Despite the death of her "baby boy", Carlin Dunne’s mother wants motorcycle racing to continue at Pikes Peak

Romie Gallardo, mother of Carlin Dunne, believes that the fatal fall of her "baby boy" near the top of Pikes Peak should not lead the organizers to ban motorcycles from this famous American hill climb. Explanations.

Carlin Dunne’s mother speaks two weeks after the tragic disappearance of her son, a little before the arrival of the 97th edition of the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb (PPIHC) … Romie Gallardo first thanks the organizers who knew how to "show him support, dignity and respect".

• MNC of July 1, 2019 : Carlin Dunne’s fatal fall on the Ducati Streetfighter V4 at Pikes Peak 
• MNC of July 5, 2019 : Carlin Dunne’s video before his final ascent of Pikes Peak 

Despite the immense sadness of having lost her "baby boy" ("yes, at 36 he was still my baby boy", she explains with a poignant touch of humor), the mother of the official Ducati rider does not harbor any resentment towards the famous American hill climb and on the contrary wants motorcycles to continue to ply its 156 turns, as his son would have liked.

"Carlin adored this mountain. She challenged and seduced him, calling him again and again. He respected her and he was fully aware of her danger", writes in his letter Romie Gallardo with an impressive dignity to the gaze of the tragedy. 

His clarification on the knowledge of the risks comes in reaction to the words of Megan Leatham, general manager of the PPIHC, who is considering stopping motorcycle racing at Pikes Peak following the death of Carlin Dunne, third rider who died on the "cloud race. "since 2014 … Only cars could therefore participate, as had already happened.

The end of the motorcycle competition at Pikes Peak ?

“He had a high side… These are things that happen when you are at Pikes Peak without the slightest margin,” comments the competition director. "That’s why I think it’s the end of the bike program at Pikes Peak. The last bike rider on the 156 turns," she said..

"I know for a fact that he wouldn’t want motorcycle racing to stop there," Carlin Dunne’s mother replies. "He would like us to learn from this tragedy. He would encourage the official authorities to do what they are trained to do, to implement the additional safety precautions required.".

Free will…

"All my life I have known that losing it was a possibility", sadly underlines the mother of the three-time winner of the event. "He left doing what he loved. So who are we to take away other riders’ dreams of competing in Pikes Peak?"

This thorny question, terribly human, refers to an increasingly contested notion concerning risky activities such as motorcycles: free will … The acceptance of this choice on how to live your passion – with the possible sacrifice that this implies – has for some become intolerable, in the name of a form of "security dictatorship".

As such, the position of Carlin Dunne’s mother could give pause to all those who consider it necessary to decide for others the directions that it is desirable – or not – to give to their own life…. 

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