Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

De Anza Hillclimb by Barge Charger RIVERSIDE, C L., Oct. 15, 1972 The Sadpleback Hillclimbers Association hosted their first hillclimb today, and they held it not at Saddleback, but at De Anza Cycle Park. Over sixty riders, including some of Northern Califomia's best, came .to pit their skill against De Anza's Competition Hill. In hillclimbing you're not really trying to beat the other riders, you're trying to beat the hill. If you can beat the hill you can win a trophy, a little glory, and self satisfaction. Lf the hill beats you it's possible you could win a trip to the hospital or at least a quick tumble to the bottom of the hill with the mass of junk that was your motorcycle five seconds ago. To prevent excessive carnage the host club enlisted the aid of the Bushmasters MC to man the ropes and grappling hooks which are stationed at several positions on the hill. Their main concern i! to prevent or minimize injury to a fallen by keeping the motorcycle off his 'tender bod. These catchers are the unsung heroes of the hill as they are more likely to be injured than most of the riders if they do their job right. Today they did it right and nobody messed up the inside of the new ambulance which wac; in attendance. The first machine on the hill was Cary Hall's Honda SL mini and his first run of 159 feet broke the exi~ting record by three feet and gave him a class win 13 feet ahead of second place. Jim Breckenridge. The brothers Powell rick the same Suzuki 100 and each month have been alternating wins. Last month it was Mike with a record 200 foot run and this month it was Dave with an identical 200 foot first run while Mike had to seLLle for third at 193, four feet behind the Kawasaki of Bruce Kranz. Derrill Lowe rode his BulLaco L25 to the 238 foot mark, breaking his own record and beating second place Richard Cook by over 40 feet. To take first place in the 175 class you have to beat Alice Hudnall. Donna O'Neil matched Alice with a run of 230 feet but Ron Sutter must be tired of lelling tbe girls beat him because be trounced them with two identical runs of 246 feet. A 175 just might make it over that hill yet. . Doug Hall is usually first over the hill on his 250 BulLaco and today was no exception. What was unusual was that U'> M ~ 0.. N .... m u o ~ w Z W ...J () >() This is the new overhead cam BSA being, uh. tested by Ellery Younger. half of the 250's climbed the bill on their first ·try. At the second staging point only Doug Hall and Frank Durso made it on 'their nrst try, bu t Ian Nascim en to and Wes Evans made it on their second attempt. Nascfmen to and Evans were eliminated at the tbird staging point and Doug Hall crasbed at 247 feet breaking bis bike whi'h left Frank Durso two attempts to beat Doug. Frank couldn't get bis Kawasaki past 239 Ieet and Doug was tbe winner. Twelve 360's went over the top Irom tbe first staging point, but Joe Graper, Lee Dugas, Jim Hoggard, Jr. and his dad, Jim were the only one'!. to make it over from the second staging point. From tbe third staging point Joe Graper's Montesa went 211 [eet, and since Joe had one miss earlier that was his last run. Next up was tbe Dugas 350 Honda and Lee went 231 feeL. Both Junior' Jim and his dad were riding the same Yamaha and Junior went first clear up to the 265 foot mark. Then Jim Senior went 233 feet. Now Lee and Jim Senior each bad one run lefL. Dugas was up first and went only 219 feet which Left bim in third place. Now Jim Senior was on the line and one of the women was heard to' say, HI wonder what Junior is thinking now". We found out what Junior Jim was thinking when he let out a big laught as his dad came to a stop at only 214 feet giving the win to his son. Larry Williams. Frank Breckenridge, and Ray Reames had the only 400's to go over from the first staging pain t but only Williams' Suzuki and Breckenridge's Maico made it from the second stage with Williams taking two tries. Now, at the third point, Williams had only one try and it was a good one at 202 feel. Breckenridge still had two tries and his first was a disappointing 120 feet, but the second gave bim tbe win at 247 feet. Ed Linder's Honda and Bud Key's Triumph were the only 500s to go over from the first staging pain t. Key wen t over from the second point and Linder went only 260 feet for second place. All the 650's (all Triumpbs) went over from the first two staging pain ts but the third point eliminated all but Ron Saffel, Chuck Key, and Bill Correll. From the fourth staging point Key went 201 feet, which w:!sn't good enough as Correll wen t 246 feet. Saffel sbut them . both down by making another perfect climb over tbe top. Ln the 750 class it was Frank Dur'o's BSA against Neal Mackel's Triumph. Both easily made it over from the first twO staging pain ts bu t Durso's BSA sputtered to a stop only eight feet from the top of the hill from the third . position and Mackel took the win. Only Saffel's 650 and Mackel's 750 had made it over tbe hill from the fourth staging point and the Sweepstakes trophy would be taken borne by one of them. Ron Saffel made two tries from the fifth posi don and his highest was 244 feet but when Neal Mackel had gone fifty feet you could tell he was going to make it, and he did. Once again Neal Mackel is King of the Hill. De Anza has another hill where nobody is king. The park's owner, Gil McClendon,' took bis bulldozer down it once and vows, IoNever again". If you can climb the competition hill you're e1igbile to try this bill. If you wish to try it you put a dollar in the kilty. If ever anyone climbs it, he gets the kitty and also the bill will be named after bim. Five of the best climbers tried it today. The hiU still doesn't have a name. / Alice

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