Photo: Ducati
Being an official motorcycle sponsor of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC), Ducati North America has announced the expansion of the Race Smart Program for this year to include the first-ever special EMT motorcycles to serve as the first line of support on the mountain course.
As so, two specially-modified Multistrada 950 EMT motorcycle will be used by long-time race physician and safety team lead Dr. Hary Kelin and 20-year EMT veteran flight medic with the National Guard Duxton Milam.
“In the program’s first year, we saw all of the racers who were mentored through the Race Smart program improve their results and race with confidence up Pikes Peak to the finish,” said Jason Chinnock, CEO of Ducati North America. “For 2017, we saw an opportunity to further enhance the safety of all participants by incorporating moto EMTs for rapid response in the case of a course incident. This is extremely important when the emergency support teams are covering a course of more than 12 miles up a mountain peak.”
The Italian motorcycle maker partnered with the PPIHC in 2016 to create the Race Smart Program, relying on the experience of former champions to ensure all registered motorcycle entrants have the highest level of preparation and knowledge before a race.
The heart of the program is a team of seasoned rider coaches, titled the Pikes Peak Squadra Alpina (PPSA), which has also been expanded to include four-wheeled team coaches. Fred Veitch, veteran PPIHC racer and member of the Board of Directors for the Hill Climb, as well as Jeff MacPherson, who has over 50 years of experience in PPIHC and CART Indycar series, USAC Indianapolis 500, European Formula 3000, and Formula Atlantic, will be among the new members.
The PPIHC is one of the most extreme road races in the world, having 156 turns for 12.42 miles, up a treacherous mountain peak of 14,115 feet in elevation. Ducati has secured six victories since the company’s debut in 2008. It also holds the all-time course record in its class as a Ducati Multistrada 1200 S finished in 9:52.819 in 2012.
“In the program’s first year, we saw all of the racers who were mentored through the Race Smart program improve their results and race with confidence up Pikes Peak to the finish,” said Jason Chinnock, CEO of Ducati North America. “For 2017, we saw an opportunity to further enhance the safety of all participants by incorporating moto EMTs for rapid response in the case of a course incident. This is extremely important when the emergency support teams are covering a course of more than 12 miles up a mountain peak.”
The Italian motorcycle maker partnered with the PPIHC in 2016 to create the Race Smart Program, relying on the experience of former champions to ensure all registered motorcycle entrants have the highest level of preparation and knowledge before a race.
The heart of the program is a team of seasoned rider coaches, titled the Pikes Peak Squadra Alpina (PPSA), which has also been expanded to include four-wheeled team coaches. Fred Veitch, veteran PPIHC racer and member of the Board of Directors for the Hill Climb, as well as Jeff MacPherson, who has over 50 years of experience in PPIHC and CART Indycar series, USAC Indianapolis 500, European Formula 3000, and Formula Atlantic, will be among the new members.
The PPIHC is one of the most extreme road races in the world, having 156 turns for 12.42 miles, up a treacherous mountain peak of 14,115 feet in elevation. Ducati has secured six victories since the company’s debut in 2008. It also holds the all-time course record in its class as a Ducati Multistrada 1200 S finished in 9:52.819 in 2012.
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