The Pikes Peak race is just two weeks away now, and the competition is getting red hot. We?ve already profiled the Zero SR/F, and Ducati has just announced that it?ll be running its Streetfighter V4 prototype.
There?s a chance that both those machines will be eclipsed by this fire-breathing monster from Deus Ex Machina, though.

It?s the latest incarnation of ?Beastie,? the ongoing race bike project from Michael ?Woolie? Woolaway, and this time it has a 200hp Ducati 1198 R engine.
The first version of the bike debuted at Pikes Peak last year and took second in its class. But the motor later blew up after it sucked in the air filter on a dyno run. It was back to square one.

?Last year, I learned so much,? Woolie admits. ?This is a tough event, like no other in the world. I would say it?s like mountaineering, not only in the sense that it is brutal, but also because you are left with a sense of accomplishment even if you got it all wrong.? This time, Woolie?s determined to get it right.

He?s used to building bikes for the likes of Orlando Bloom, Ryan Reynolds, and Bruce Springsteen, but he?s spent the last nine months mostly focusing on the Ducati.
He?ll be returning to Pikes Peak with a bike that is lighter, more powerful, and more reliable.

Little remains of the previous incarnation. That one was based on the Hypermotard SP, but this time Woolie?s adapted a Streetfighter frame, and welded on the adjustable steering head from a 999.
The triples clamp onto modified ...