Pikes Peak Motorcycle Results 2015
The second-oldest race in American besides the Indianapolis 500, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPHIC) is one of racing yore.
The course – on the public road Pikes Peak Highway – consists of 156 corners in 12.42 miles. Besides the multiple hairpin corners and long stretch of blind turns, the elevation changes present further challenge. PPIHC begins at 9,390 feet above sea level and ascends to 14,115 feet at the finish line of the Summit. Near the Summit, engines lose nearly 30-percent of their power due to the high altitudes.
Pikes Peak’s difficulties reside in three layers – the physical layout of the course; the mental capacity needed to battle fear; and a healthy body that can optimally function in high altitudes. And one man mastered these three layers during this year’s 93rd annual Pikes Peak International Hill Climb – Honda’s Jeffrey Tigert.
Tigert – the media coordinator for American Honda – already claimed the Lightweight Class record in 2013 on a Honda CRF450R. But for 2015 – the fourth year of competition on a fully-paved course – Tigert entered the Heavyweight Class aboard a Honda CBR1000RR.
The Torrance, Calif., native was untouchable from the beginning; he piloted the CBR to the top times in three of four practice/qualifying days, and followed this up with the pole position. He earned pole following a qualifying crash, also.
The CBR1000RR rider continued this momentum into race day where he took the fastest time of all 53 motorcycles – not including the two sidecar entries – and seventh overall fastest out of 133 entries (cars, motorcycles, sidecars, quads).
Tigert’s 2015 PPIHC lap was a 10:02.735. To put this time into perspective, the record for a motorcycle at Pikes Peak is a 9:52.819, which was set by Carlin Dunne in 2012 aboard a Ducati Multistrada 1200 in the former 1205 Division Class.
Tigert finished over 15 seconds ahead of Colorado’s Travis Newbold on the Ronin Oishi Yoshio, which also competed in the Heavyweight Class. The Ronin – one of 47 motorcycles built by firearms manufacturer Magpul – is based on a Buell 1190RX. Newbold’s lap time was a 10:18.514, and he finished 10th overall. Taking the final podium position in the motorcycle division was France’s Bruno Langlois aboard a Kawasaki ZX-10R (Heavyweight Class); he finished 11th overall.
“The week was a stressful rollercoaster of highs and lows and lack of sleep. Things went really smoothly early on, but my luck changed in my second qualifying run when I crashed and went off the course,” Tigert says.
“On race day I had a lot on my mind and the course was pretty sketchy, but I tried to keep calm and ride within my limits. It’s such a unique race, and the competitors are so emotionally connected to one another. It was a big weight off my shoulders when it was all over and I was presented with the checkered flag that goes to the winners.”
The top-five motorcycle finishers were all on Heavyweight machines; finishing fourth was MotoGeo founder Jamie Robinson aboard a Ducati Multistrada 1200 S. Fifth went to Ray Thornton aboard a BMW S1000RR.
Topping the Middleweight Class was JD Mosley aboard a Triumph Daytona 675R; Mosely posted a 10:48.839, finishing 22nd overall. The Lightweight Class winner was Codie Vahsholtz aboard a KTM SMR; he posted a 10:50.421, and finished 24th overall.
Yoshihiro Kishmoto finished first in the Electric Modified Class aboard a MIRAI TT Zero 13; he posted a 10:58.861, taking 29th overall. The winner of the Electric Production Class was Jeff Clark. The Zero SR pilot posted a 12:06.346 lap time, and finished 56th overall.
The Vintage Motorcycle Class went to Keith Speir on a 1969 Triumph (12:42.333 – 63rd overall), and the Pikes Peak 250 Class was won by Nick Robinson aboard a Honda CRF450R (12:37.000, 61st).
David Johansen won the UTV/Exhibition class aboard a KTM with a time of 11:16.555 (36th overall). As for America’s Victory Project 156 prototype, which was built by Roland Sands, it suffered two crashed with Cycle World Road Test Editor Don Canet at the controls. He didn’t finish, but took 128th overall. Last year, Canet finished third in the Open Class (10:10.101, Ducati Multistrada) behind winner Jeremy Toye (9:58.687, Kawasaki Ninja ZX-10R).
Unfortunately, one rider died due to injuries sustained in a qualifying crash. Carl Sorensen, 39, of Centennial, Colo., crashed his #217 Ducati 848 that he had entered in the Middleweight Class. He became the fifth death in the history of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and the third motorcycle fatality since 1982.
Following are the podium finishers in each Motorcycle Class of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb 2015.
Heavyweight Class, Pikes Peak Motorcycle Results 2015:
1. Jeffrey Tigert, Honda CBR1000RR: 10:02.735
2. Travis Newbold, Ronin Buell 1190RX: 10:18.514
3. Bruno Langlois, Kawasaki ZX-1R: 10:19.738
Middleweight Class, Pikes Peak Motorcycle Results 2015:
1. JD Mosley, Triumph 675R: 10:48.839
2. Joseph Toner, Kawasaki ZX-6R: 10:50.209
3. Kristipher Lillegard, MV Agusta: 10:52.055
Lightweight Class, Pikes Peak Motorcycle Results 2015:
1. Codie Vahsholtz, KTM SMR: 10:50.421
2. Joseph Connor Toner, Aprilia: 11:03.058
3. Darryl Lujan, Honda: 11:38.282
Electric Modified Bike (only two competitors), Pikes Peak Motorcycle Results 2015:
1. Yoshihiro Kishimoto, MIRAI Zero, 10:58.861
2. Joe Prussiano, Buckeye Current: 11:12.756
Electric Production Bike, Pikes Peak Motorcycle Results 2015:
1. Jeff Clark, Zero: 12:06.346
2. Nathan Barker, Zero: 12:37.161
3. Brandon Nozaki Miller, Zero: 13.10.894
UTV/Exhibition Class, Pikes Peak Motorcycle Results 2015:
1. David Johansen, KTM: 11:16.555
2. Yasuo Arai, Kawasaki: 11:18.667
3. Keith Steidl, Honda: DNF
Vintage Motorcycle Class, Pikes Peak Motorcycle Results 2015:
1. Keith Speir, Triumph: 12:42.333
2. Mark Shim, Triumph: 13:31.387
3. David Rutherford, BSA Trackmaster: 13:39.416
Pikes Peak 250 (only two competitors), Pikes Peak Motorcycle Results 2015:
1. Nick Robinson, Honda: 12:37.000
2. Elisabeth Deeter, Kawasaki: 12:57.047