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Aprilia take outright win at Pikes Peak |
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Aprilia take outright win at Pikes Peak |
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-- Aprilia take outright win at Pikes Peak This
year it was an Italian bike that won America’s most famous,
toughest and most spectacular hill climb, the Pikes Peak, in the
Colorado mountains. The Aprilia SXV 550 recorded the best time
of any motorcycle, and left even the winner of the 1200cc class
trailing in the distance (a full 23 seconds behind).The Aprilia SXV 550, the twin cylinder supermotard that revolutionized the world of off-road motorcycling, and American rider Davey Durelle left all everyone eating their dust to win the class for motorcycles up to 750cc. Durelle rode the 550cc V-twin Aprilia to victory in front of machines with far bigger engines. The victory of Durelle and Aprilia was made even more extraordinary by an official time of 11 minutes, 42.9 seconds, the fastest recorded by any motorcycle in any class. An amazing 23 seconds gap separated Durelle and the second placed bike, the winner of the class for machines up to 1200cc. This historic win for Aprilia was backed up by an impressive fifth place for Italian rider Andrea Padovani on a strictly standard Aprilia Dorsoduro. The latest addition to the Aprilia range had no qualms at all about taking on all comers, including specialist hill climb machines, over a course that can only be described as massacring for a bike designed for everyday roads and normal life. The result was unexpected and spectacular: the Dorsoduro supermotard, with its advanced chassis and futuristic electronic engine management system, roared ahead of many bikes designed and specially prepared for high speed off-road riding. Cristian Lancellotti, riding another Aprilia SXV 550, collected an excellent eighth place to underline Aprilia’s superiority over a course that has no equals elsewhere in the world. The Pikes Peak hill climb is a unique test for men and machines. The course rises from 2,835 to over 4,300 metres above sea level, in 20 kilometers of incredible slopes. Though mainly over asphalt, the last section (the legendary Devil’s Playground) takes riders off-road up one of the highest mountains in the United States. 156 breath-taking bends take riders up through the clouds on tracks overlooking sheer precipices. Famed as "The Race to the Clouds", this unique Colorado event and great festival of motorcycling is held annually every July. Already a classic epic, the Pikes Peak was in its 86th edition this year. The race attracts all sorts of vehicles from rally cars, off-roaders and 4x4s of up to nearly 1000 HP, to 3000 HP trucks! Motorcycles are there too, of course, including quads and sidecar outfits with super-tuned engines. Aprilia’s SXV 550 supermotard is a triumph of advanced technology and features a superbly rigid frame made from a tubular steel trellis with aluminum side plates, and an innovative, powerful, compact and lightweight 77° V twin engine. The Aprilia SXV has dominated the Supermotard World Championship, winning 4 world titles so far, thanks to unrivalled chassis design, a variable section aluminum swingarm and top quality components. The Aprilia 750 Dorsoduro motard is a amalgam of Aprilia’s GP and supermotard experience. Powered by a 750cc engine developing 95 HP, and controlled by second generation ride-by-wire technology, the Dorsoduro combines power and agility, sports character and essential lines, and takes the best from racing supersport and supermotard design. This combination of performance and technology is capable of delivering unrivalled fun and riding satisfaction. |