The announcement comes
immediately after legendary Ducati racer Carlin Dunne has led the 2018 Spider
Grips Ducati Pikes Peak team to victory and reclaimed the crown as King of the
Mountain during this year’s annual running of the Pikes Peak International Hill
Climb (PPIHC). Dunne completed “Race to the Clouds” in 9:59:102. Rounding out
the Ducati team this year was new member Codie Vahsholtz, who finished in third
with a time of 10:12:703. This is Ducati’s seventh victory on the mountain
since the company’s debut in 2008.
Developed on the technical
foundations of the Multistrada 1260 S, the Pikes Peak version benefits from the
1262 cc Euro 4 compliant Ducati Testastretta DVT engine and new chassis
dimensions, which include a new front end geometry and a longer swingarm. Along
with a race-inspired colour scheme, the Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak comes
equipped with new forged aluminium wheels, which are lighter than those of the
Multistrada 1260 S. In addition, the bike is fitted with the Öhlins fork and
Öhlins TTX36 shock, which can both be adjusted mechanically.
The Pikes Peak International
Hill Climb, also known as the "The Race to the Clouds", is held in an
area of the Rocky Mountains some 16 km west of Colorado Springs. A distance of
20 kilometres separates the starting line, at an altitude of 2,862 metres, from
the finishing line at 4,300 m. It's an incredibly tough competition.
“We did it. We took the podium,”
said Dunne, who notably was the first motorcyclist ever to traverse the
4,720-foot Pikes Peak race course in less than 10 minutes in 2012. “The
Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak proved as amazing as we all hoped. It performed
flawlessly, giving me everything I needed to get up the mountain. Pikes Peak is
never an easy race, but the weather cooperated and we clinched the victory for
Ducati,” he said.
Source: Ducati India