Shot on location in the Pacific Northwest, we finally get to see the Ducati Streetfighter V4 in its natural element: rippin’ and tearin’ on the asphalt.
At the helm is Pikes Peak racer Carlin Dunne, who aims to take the Streetfighter V4 to the summit of Pikes Peak faster than any motorcyclist has ever gone before. That means a time of 9:45.624 or faster.
There are 156 turns between Carlin and this goal though, along with thousands of feet in elevation change. As the Santa Barbara native once told me, you don’t race your fellow competitors at the Pikes Peak – you race the mountain.
The mountain is fickle. The weather can change rapidly. The conditions on the course vary from day to day.
The bikes themselves have to struggle with the vastly different amounts of oxygen between the starting line and finish line, which means you start with almost 50% more power than what you finish the race with.
The riders contend with this too, and at 14,000 feet of elevation, altitude sickness is a very real worry – especially when you are giving everything you’ve got for 10 minutes straight.
With almost 100 years of history, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb is the second-longest running race in American history, and it is the most iconic road race in North America.
In fact, the profile of the “Race to the Clouds” might even be higher outside of the USA, and this year there is no shortage of racers from abroad who wish to test their mettle on America’s mountain.
Maybe this is why Ducati chose to pick Pikes Peak (say that three times fast) to debut its prototype for the upcoming Ducati Streetfighter V4 street bike. 1,103cc of fury, the 2020 Ducati Streetfighter V4 is based off the Panigale V4 platform, and has been eagerly awaited ever since the original debuted in 2008.
Specs are light at this point in time, but we would expect to see 180hp+ from the machine, a full suite of electronics, and a price tag starting at $20,000. Oh…and it has winglets too.
Source: Ducati
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