Motorcycles banned from 2020 Pikes Peak

Australia’s Rennie Scaysbrook won’t be defending his 2019 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPHC) title after race organisers confirmed motorcycles won’t compete in 2020.

The decision follows the death of Carlin Dunne aboard a prototype Ducati Streetfighter V4 at the 2019 event.

The 36-year-old Dunne was a four-time winner of the event and was on track to eclipse Scaysbrook’s time when he crashed exiting the final turn of the course.

Scaysbrook set a time of nine minutes 44.963 seconds on an Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 Factory, undercutting the previous mark by more than five seconds.

The release from the PPIHC board of directors said: "in order to determine the long-term viability of the motorcycle program there will be no motorcycle program offered in 2020 so that race organisers can gather data and analytics to review more thoroughly the impact on the overall event in the absence of this program."

PPIHC board chairman Tom Osborne said: “Motorcycles have been a part of the PPIHC for the past 29 years, and their history on America’s mountain dates back to the inaugural running in 1916.

“That said, the motorcycle program hasn’t been an annual event. They have run 41 of the 97 years we’ve been racing on Pikes Peak.

“It’s just time to take a hard look at every aspect of the race, including the motorcycle program, and determine whether or not the event may change.”

The PPIHC banned bikes with clip-on handlebars from the 2016 race onwards on the basis the sports bike riding position wasn’t compatible with the hill climb.

The organisers said at the time that clip-ons “encourage a crouched, horizontal riding position and low vantage point in comparison (with standard bars)”.