THE Race to the Clouds will never again see bikes competing on America’s Mountain after motorcycles have officially been excluded from taking part in any future Pikes Peak International Hillclimb events.
The news comes via a press release from the event organisers, who have had two years to deliberate on the move. It comes after the fatal crash that claimed the life of Carlin Dunne in 2019. Dunne lost control of his prototype Ducati Streetfighter V4 just yards from the finish line of the race, with eyewitnesses at the time claiming a bump had caused the Pikes Peak veteran to lose control of this bike. A post-race investigation into the accident found no mechanical failure of factor that could have caused the crash.
The press release on the Pikes Peak website reads:
‘After two years of research, deliberation, thoughtful consideration and advice from colleagues in the motorsports industry, the Board of the Directors of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has made the decision to discontinue 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 organization at this time.”’
Pikes Peak will return to competition next year, with the race scheduled to take place on Sunday June 26 2022.
