The Settimo Torinese Festival Challenge: Sport and Technology
Again in 2024, the Pirelli Foundation is taking part in the 12th Festival of Innovation and Science in Settimo Torinese. This year it examines the theme of “FRONTIERS”, exploring scientific boundaries, social challenges, and interdisciplinary synergies. One of the key events is the Pirelli Foundation’s “Beyond the Finish Line: Stories of Sporting and Technological Challenges” [Oltre il traguardo: storie di sfide sportive e tecnologiche], which will be held on Wednesday 9 October at 11 a.m. at the Biblioteca Archimede in Settimo Torinese. The session will explore how technology can play a decisive role in making sporting events spectacular, and how competitions, in turn, drive the development of new technologies. The discussion will also examine the long-standing connection between Pirelli—one of Italy’s most enduring multinationals—and the world of sports, a relationship that began in the late nineteenth century when Pirelli tyres were first used in races and on roads across the world. Over time, this connection extended to various disciplines, including cycling, motorcycling, car racing, skiing, tennis, football, mountain sports, and sailing. Scientific research in these areas has continued to push boundaries, leading to new products and technologies that have also helped and still help towards great sporting achievements. Using quizzes and archival images from the Pirelli Historical Archive, the event will retrace some of the most thrilling sporting and technological challenges. These include tales of athletes who, through courage, determination, and teamwork, overcame boundaries to achieve extraordinary feats. Highlights will include Scipione Borghese’s legendary 1907 Peking-Paris motor race which crossed half the planet, the Italian expedition to the summit of K2, the famous battles between Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi at the Giro d’Italia, and the ocean exploits of sailor Ambrogio Beccaria on a boat that seems to fly across the water.
Again in 2024, the Pirelli Foundation is taking part in the 12th Festival of Innovation and Science in Settimo Torinese. This year it examines the theme of “FRONTIERS”, exploring scientific boundaries, social challenges, and interdisciplinary synergies. One of the key events is the Pirelli Foundation’s “Beyond the Finish Line: Stories of Sporting and Technological Challenges” [Oltre il traguardo: storie di sfide sportive e tecnologiche], which will be held on Wednesday 9 October at 11 a.m. at the Biblioteca Archimede in Settimo Torinese. The session will explore how technology can play a decisive role in making sporting events spectacular, and how competitions, in turn, drive the development of new technologies. The discussion will also examine the long-standing connection between Pirelli—one of Italy’s most enduring multinationals—and the world of sports, a relationship that began in the late nineteenth century when Pirelli tyres were first used in races and on roads across the world. Over time, this connection extended to various disciplines, including cycling, motorcycling, car racing, skiing, tennis, football, mountain sports, and sailing. Scientific research in these areas has continued to push boundaries, leading to new products and technologies that have also helped and still help towards great sporting achievements. Using quizzes and archival images from the Pirelli Historical Archive, the event will retrace some of the most thrilling sporting and technological challenges. These include tales of athletes who, through courage, determination, and teamwork, overcame boundaries to achieve extraordinary feats. Highlights will include Scipione Borghese’s legendary 1907 Peking-Paris motor race which crossed half the planet, the Italian expedition to the summit of K2, the famous battles between Gino Bartali and Fausto Coppi at the Giro d’Italia, and the ocean exploits of sailor Ambrogio Beccaria on a boat that seems to fly across the water.