It is a legendary hill climb, both for its atypical route and its history. A test from a bygone time, a survival from the past when doing motor sport was not without danger. The Isle of Man TT is of this caliber. And when it's like that, doom can be found at every turn. This is when our times come to the fore and it caught up with Pikes Peak this year with the tragic accident of Carlin Dunne.
Carlin Dunne was the one who put the Ducati to the top of the mountain in this one-of-a-kind American race. Riding his Streetfignter V4 prototype, he crossed the path of the grim reaper who took him with it... A tragedy which called into question the participation of motorcycles in this competition. A biker cause that was nevertheless defended by the mother of the deceased pilot. With courage, she asked the organizers not to sacrifice the motorcycle category in light of this tragedy.
The latter only heard it partially. In 2020, there will be no motorcycles lined up. But it would only be a pause, time to study the question more deeply before a final decision. The board of directors of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb met to review the 2019 event. It was decided that, to determine the long-term viability of the motorcycle program, no motorcycle competitions would be offered in 2020 so that race organizers could gather data and analyzes to evaluate in more detail the impact on the overall event in the absence of this category.
« Motorcycles have been part of the PIPHC for 29 years and their history on America's Mountain dates back to the first race in 1916 " said Tom osborne, President of the council. “ That said, the motorcycle program has not been an annual event. They have run 41 of the 97 years since Pikes Peak existed. Now is the time to take a close look at every aspect of the race, including the motorcycle program, and determine whether or not the event can change " he added.
PIPHC staff and board members will continue to monitor all metrics related to the annual race and make a final decision at the end of 2020 on whether or not to include a motorcycle program in the years future.
