Micky was the fastest motorcycle in our class at practice and qualified top position making him the very first competitor off the start line on race day. The course was dry but quite cold and the rain from the last couple of days made it pretty slick. Micky was very fast but about 4…
After a beautiful drive over Independence Pass, the team arrived at our home away from home – the Mecca Motel – on Sunday. Although a great deal of the prep work for the race bikes was done prior to our departure, there always are a few more things that need to be done before tech…
Pikes Peak or Bust! That’s what the pioneers said as they headed west to the Rocky Mountains. The Falkner/Livingston Akrapovic team is in California though, so we’re actually heading east towards Pikes Peak, but still it’s a great motto for the team as we pack up and head out for the Pikes Peak International Hill…
Hard to believe it’s already been over a month since race day at Pikes Peak 2012. Time has been flying since then. The team has gone back to the things we do when we’re not at Pikes Peak, but I think I can speak for us all in saying that we miss the mountain! Carlin…
Ducati has published a new video about the Spider Grips/Ducati Team at Pikes Peak this year! Check it out here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jjADMm47lE0&feature=youtu.be
Sorry for being delinquent in posting this. Race Day was an amazing, breathtaking, awe inspiring event. I really wish that you all could have been there. But it was long, long, long. We staged the race bikes in our pits on Saturday. On Sunday the teams were scheduled to pass thru the entrance gate between…
Today is day 5 of Pikes Peak Race Week. Officially it is a rest day, but the truth is that while the competitors and crews might get an hour or many two more of sleep; it is not really a ‘rest’ day. There are tires to scrub in, chains to lube and many small little…
Today we ran at the starting line – going up to just below Glen Cove. The race organization is working with a different timing system this year and from this location we got to experience the very best part of it – Instant results! With a strong Wifi signal right in the pits we were…
Team curfew is 9:00pm. It is now 8:50pm so I only have 10 minutes to tell you about today. I will make it short and sweet. With lots of good photos. Devils Playground is at 12,780 ft. At that height the view looks like one from a jetliner. Which I suppose makes a…
We were up well before the dawn this morning – 2:45am actually. It sounds worse than it is – the entire team was full of energy and enthusiasm this morning as we rolled out of the parking lot at 3:10. First stop – the Seven Eleven for those who need coffee to keep the energy…
Today was the first official day of Pikes Peak International Hill Climb’s Race Week. Tech Inspection opened at 8:00am. By 9:00 we were there with the team and had the bikes unloaded. The first step is for the riders to complete registration. The PPIHC is an invitation only event, so by its very nature some…
Yesterday we took State Route 82 out of Glenwood Springs. It goes right thru Aspen so we kept a sharp eye out for random celebrity sightings but at 6:00am there were none to be seen. No matter – this has to be one of the most beautiful drives anywhere. The road is quite narrow at…
The Team is on the way to Colorado for Race Week! The first road we took was the I 15 from Southern California to Nevada. In Las Vegas we made our usual stop at Dynojet. As always, we got a warm welcome there from Dusty, Chris and Chuck. While we were there we made some…
The team bikes are just about completed – it is surprising that even with the extra time we’ve had due to the race delay the bikes still have more to be done. Happily now we are onto the little things – trying to get the levers and controls just perfect for Carlin and Greg –…
As the Spider Grips/Ducati team has been preparing for the 90th running of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb we have had our eye on the daily news updates coming from Colorado. Today we have learned that the race has been postponed due to the savage wildfires in the area. When the race is rescheduled,…
Today was our last test day on the mountain until Race Week – July 4th thru 8th. So it was with a little twinge of mixed feelings this morning as we got up at 3:00am and headed up to the start line area. It sure will be nice to get a full night’s rest tomorrow,…
Glen Cove – 4:00am June 9th 2012. It’s 40 degrees Fahrenheit and the wind is blowing. Some gusts feel like they might push the van to the edge of the mountain. It’s not very scientific, but I think it’s a safe guess that some of the gusts are over 50mph in this rather protected location.…
