"We conducted our tests on the Alès circuit, noted Norbert Santos, the boss of Norma prototypes, at the beginning of June. For the work on the suspensions and the tyres, it was a bit tight because we cannot reproduce there the shedding movements of a road, always a little domed when passing from one side to the other".

So the team took advantage of the lessons learned on the Norma that has been used since this year by the four-time European mountain champion, Simone Faggioli. Same thing for the tyres. Romain Dumas chose the Italian manufacturer LeCont, a karting tyre specialist. But which closely follows the evolution of tyres in hill climbing. "What Romain needs, explains Paolo Bombara, his sales manager, is a tyre that is immediately efficient and up to temperature, typical of hill climbs. With the additional difficulty, at Pikes Peak, of maintaining good traction after a dozen kilometers for the hairpins at the top".

We also had to guarantee the right balance between rear grip and an efficient front axle. "We found something interesting, continues Bombara. A solution that we use for rain tyres in karts and which we used for Romain's slicks".