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Tragedy for Ducati as the 97th Pike's Peak Hill Climb comes to a close

3K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  clintbowers 
#1 · (Edited)
Rest in peace,

Four-time champion Carlin Dunne has died following a crash just meters from the finish line at the Pike's Peak international Hill Climb


A dream campaign for Ducati's new V4 streetfighter prototype came to a tragic end as pole-sitter Carlin Dunne ran off the road to his death, just 20 yards from winning his 5th Pikes Peak Hill Climb.

Dunne and the Ducati team were looking to make a clean sweep of the weekend, having taken pole position and fastest times on the first three out of four sections on the 12.42-mile, 156-turn road racetrack. "There are no words to describe our shock and sadness," said Jason Chinnock, CEO Ducati North America, in a joint statement with Pikes Peak's Board of Directors. "Carlin was part of our family and one of the most genuine and kind men we have ever known. His spirit for this event and love of motorcycling will be remembered forever as his passing leaves a hole in our hearts."

Dunne had won the "Race to the Clouds" four times previously, including his record-setting run in 2013 aboard the Lightning Electric Superbike, marking the first time an electric motorcycle beat a field full of combustion bikes in a head-to-head race. His tragic loss marks the seventh death in the 97 years the Pikes Peak race has been running.
 

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#2 ·
RIP Carlin. He seemed like a class act, and great ambassador to motorcycles and racing. He had been posting dailies on Youtube for anyone who wants to learn more about his time at PPIHC

and contrary to what Ducati has been implying in their marketing, that this was a WSBK motor powered, no expense spared custom build.
 
#3 · (Edited)
and contrary to what Ducati has been implying in their marketing, that this was a WSBK motor powered, no expense spared custom build.
interesting. well it is considered a 'prototype'. thats got to have some ballz

some of you may have seen this last year:

Carlin Dunne's full race winning run from the 2018 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb. Carlin rode his 2018 Ducati Multistrada 1260 to the summit of Americas Mountain in a time of 9:59.102

 
#6 ·
Update (somewhat selective copy/paste)

Officials investigated Dunne's crash from Sunday that occurred during the 97th Pikes Peak Hill Climb and tragically cost him his life. The Race Director and Race Safety Team confirmed that the motorcycle itself, the debuting Ducati Streetfighter V4 prototype, showed no sign of mechanical failure.

Footage from the crash instead confirmed that an error is seemingly behind the tragedy. In fact, the images show that Dunne highsided in the last bend leading up to the finish line.

...What should have been an exciting event for the team showing off a brand new model based on the Panigale v4 engine turned into a tragedy. Sadly, only a quarter of a mile away from having his name go down in history, Dunne crashed on the Ducati. According to witnesses, Dunne hit a bump that sent the front wheel flying. Some people attending the event confirmed the road near the top was indeed in pretty bad shape in some places.

The race was interrupted for over an hour, a sign that something had gone terribly wrong according to veteran visitors of the event. “When Pikes Peak is delayed for more than a few minutes, you begin to fear the worst. The one-hour delay between the bikes and the cars meant that the medivac helicopter had to be deployed, and the race could not get back underway until the helicopter returned to the mountain,” Jalopnik’s Bradley Brownell explains.

Not a word about the crash was uttered until Ducati North America released an official statement confirming the 36-year-old racer had crashed and died. A brilliant career came to a brutal end this weekend. We would like to extend our sincerest condolences to Dunne’s family and friends.
 
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