Ducati wins Pikes Peak Hill Climb

From Ducati North America

PIKES PEAK, CO – Carlin Dunne won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb last Sunday on the Ducati Multistrada 1200, setting an all time motorcycle record and giving the Italian brand its second consecutive victory in the historic race.

Dunne, owner of Ducati Santa Barbara in California, took the checkered flag on his store’s showroom demo bike. After three weeks of frantic preparation, the team set out to Pikes Peak for Dunne’s rookie effort. The 28-year-old rider was fast from day one, qualifying on pole for the race and setting a confident pace throughout all three days of practice. In the race Dunne got the holeshot at the start and never looked back. The time across the finish line was 11:11.32, a new course record for motorcycles.

“We were definitely anxious to get out and race today," Dunne said. “When the flag dropped I got the holeshot and went for it. The whole week’s worth of setup work with my technician Sam Swain came together and the Multistrada 1200 worked flawlessly to give us the win. With the help of Spider Grips, Dumontec, BrakeTech and Burley Motorsports we can go home with an all time record.”

While Dunne topped the timesheets for Ducati, Pikes Peak regular Alexander Smith rode a spirited race and crossed the finish line with a time of 12:12.92; earning him a much celebrated third place in the 1205cc class.

The other two Ducati entries fell upon misfortunes. Six-time winner Greg Tracy had an unfortunate fall while charging to post a fast time. Second place qualifier Mark Cernicky also suffered from bad luck when his Multistrada’s tire went flat several corners past the starting line.

The Multistrada 1200’s race win comes on the eve of the Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak Special Edition in the U.S., a striking version of the Multistrada 1200 S painted and accessorized to match the Spider Grips team bikes competing in the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.