Victory Racing experienced some highs and lows with racing this weekend after Project 156, ridden by Cycle World Editor Don Canet, crashed in the second section of the mountain course and stopped running less than 2 miles from the summit of the Pikes Peak’s finish line following an aggressive starting pace that proved the potential of the prototype engine.
Canet had qualified first in the Exhibition Class a few days before the race and was buoyed by qualifying fourth overall. Early on in the race, Don was posting speeds on Project 156 that were putting him in the running for an overall podium finish until he touched the slippery white paint in section two’s Brown Bush corner, one of the tightest corners out of the 156 turns, resulting in a minor lowside that would cause issues later in the run.
Don was rolling again in 23 seconds and resumed his fast pace. In the third section he was back on race pace posting the fifth fastest split time overall. Alas, it was not meant to be and he had to retire in the fourth and final section of the course around 13,000ft elevation. After such a promising start following practice and qualifying, the Victory Racing team began to set its sights on not just winning their class, but taking the overall lowest time in the motorcycle category.
