The winner of the Grand Prix of Denver not only will earn bragging rights in the Mile High City, he will snag a custom motorcycle worth $70,000.
The cycle, on display near the ski/snowboard jump area at the Grand Prix, garnered longing glances from drivers when it was unveiled Thursday at a news conference.
“I really want to win that,” Sebastien Bourdais said recently when he got a glimpse of the added prize while it was being built. “I’ve been riding since I was little.”
The bike was built in 47 days – from concept to street – by Bob Sutton’s Colorado Motorcycle Company. Sutton also owns Centrix Financial, the sponsor of the Grand Prix.
“It’s a long, low speed demon,” designer and builder Mark Luis said. “It has an exposed engine. It’s short, fat and low to the ground. I’m pleased with it, and I hope the drivers are. It’s a pretty extravagant gift.”
Crimson red, black, and silver make up the color scheme with the CMC logo etched as the brake light.
“It’s a pro-street look,” Luis said. “We made everything, the tank, the fender. To make something from a raw piece of sheet metal is its own art. I try to put a piece of myself into all my bikes.
“It’s neat to be recognized for the bikes you build. I’m amazed at painters, sculptors, craftsmen – people who create with their hands – because it’s what I do, but I do it with bike parts.”
The building of the bike was filmed in high definition for airing on Speed Channel and Spike.
– Eliza Marie Somers
