Victory Unveils Project 156 Pikes Peak Racer
Victory, in partnership with Roland Sands Design, had been teasing it for a few weeks now, but today the duo finally unveiled the Prototype Project 156, the completely hand-built motorcycle built to tackle the 156 turns (hence the name) of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, taking place June 28.
Project 156 features a prototype liquid-cooled Victory engine developed at Victory’s Minnesota research and development facility. It features twin 67mm throttle bodies with downdraft intake funnels, which, if you look closely at the photos, extend into the area normally reserved for the gas tank. The engine also features titanium intake and exhaust valves to better allow the high engine speeds racebikes are normally subjected to.
With the intake funnels occupying the traditional fuel tank area, Roland Sands Design, who developed and built the chassis in-house, cleverly decided to locate the fuel tank underneath the engine. A closer look at the right-side photos reveals a small filler neck and adjacent fuel pump sitting just underneath the swingarm pivot point.
Suspension components are top-shelf Ohlins units, with Brembo providing its M50 calipers to help bring the Project 156 to a stop. Dunlop are providing tires.
“We have an intense focus at Victory Motorcycles to prove the performance of our vehicles,” said Rod Krois, Victory General Manager. “Competing as an American OEM at America’s race is an exciting opportunity. The grueling conditions at Pike’s Peak provide the perfect proving ground for our new Project 156 race engine.”
“This truly has been an All-American effort,” said Roland Sands. “The Race to the Clouds is a legendary event and we couldn’t be more proud to partner with Victory on the endeavor. We’ve built lots of custom motorcycles, but building a purpose-built race bike for this project has been a unique experience that we’ll remember for a long time.”
To support the Pike’s Peak International Hill Climb, Victory Motorcycles has moved the 2015 American Victory Rally to Colorado Springs, Colorado from June 25–28. The weekend will feature not only Project 156, but loads of riding through stunning scenery, and a showcase of Victory Racing initiatives including the NHRA Drag Racing team. Victory owners can visit http://vic.mn/AVR for more details.
To learn more about Project 156 and Victory Motorcycles, visit www.VictoryMotorcycles.com/en-us/project-156 or follow on Twitter @VictoryBikes and on Facebook at facebook.com/VictoryMotorcycles.
Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.
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