Risk

RISK

UP FRONT

EDITOR'S LETTER

NOT BELIEVING IN THE POTENTIAL FOR SUECESS IS THE GREATEST FAILURE

Massive props to the folks at Victory and Polaris who green-lighted Project 156. It was huge in scope, ridiculous in time line, and fraught with consequence.

Yet when Victory marketing folks Kyle Clack and Kevin Reilly walked into my office last December and asked if we’d like to go racing with a prototype V-twin engine, the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb was the natural choice. “And I’ve got the right guy in the next office...” referring, of course, to Don Canet, who’d finished third overall last year in his rookie attempt on a Ducati Multistrada. And away we went.

I can’t think of any other manufacturer who would undertake a project like this. But after Indian’s time in the sun since the big relaunch, Victory is now shifting gears to “prove American performance.” Which is why you see a Gunner in NHRA Pro Stock dragracing and also why Victory attacked Isle of Man with the ex-Brammo electric TT bike. And got third in the hands of Irish real-roads racer Lee Johnston.

But neither of those is quite like Project 156, which features a scratchbuilt Roland Sands Design frame and a prototype engine, and was not an existing bike that had been raced for years.

But, while any racing is a big risk for a manufacturer, the real risk and true consequence falls on the rider, who is alone on that mountain.

From the first time Don lapped me at Circuit de Catalunya in Spain in 1997 I’ve had mad respect for his riding ability. But watching him prep for and race Pikes has built it to a new dimension. Others agree.

I asked Pikes Peak veterans Paul and Becca Livingston, who kept the team effort together and made pit space and overall operations happen so smoothly, what they had observed working with Canet for two straight years. My favorite anecdote: “We’d look over and see Don kind of close his eyes,” Paul said. “And his hands and feet would start moving with all the motions of riding. He kept doing this, so we timed it. It turned out to be 10 minutes, about the same time as a run up the mountain.”

That’s the kind of focus and precision Don’s always shown during the last 20 years I’ve been riding, essentially, a foot away from the guy.

I rode up Pikes Saturday before the race and was shocked at how sketchy the surface is and how light-headed the dropoffs make you feel at just 40 mph and on the correct side of the white paint line.

Which was why on race day when I heard over the radio, “Canet is down! Rider down!” it was so chilling.

It was a huge relief to hear that Don was quickly back in the saddle and ripping off a good section time despite his 22-mph tip-over. It made it even more crushing to hear the bike later quit just 2 miles from the finish.

The ups and downs were wonderful and bitter in succession. Up for the amazing start and a Section 1 time that was second fastest overall for a motorcycle. Down for the crash and worry that Don might be hurt, or worse. Up for him remounting and setting a Section 3 time after he just picked up his bike that was fifth-fastest on the day. Then down again when we heard the bike quit and he was stranded at roadside. There was no more hope. But there were some final ups: Don was not hurt, and the prototype racebike, Project 156, unlike anything Victory ever built, had made an amazing performance in the hands of an exceptionally talented, precise, and clear-thinking racer.

Did Not Finish beats Did Not Start anytime. My hat is off to Victory for throwing in so big but especially to Don for the total precision and professionalism he exhibited from concept to testing to showing up ready to race.

We are not done on that mountain.

MARK HOYER

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

THIS MONTH'S STATS

zero NUMBER OF SPARE BIKES FOR PROJECT 156

1 OVERALL MOTORCYCLE WINNERS AT PIKES: JEFF TIGERT ON A HONDA CBR1000RR

400,000 NUMBER OF PEOPLE NOT IN STURGIS FOR PETER JONES’ “RALLY OF ONE”