Victory wants to race at the Pike's Peak International Hillclimb, and to tackle that legendary circuit they've teamed up with Roland Sands Designs to create a bespoke, one-off race machine.
Dubbed Project 156 (for the 156 turns at Pike's Peak-- aka, the Race to the Clouds), the bike will be piloted by Cycle World hotshoe and Lead Test Rider Don Canet. Unlike typically low-slung Victory fare, this bike is a more upright naked with solid clearance that sho
The manufacturer coyly says the liquid-cooled
v-twin prototype engine "represents the future performance of the
Victory brand." Though official specs haven't been released, the mill's
titanium valves and twin 67mm throttles with downdraft runners suggests
it will be able to breath deeply and push hard through those high
mountain altitudes.
Will Victory emerge victorious at at Pike's
Peak? We'll have to wait until June 28, 2015 to find out. In the
meantime, let's hope Victory is working on a production bike that looks
half as cool as this one-off racer.UPDATE: To paraphrase a Victory press release, the brand had more than their share of highs and lows at the legendary Pike's Peak International Hillclimb event. After qualifying first in the Exhibition Class and fourth overall, Cycle World scribe/rider Don Canet suffered an unfortunate incident which involved chilly ambient temperatures (and subsequently meager tire grip), resulting in a lowside crash after his bike kissing the slick paint lines at Brown Bush corner.
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It took him 23 seconds for Canet to hit the
course again, and had he sustained his pre-crash pace, Canet would have
been on target for a podium finish. He reflects on his efforts, saying,
"I was off to a strong start and competitive with the fastest bikes on
the mountain. My disappointment is more for the team and how much work
they put into Project 156 from the very beginning. The bike was working
really well today despite being a prototype and being rebuilt after the
practice crash a few weeks ago," he added.
At the end of the day,
Victory's Pike's Peak adventure will likely prove to be a mutually
beneficial exercise in product exploration, brand development, and
marketing between manufacturer and publishing entity; not only was the
opportunity a chance for the brand to collaborate with customizer Roland
Sands (who has also huddled with manufacturers like BMW Motorrad),
it was a chance for Cycle World to tell the story of what it takes to
build, develop, and compete with a race machine built from scratch
(inside scoop: they opted for Victory's fledgling race team story over
an opportunity to cover a more tried and true Aprilia bike). uld allow for steep lean angles.
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