Yeah, 3 Ltrs, 900+ hp, that was F1 territory a few years ago. Even with limited HP, say just 50 in a modified dirt track bike, that was the most fun race I've ever done in my life. The fastest fire road in the world, no restrictions, just go as fast as you can. Back in the day ( man that makes me sound OLD ) we used to run the motorcycle classes first, then the cars. The cars always ran 1 at a time spaced by 1 minute intervals. The bikes ran 40 to a class based on engine size, and starting positions were determined by individual qualifying runs in the previous days. It was truly a race, with most of the fast qualifers running close enough together so there were passing and braking duels happing all the time, lots of opportunities with 150 + turns in just 14+ miles. I think now they only run 4 or 5 bikes at a time for safety reasons.
The motorcycles always seemed to be just a support show, mainly for all the bike racers to have some fun. Most people don't know that the first organized race up Pikes Peak was a motorcycle race, begining in the late teens. It began as a bar bet in Manitou Springs on New Years eve, who can ride their bike top of Pikes Peak the fastest on New Years Day. The race became know as the Snow Run, and was held annually only being stopped during the war. Some years the winner was determined by who made it the farthest, due to snow and whiteouts blocking the road near the top. It paid to be riding a light bike so you could drag it across the snow banks.
It has actually snowed during the July 4th race too, not enough to block the road, but certainly enough to wet down the surface. It can also rain seemingly out of nowhere, as clouds build up on the western flank of the mountain then rise high enough to cool and drop moisture.
All adding to the fun and unpredictability of " The Race to the Clouds."
BTW, I always rode SUZUKI'S.
