Carlin Dunne was leading the race on his Ducati Streetfighter V4 Prototype and was about to set a new race record on Sunday at the Pikes Peak Hill Climb. He had just a few meters to reach the finish line when he crashed, after having dominated the first three sessions of the race.
There are no details about the crash, but a Gazzette reporter says that he witnessed the Ducati Streetfighter V4 “shrapnel going over the right edge of the road about 20 yards from the finish line”. According tot the Gazzete, “throughout the morning riders had trouble with a small hump in the road near the finish line. Multiple witnesses said they believed Dunne hit the bump at a high speed which caused his front wheel to spin out”, but there’s no official statement about the crash.
Dunne, 36, from Santa Barbara won the Pikes Peak race for three times and he scored two Baja victories. After spending more than six months preparing for the 97th Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, he managed to get the pole position, and he was about to get its fourth victory on the Ducati Streetfighter V4 Prototype, the soon to be released Ducati supernaked based on the Panigale V4.
"There are no words to describe our shock and sadness," Jason Chinnock, CEO of Ducati North America, said in a statement. "Carlin was part of our family and one of the most genuine and kind men we have ever known. His spirit for this event and love of motorcycling will be remembered forever as his passing leaves a hole in our hearts."