Two years after motorcycle racing at the infamous Pikes Peak came to a halt following the death of rider Carlin Dunne, the organisation behind the annual Race To The Clouds has announced their findings from an official review of bike sport on the mountain - and it’s not the result we’d hoped for.
In short, the Board of Directors of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has made the decision to discontinue the motorcycle competition as part of the annual Race to the Clouds.
“Motorcycle competition has been part of the history of the race off-and-on since 1916, and has been both thrilling and tragic for competitors and fans alike,” explained Fred Veitch, Interim Chairman of the Board.
“This has been a long process and a difficult decision, but we believe it is the right decision and one that is in the best interest of the organisation at this time.”
With the road to the top of Pikes Peak a public route, motorcycles can still reach the summit of the mountain outside of competition, however, it is a loss for the industry either way. Not only was the event good for marketing and bragging rights at the pub for over 100 years, but it also served as a testing ground for high-performance bikes such as the Ducati Streetfighter V4 ridden by Dunne on that fateful day.