Pikes Peak Hill Climb racer Carlin Dunne’s crash: What we know

Jul. 2--More than 24 hours after Carlin Dunne's fatal crash near the finish line of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, few new details have been revealed.

Here is the information gathered by The Gazette:

-- Carlin Dunne was the favorite to break the Pikes Peak motorcycle record on his 2019 Ducati Streetfighter V4 Prototype. He had the fastest qualifying time by more than five seconds and was anticipated to break the Exhibition Powersport and motorcycle course records.

-- The crash occurred at 10:29 a.m. Sunday as Dunne was making his final push to the finish line. He apparently hit a bump in the road and lost control. He flew from the front of the bike, across the road and 20 to 30 feet down an embankment, witnesses said.

-- A LifeLine helicopter circled the summit for two to three minutes, and an ambulance was sent to the site. Crews spent about 15 minutes helping Dunne.

-- The racer was taken by stretcher to an ambulance about 11 a.m., then transported to Penrose Hospital via helicopter, according to the El Paso County Search and Rescue Facebook page.

-- Dunne was pronounced dead at 11:42 a.m. The county Coroner's Office will determine the cause and manner of his death after all autopsy results are received, spokeswoman Sandy Way said.

-- The Pikes Peak Hill Climb did not release any information on Dunne's condition until 3:37 p.m., when a news release announced his death. The 200-word joint statement by the Hill Climb and Ducati offered sympathy and condolences to the racing community.

-- Although the highway up Pikes Peak typically falls within Colorado Springs jurisdiction, local police won't investigate the crash, said Lt. Jim Sokolik. "It's a closed-course sporting event, so it's much like if you have the Daytona 500, you had a traffic crash and it was fatal, a police organization doesn't come out and do traffic cones and measurements and stuff," Sokolik said. "The coroner does make a final determination of manner and cause of death, but because it's basically a sporting event, the regular rules and the law don't apply." He said he was unsure what organization, if any, will investigate.

-- The county Sheriff's Office isn't investigating either, spokeswoman Natalie Sosa confirmed. "I think if there were any investigation being done, maybe it would be by the Pikes Peak Hill Climb internally, because it's kind of like, for lack of a better explanation, a workplace accident or workplace injury."

-- Hill Climb Executive Director Megan Leatham responded to an email Monday, saying a statement will be released within the next 48 hours.

-- The event's rule book says the Pikes Peak Auto Hill Climb Educational Museum Inc. "shall be solely responsible for insurance, safety precautions and vehicles, participant safety, course conditions, crowd control, ambulances, fire protection, and medical support."

The Gazette's Ellie Mulder contributed to this report.

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