Motorcycles will no longer be able to compete at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Motorcycles have been absent from the 2020 and 2021 editions of the event after the death of Ducati rider Carlin Dunne during the 2019 iteration of the hill climb. In a brief statement, the Board of the Directors of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb has now announced that they will be precluded from competing indefinitely.
“Motorcycle competition has been part of the history of the race off-and-on since 1916, and has been both thrilling and tragic for competitors and fans alike,” interim chairman of the board Fred Veitch said. “This has been a long process and a difficult decision, but we believe it is the right decision and one that is in the best interest of the organization at this time.”
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The Board of the Directors said the decision came after “two years of research, deliberation, thoughtful consideration and advice from colleagues in the motorsports industry.”
Motorcycles competed in the very first Pikes Peak International Hill Climb held in 1916 but there were long periods where they didn’t feature. For example, no motorcycles competed between 1920- 1953, 1956-1970, and 1983-1990. In fact, motorbikes only featured in 41 of the 99 hillclimb events held and during the 1983-1990 period, were banned entirely following the death of a competitor.
Carlin Dunne was riding a Ducati Streetfighter V4 when he crashed the bike less than a quarter of a mile from the finish line. Dunne had won the event on four prior occasions.