DUCATI WINS 2018 PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB TO RECLAIM CROWN AS KING OF THE MOUNTAIN

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 today’s “Race to the Clouds” in 9:59:102. This is Dunne’s fourth victory at Pikes Peak.

“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.”

This is Ducati’s seventh victory on the mountain since the company’s debut in 2008. Ducati and Dunne held the all-time course record from 2012 until 2017, a year in which Ducati was not part of the official race competition. Dunne’s previous victory in 2012 was achieved on the game-changing Multistrada 1200 S.

This year, Dunne secured the win on the new Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak model. The new Multistrada 1260 Pikes Peak showcases the versatility of a new, larger displacement 1262 cc Ducati Testastretta DVT engine delivering 18% more torque in the mid-range. The bike is also paired with a redesigned chassis for increased stability.

Rounding out the Ducati team this year was new member Codie Vahsholtz, who finished in third with a time of 10:12:703. Vahsholtz is a Colorado native who comes from a family of Pikes Peak champions and has established a series of victories of his own.

This year, for the 96th running of the “Race to the Clouds,” Ducati partnered with Shell Advance, Brembo, Pirelli, Termignoni, Spider Grips, Ducati by Rizoma, Race Tech, Revl and Racing Cowboys. Ducati.com

CHRIS FILLMORE RACES THE KTM 790 DUKE TO A RECORD-BREAKING MIDDLEWEIGHT VICTORY AND THIRD OVERALL AT PIKES PEAK INTERNATIONAL HILL CLIMB

Rennie Scaysbrook and the 1290 SUPER DUKE R Finish Runner-up in the Heavyweight Motorcycle Division
The 96th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb took place on Sunday, June 24 and KTM riders Chris Fillmore and Rennie Scaysbrook displayed READY TO RACE performances to capture two overall podium finishes at the Race to the Clouds.

On Sunday morning, Chris Fillmore etched his name into the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb record book once again as he raced the KTM 790 DUKE to a Middleweight course record with a time of 10:04.038. Rivaling the times of Heavyweight front-runners, Fillmore also solidified the incredible feat of third overall as he pushed the limits aboard a middleweight machine.

Finishing just ahead for second overall was Fillmore’s KTM-mounted Heavyweight division teammate, Rennie Scaysbrook, who raced the 1290 SUPER DUKE R to a near photo finish as he came a mere .692 of a second away from capturing the outright victory with a time of 9:59.794.

Fillmore, who now holds the Pikes Peak course record in both the Heavyweight and Middleweight motorcycle divisions, still remains the fastest motorcycle rider to ever go up the mountain with an impressive 2017 run of 9:49.265 on the KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R. This year, Fillmore came into the 96th running of this iconic event with a new set of goals and challenges on the new bike. In true READY TO RACE fashion, Fillmore executed all 156 corners and 12.42 miles of the extreme Pikes Peak course to finish less than five seconds away from the outright victory, giving the middleweight KTM 790 DUKE an impressive debut into the U.S. racing scene.

Chris Fillmore: “We set some goals before coming here to try and win the Middleweight class, break the Middleweight course record, and I really wanted to podium the overall. I got way closer to an overall win than I ever would have expected on a middleweight bike and I’m just happy how everything turned out, it was a good weekend.”

Meanwhile, in the Heavyweight division, Cycle News Road Test Editor Rennie Scaysbrook set his sights on going after Fillmore’s outright motorcycle course record aboard the 1290 SUPER DUKE R. Scaysbrook, who finished runner-up in 2017, matched his previous overall finish on Sunday as he fought hard all the way to the checkers for an extremely close finish with a time of 9:59.794. The entire KTM team would like to congratulate Rennie on another impressive performance up America's Mountain!

The new KTM 790 DUKE will arrive to North American dealerships later this year. For more information on the bike, please visit www.ktm.com.

For official results from the 96th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, please visit the official website at http://ppihc.org.

2018 PIKES PEAK OVERALL MOTORCYCLE RESULTS

1. Carlin Dunne, Heavyweight, 2018 Ducati MTS1260 Pikes Peak: 9:59.102
2. Rennie Scaysbrook, Heavyweight, 2017 KTM 1290 SUPER DUKE R: 9:59.794
3. Chris Fillmore, Middleweight, 2018 KTM 790 DUKE: 10:04.038 (Class Winner)
4. Codie Vahsholtz, Heavyweight, 2018 Ducati MTS1260 Pikes Peak: 10:12.703
5. Thilo Gunther, Heavyweight, 2015 BMW S 1000 R: 10:16.637