2018 PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB
P104
Feature
the bike feel somewhat familiar.
By the end of the second test day, we'd
figured it out. Working with Nate and Fillmore's
former AMA Superbike Crew Chief Ulrich
Toporsch, the KTM and I were just two sec-
onds off leader Carlin in second overall. Not a
bad improvement, I thought.
Where we were going wrong was stiffen-
ing everything up and giving more and more
rebound damping, when we should have been
doing the reverse. The softer and more relaxed
we made the bike, the better it performed. By
the last run, all we needed was a click or two
of compression and rebound, just playing with
different settings, to find the right balance.
Another factor that would prove crucial was
the Pirelli SC0 rear tire. This is the softest
compound Pirelli has available, and one that
really only works when track temps are super-
hot. When the conditions are good, the SC0
gives the kind of grip racers dream of. Big
handfuls of throttle are met with equally large
handfuls of grip, but when it doesn't work, it's
like riding on ice.
Carlin and I traded fastest days throughout
practice week. Oddly enough, for the first
time in many years, the first day of official
qualifying was held on Tuesday, rather than
Friday. Thus, I took pole position by 1.3 sec-
onds, with Carlin bettering me on the second
day in the hairpins by 2.7 seconds.
(Above) "So then I flipped this car and they paid me
$5000!" Greg Tracy does his best to keep Rennie's
nerves at bay. (Right) By day four, the KTM's
suspension settings were sorted and Rennie and
Carlin were swapping fastest times.
