Sea Otter Classic Custom Reactor
RACING HERITAGE
Each year thousands of riders make the pilgrimage to the Laguna Seca Raceway. Once a year the Californian cathedral of speed is home to The Sea Otter Classic, one of the USA's biggest outdoor bike festivals. The Laguna Seca Circuit was built in 1957 on the military grounds of Fort Ord, to be a home to the Pebble Beach Road Races. A local series that was deemed too dangerous to be continued on public roads.
The circuit grounds now play host to the annual Sea Otter Classic. A quip from Monterey Bike Shop owner in 1990 "You should put on a mountain bike race here" led to the creation the Laguna Seca Challenge. In 1993 this was renamed to the Sea Otter Classic. Some 30 years later and the annual Sea Otter Classic now attracts 9000 athletes and 74000+ fans each April.
Nukeproof have attended Sea Otter for a number of years now. However, for 2023 this was particularly exciting, with the launch of Nukeproof US operations in late 2022.
It is even easier to purchase a Nukeproof in the US now with a rapidly growing retail network of 45+ independent mountain bike specialists now carrying our products, plus the back up of a dedicated website. To celebrate this, we wanted to bring something special to the show.
So, what’s Mario Andretti got to with this story?
The name “Andretti” name has been at the forefront of US motorsport for 5 decades. Mario Andretti is one of the most successful drivers in the history of motorsport. The Italian born, American racer was 1978 Formula One World Champion, a four-time Indycar champion and the only driver ever to win the Indianapolis 500, Daytona 500 and Formula One title. His son Michael has raced in Formula 1 too and is a Indycar champion. Mario’s grandson Marco is the third generation of Andretti and currently competes in the CART series for Andretti-Herta Autosport.
Mario Andretti was also the outright lap record holder of the fastest lap of the original 9 turn layout of the Laguna Seca Raceway- the venue for the Sea Otter Classic. Mario lapped the circuit in 52.926 in his Lola T87/00 in 1987.
The Nukeproof Reactor frame has been adorned in a colour scheme based on Mario's infamous helmet colours. The frame was again designed and painted by Jonny Bradley of Elite Refinish. We've worked with Jonny and his team for several years now and each time he continues to amaze with his airbrushing skills. Photos simply can't do this bike justice with the finish of the frame dancing in the Californian sun.
A special frame needs a special build. The show bike was assembled with a kit based from our RS production build, but with a few choice upgrades. We replaced all the stock black components with a selection of the finest Horizon components colour coded in Red and Silver.
The build also featured some very special Nukeproof components that will be released soon.
A huge thank you to everyone that took the time to stop by and visit. Look forward to seeing you in 2024.
Missed out? Don't worry, our US Events team will be rolling out to a number of demo's and events in 2023. They may be bringing this Reactor with them. You can find all the information here.