Pikes Peak International Hill Climb
Ducati wins at Pikes Peak 2018
June 24th saw the 96th running of the world-renowned Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and some brand-new hardware for Ducati’s mantle. For the uninitiated, Pikes Peak is likely the most legendary hill climbing competition in the word. Cars and motorcycles of every possible brand, size, shape, and variety have been charging into the Colorado clouds since 1916 with one goal: setting the possible fastest time.
The course’s 156 corners are scattered across 12.42 miles of winding, scything pavement that stretches to a finish line at a heady 14,115 ft. Pikes Peak attracts drivers and racers from across the world, and the past few years have seen some truly incredible achievements on both two and four wheels.
There may be no hill climb more famous than Pikes Peak, and there is likely no motorcycle competitor more decorated on that mountain than Ducati. 2018 saw another incredible achievement with rider Carlin Dunne of the Spider Grips Ducati Pikes Peak team taking overall victory in the motorcycle category, bringing the total number of victories for Ducati to seven since they began competing in 2008.
Dunne, who also happens to be the first motorcyclist to set a time under 10 minutes, posted a blistering time of 9:59:102, and second rider Codie Vahsholtz took fourth overall with a time of 10:12:703.
Both Dunne and Vahsholtz rode a 2018 Ducati Multistrada 1260 that featured only minor changes over the stock motorcycle: updates were limited to reducing weight, slight chassis tuning, and adjusting the powerful v-twin engine to breathe properly at altitude.
Second place went to Rennie Scaysbrook and his KTM 1290 Super Duke R, and Chris Fillmore took third place also onboard a KTM, the 790 Duke.
The Multistrada is no stranger to competition on the mountain. Dunne actually set the fastest ever time for a motorcycle up Pikes Peak from the saddle of a Multi 1200 back in 2012 with a stunning time of 9:52:819. That record stood until last year when Chris Fillmore broke it from the saddle of a KTM 1290 Super Duke R.
One of the other notable achievements from this year’s race was the breaking of the overall course record by Volkswagen’s I.D R electric racecar. The previous record was set back in 2014 by legendary Rally driver Sebastian Loeb in a Peugeot 208 with an incredible time of 8:13:878.
In spectacular fashion, the I.D R annihilated Loeb’s old record by setting a scarcely believable time of 7:57:148. That’s not only the new electric car and overall record, but it finally breaks through the formidable 8-minute barrier.
As technology continues its relentless pursuit of perfection, lap times up the mountain will keep dropping, and outrageous new records will be set. And you can bet rockstars like Dunne and brands like Ducati will remain in the thick of the fight for Pikes Peak glory.