Mirko Zanardini is an Italian driver from the Brescia region who is well known in the world of Italian hill climbs (cronoscalate) and GT racing. Unlike professional factory drivers from Lamborghini, he has built a reputation for his versatility across circuit racing, endurance racing, and mountain racing, as well as for his technical tuning skills.
His career has revolved around Italian GT racing, the Lamborghini Super Trofeo, and, above all, the Italian Hill Climb Championship. He also helped develop the Wolf GB08 Thunder Hill Climb, which attests to his technical credibility among Italian automakers.
A GT3 beast for tackling mountain passes
Zanardini is a co-founder of the Lion Racing Team, an organization involved in GT and hill climb programs in collaboration with Giust Preparazioni for operations and development. This year, he’s tackling both at once: circuit racing in the Supersport GT Championship and hill climb racing!
The car he has been driving in Cronoscalate since 2023 is a Lamborghini Huracán GT3, equipped with a 5.2-liter naturally aspirated V10 engine. According to the Balance of Performance, power generally ranges from 550 to 580 chevaux, with a weight of approximately 1,230 to 1,280 kg. It features a six-speed sequential transmission, Bosch Motorsport electronics with ABS and traction control, and highly advanced aerodynamics.
The Huracan GT3 bowed out of official GT racing at the end of the 2025 season, making way for the Temerario GT3, and has come away with an impressive record: in ten years, it has racked up 96 class titles in various world GT championships, with 196 victories! Its record is now set to grow even further in hillclimb racing, which often gives circuit cars a second lease on life!
Specific Hillclimb Training
Unlike other GT3s or rally cars converted for hillclimbing, Zanardini’s car has remained very close to the original FIA GT3 specification. The power output is similar to that of the original track version. The main changes are adaptations to the specific requirements of hillclimb racing, which differ significantly from track specifications: a shorter final drive ratio, damping settings adapted for bumpy roads, slightly increased ground clearance, an optimized differential, and specific calibration of the ABS and traction control for accelerating out of hairpin turns.
The onboard videos showcase an extremely precise driving style: late but gradual braking, very little drifting, heavy use of electronic aids, and a constant focus on maintaining high minimum speeds through corners. He drives the Huracán more like a track car than a traditional hillclimb GT.
Results
His recent results include victories in the GT3 class at the 2025 Salita del Costo, as well as several podium finishes in the Supersalita rounds at Trento-Bondone and the Trofeo Vallecamonica. He is now considered one of Italy’s leading drivers in mountain GT3 racing, with several class titles in the Italian championship. He currently leads the class in the 2026 championship.
The combination of Zanardini’s experience and the Huracán GT3’s natural qualities explains the car’s remarkable competitiveness. His philosophy is to harness nearly the full potential of a true FIA GT3 car on mountain roads rather than turning the car into a specialized prototype.
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