Professional motorcycle racer, Carlin Dunne, also known as “The King of the Mountain” has unfortunately suffered a fatal crash while on his attempt at this year’s Pikes Peak Hill Climb. Dunne gained that title after his sub-10 minute run on a modified Ducati from his attempt back in 2012, a time that was never achieved on a motorcycle till then. In 2018, Dunne did the same hill climb in a Multistrada and won the event with the fastest time, that led to Ducati introducing a limited edition “Pikes Peak” version of the ADV which was also launched in India.
This year Dunne was riding the Ducati Streetfighter V4 Prototype, a naked stripped out version of the latest Panigale V4 supersports bike and fans and the team expected him to set a new record and take a class win. However, a fatal crash very close to the finish line had every one left in awe with the news of the incident and his passing.
The 36-year old California native set the fastest time during qualifying and according to the rules at Pikes peak, he was the final rider to start on Sunday. When Dunne’s final sector time failed to update on the leader board, everyone began fearing for the worse. It was only hours later when the news was confirmed that Carlin Dunne had passed away when Ducati and Pikes Peak officials released a statement of Dunne’s passing.
It is reported that the surface was extremely bumpy and certain sports along the hill climb route were poorly maintained. Dunne reportedly hit one of the bumps at high speed that caused his front wheel to spin out near the summit, just 20 yards from the finish line. However as there were no eyewitnesses, the exact cause of the incident has not been confirmed officially.
While we await further information, our thoughts and condolences go out to Dunne’s family and friends.
