15 minutes as race officials moved spectators and media from the summit and Devil’s Playground to closer to Glen Cove.

Faggioli and 2024 King of the Mountain Romain Dumas, who placed second this season and first in the Pikes Peak Open division, both had swift times with their final qualifying marks Thursday.

While Dumas scorched the field with a 3:34.073 to move into the top spot, Faggioli quickly replaced the French driver with a time of 3:33.757 ahead of the race. Dumas started 17th on Sunday and once again laid out an impressive time of 3:42.252 in his 2025 Super Mustang Mach-E.

Just like the final qualifying session, Faggioli, the race’s 20th driver, erased Dumas’ best mark, hit 91.162 mph in a 2018 Nova Proto NP01 Bardahl and registered a mark five seconds quicker than last year’s champ for his first Hill Climb title.

Before the coronation, Faggioli met Dumas and rookie rider Diego Degasperi by their vehicles.

The trio exchanged smiles and barbs before Faggioli seemed eager to prove a point. Degasperi, a fellow Italian competitor, Dumas and Faggioli walked toward a red Acura RDX with its hatchback upwards.

“Uno, due, tre,” Faggioli said in his native tongue as he pointed to himself, Dumas and Degasperi while they continued to walk.

As the trio viewed the laptop in the vehicle that displayed race results, Faggioli playfully used his right hand to hit Degasperi’s left shoulder as the new King of the Mountain pointed at the results. Sure enough, Faggioli, Dumas and Degasperi swept the top three.

Faggioli declined post-race interviews due to the language barrier, but expressed his joy the remainder of the day as he joked with Degasperi, flashed thumbs ups and smiled at fans.

Most noticeably, Faggioli beamed every time he passed his ride. As the day wrapped up and spectators and riders ventured toward their vehicles, Faggioli inserted a pair of checkered flags through the left and right windows. As he placed the last flag, he kissed the top of his car.

Faggioli may not speak English, but he understands the word “success.”