Psst! Wanna hear a secret? We had a special test day on the mountain today! It was a private event. We were invited to join in on this test day by 4 car teams. They were generous enough to offer to share their private time with us and we jumped at the chance. We have…
Somehow, oddly, the second day of getting up at 3:00 is even easier than the first. Today the moon was full and just about to set behind the mountain when we headed thru the gate. It was gone by the time we reached our pit area, making it very dark out as we unloaded and…
It was the first super early morning of the Pikes Peak season today. We rolled out of the Mecca’s parking lot at exactly 3:30am. The schedule allowed time for a quick stop at the local Seven Eleven for some coffee and a chance to wake up the sleepy night clerk. The poor fellow is always…
We are so excited to be back in Colorado today – the team will be hitting the mountain tomorrow morning for our first chance to run the fully paved course! It has been a VERY long road to Pikes Peak this year. We have been planning and training since before the beginning of 2012. Over…
GT checks in after a fun filled weekend in New Zealand. He traveled there to particiapte in the Leadfoot Festival, hosted by Rod Millen. The bike he rode was not 555 from the Pikes Peak team, but a proud and fast white Multi provided by Haldane’s Ducati. Outfitted with the lucky triple nickle numbers, it…
Winner of the 450 Class, Davey Durell’s take on the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2011 The 2011 Pikes Peak Hill Climb was a long hot day. We had a lot of delays. Some cars lost motors and oiled the road. One went off at Ragged Edge, a corner above timberline about 12,000 feet and…
Today we were back on the mountain, positioned at an area called “Cove Creek”. It is a beautiful bowl just above 10,000ft altitude on the famous Pikes Peak International Hill Climb track. We parked the Sprinter vans on a pretty steep angle along the side of the road, and unload the bikes in the dark.…
Guest post by Spider Rider Jimmy Woods Hey Everyone! Last weekend was rounds four and five of the GNC Flat Track series in Salinas, CA. They hosted a really big, fast TT on Saturday and a short track on Sunday. Rider Jimmy Woods #37 at the GNC Flat Track Series We qualified third fastest which gave…
This guest post was written by Spider Rider Danielle Murdoch. She is currently in India, on a trip riding from her homeland in Australia to Africa. She is riding over land through South East Asia, India, the Middle East then on to Egypt where she will start her circumnavigation of Africa. Beeeepppppp, doadooooloooo, honk honk, beeeeeeeeep beeeeeeeeeep, Beeeepppppp, doadooooloooo,…
Below is James Rispoli’s Daytona AMA Pro Motorcycle-SuperStore.com SuperSport race report . An interesting read about the many actions and decisions that go into just one weekend of racing. To start I want to let you know I had such a great time during the winter months hanging out in Florida about 20 minutes from Daytona at my mechanic Ryan’s house. This was the first year I did…
Spider Riders Paul Smith and Cody Cavanough spent this past weekend at the Georgia Air Show. Now I love an airshow as much as the next person, but they didn’t just go to check it out. Nope, Paul and Cody jumped over pilot Skip Stewart and his stunt plane in front of over 40,000 excited…
Tuesday, 08 March 2011 Ducati unveils the Multistrada 1200 S Pikes Peak Special Edition in celebration of Greg Tracy’s famous victory in the 2010 Pikes Peak International Hill Climb race in Colorado. The Pikes Peak Special Edition is specially dressed in stunning replica Ducati Corse-style paint scheme with passenger foot-peg hangers and engine guard…
Come Meet the Spider Grips Ducati Team at the Laguna Seca Moto GP Race If you are going to attend the Laguna Seca Moto GP Race, please come by to meet the Pikes Peak team. We will be in Ducati Island during the weekend along with the fast and beautiful Multistrada Race motorcycles. Both Greg…
Well, most of the team has left Colorado now and starting making our way back home. I think I can speak for us all when I say that Greg and Alexander did an amazing job on Sunday. The course conditions were challenging – the rain was threatening, and just before the start we heard that…
Here we go…..Ducati Multistrada’s at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb.
Up extra early today – we were at the gate to the mountain before 3:00am, but that wasn’t early enough – there was quite a line to get in. Only competitors could enter before 4:00am, but even so, the line extended to the highway. At first light, the vans are unloaded and the tents set…