VOL. 53 ISSUE 27 JULY 12, 2016 P107
est. It's most raw. A machine and
a mountain, and you in between.
I have wanted to race at Pikes
Peak ever since I found out
motorcycles could do it. Which
was not all that long ago. I love
road racing. More so than circuit
racing. I don't know why, but the
danger excites me. And Pikes
Peak gives a rush unlike any-
thing I've ever experienced.
Racing this event is the real-
ization of a dream. But dreams
take work, time, patience,
and partners to achieve. I was
incredibly fortunate KTM North
America agreed to align with me
and Cycle News in this endeav-
or, because without them the
project was nothing but a pipe
dream. Over 12 months we took
a standard 1290 Super Duke R,
turned it into a sport tourer, then
a streetfighter, and finally a full-
blown racer capable of taking on
the mountain. Entering into the
Heavyweight division, I set a per-
sonal goal of Rookie of the Year
and a time of under 10:30. Once
I hit send on the entry form, I
had no idea of the emotional
rollercoaster that lay ahead.
THE BUILDUP TO PIKES
Enlisting the help of KTM's
ultra-fast former factory super-
bike racer Chris Fillmore, we set
about turning the Super Duke
into a real race bike. Luckily for
us KTM North America had a
back-door entry to the Power-
Parts catalog, meaning we could
build a real race bike that would
have otherwise cost as much as
a down payment on a house.
"SOME CORNERS ARE PLAIN SCARY, ESPECIALLY THE
NAMELESS DOUBLE LEFT THAT LEADS TO BOTTOMLESS PIT,
A CORNER YOU HAVE TO TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS ON OR THE
OUTCOME ISN'T WORTH THINKING ABOUT."
The first day
of practice
across Devil's
Playground. The
magnitude of the
mountain smacks
you in the face.
