WAPELLO - Despite having Parkinson's disease, Wapello native Jeff Weikert plans to race a motorcycle this summer for the final time.

"It's kind of a drug, and you get addicted to it," Weikert said. "I've raced pretty much everything from cars to motorcycles pretty much my whole life."

On July 8, Weikert will get the chance to race a motorcycle in the 90th annual Pike's Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado Springs, Colo.

"I want to show people that someone with Parkinson's disease can still compete," Weikert said.

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The race is run on a 12.42-mile course with 156 turns that begins at 9,390 feet only to finish at the 14,110-foot summit of Pikes Peak.

Payne's Cycle Center out of Rock Island, Ill., has rebuilt the Honda 250cc Cheney-framed bike he will be riding.

This year, the race has 16 classes and features a variety of automotive, exhibition, open wheel, super stock car and motorcycle classes with a field approaching 200 competitors.

Weikert, 50, was diagnosed with early-onset Parkinson's disease in March 2009.

According to the Mayo Clinic, Parkinson's disease is a progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects movement. It develops gradually, often starting with a barely noticeable tremor in just one hand.

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