Onboard with Greg Tracy at Pikes Peak

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He might have placed second at Pikes Peak this year, finishing the 12.42-mile hill climb six seconds behind Carlin Dunne, but holy shit is Greg Tracy’s 9:58 race impressive. Peaking at over 144mph through a course that includes 156 turns and climbs to the 14,110-foot peak, this is the first year the full mountain has been paved. As you can see in the attached pics, Tracy uses a mix of road race-style hanging off and supermoto foot-out depending on the speed of the turn. The video? I just watched it and it scared me. The 155bhp Ducati Multistrada 1200 is really this fast too.

  • brian

    Is there supposed to be a video? Not showing up.

    • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Wes Siler

      D’oh. Should be there now.

  • Maxwell

    Having just ridden my personal MTS1200 up the same mountain, I can attest that the MTS1200 is actually quite a bit faster than that. The power loss I felt at that altitude is incredible.

    - Rob

    • Archer

      No joke. I was amazed at how short of breath I felt first time I visited the summit. Lived at sea level at the time so it was really accentuated.

    • Tommy

      Oh man, I was up at 9000 ft. this weekend and couldnt believe how much power my bike lost up there. I could barely get the front wheel to come off the ground on my versys.

  • Braden (Griso 8V, SV650)

    I’m doubly impressed since he recently fractured a vertebrae while filming that Ducati/Audi commercial. He might have been sub 9:50 had he been at 100%.

  • Tommy

    OH man. That is so amazing. Although my next bike is gonna be a ktm adventure, that multistrada is so fucking badass it almost makes me want to wait and save up for one.

  • RT Moto

    That Multi is crazy fast and the sound it makes is badass!! I love me some Ducati L twin fo sho. The ride up that hill and at that speed had me leaning and clenching ass cheeks while watching. Hats off to all those that partake in the event.

  • BMW11GS

    Would I be accurate to state that the Multistrada would be faster than a 1198 in these circumstances, and that and average pilot will be faster on a Multistrada than aforementioned 1198?

    That said, would the Multistrada be an all around better bike for the street? If the answer is yes, why buy a sportbike? Debate

    • TilJ

      I’ve only ridden the 1198 a few times (I used to help out at dealer demo days so I’ve ridden all the Ducs), but I think the MTS would be, yes. Not necessary faster, but my comfort zone of “I’d like to have a chance to keep my license” matches what the Multi likes to ride at. Fast, but in a deceptive and relaxed manner. I’ll caveat that by saying that I don’t live in a big city — that beast is so tall that our Monster rides circles around it in the city. Ever hit your helmet on a low pipe in a parkade? Do it once and you’ll forever worry about it happening again :-(

      • BMW11GS

        haha! I have never thought about hitting an overhead object besides a tree branch. But I totally can see what you are saying about having that phobia. I’ve just never warmed to sportbikes and i’m supposed to be the target audience at 23. I just found I am smoother, more comfortable, and clearly cooler on my ’96 R1100GS. The multistrada seems to be the ticket though since I rarely go offroad with the big GS anymore. I am looking forward to the 848 engined version though. Something a bit more economical to run.

    • http://www.postpixel.com.au mugget

      Not sure whether it’s accurate to say that the MS is faster than an 1198…

      But Greg did make an interesting comment on that YouTube video page. Someone asked if he thinks that sportbikes will start winning PPIHC, Greg said he doesn’t think so because sportbikes require much more commitent and trust in the front end to go fast. Also when the front/rear slides you can’t catch it as fast and don’t have as much control in those conditions compared to a bike like the Multi. At least those are Greg’s thoughts, makes sense to me and I have to agree.

      As far as what is a “better” bike for the street… it all depends on what you want to achieve or experience. Obviously you’re not racing on the street so it’s chalk & cheese from that perspective. Having said that, I did use a K6 GSX-R1000 as my “everything” bike for a few years (commuting, track days, touring etc.) But now I think that motards (or “sit up” type bikes) are more fun on the street. I still have the Gixxer for track days, there’s nothing that can beat tipping into a corner at 220+km/h, but for the street I prefer my motard for the practically carefree ridiculous corner speeds and lean angles.

      • http://hellforleathermagazine.com Wes Siler

        Sportsbikes don’t fit the PPIHC rules. There’s all sorts of gobbledegook about handlebars and riding positions and whatnot. We’ll continue to see bikes like the Multistrada form the majority of the competition.

  • bahnzii

    I love my Multi and watching Greg Tracy kick ass up Pikes Peak is breathtakingly fun!! Multi’s are deceptively fast, especially when you slap some luggage on them and then go “bahnzii” in the corners. Many sportbikes look back and say WTF…I’m being chased by American Tourister luggage and he’s gonna pass me…nooooooo!!

  • Michael Gore

    That was pretty intense. I sent Carlin Dunne an e-mail congratulating him, but I still need to drop by the shop and check out the bike. The tires from last year were pretty shagged, and since it’s all asphalt this year, I’m thinking they’ll be completely done.

  • http://www.postpixel.com.au mugget

    Definitely impressive! That road looks pretty rough as well… a moment at 9:16 scared me for a second (bet it scared him as well)!