M
otorcycle racing is inherently perilous
but one of the most dangerous races on
the planet is the annual Pikes Peak Hill
Climb held in Colorado since 1916, the second
oldest motorsports event in the USA after the
Indy 500, and the oldest involving motorcycles,
until now. More than 12 miles (12.42 miles to be
exact) in length, on grades averaging 7.2 percent
in steepness, the 156-turn course winds up the
side of the imposing 14,115-feet-high peak that's
the tallest in the Rocky Mountains' southern
range, and wasn't fully asphalted until 2011. The
race starts at a 9000-foot elevation, so it's run
entirely at the kind of altitude that has people
panting for breath and motorcycles the same.
While there are token attempts to line a few of the
corners with metal barriers and even Airfence,
there are still innumerable unfenced cliffs where
the penalty for a mistake is to plunge off the side
of the mountain.
VOLUME 56 ISSUE 49 DECEMBER 10, 2019 P99
ALAN CATHCART TAKES
A SPIN ON RENNIE'S PIKES
PEAK-WINNING APRILIA
SECOND
OPINION
BY
ALAN
CATHCART
I
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
KEVIN
WING
AND
LARRY
CHEN
