Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Mel Kimball's parents congratulate their hill-topping son, (Above) Kerry Peterson, the 700cc Exhibition class winner, failed to score in the Open class. (Below) The Widowmaker draws all kinds of machinery. Lance Lundgren gas_ his Yamaha FJ1100 up Widowmaker. 23rd Annual Wldowrnaker Hillclimb Kimball, Peterson sting back at Widow By Karel Kramer/Dirt Rider Photos by Clark Maxfield and Carol Kecxon SALT LAKE CITY, UT, MAY 18 For 12 of his 23 years, Mel Kimball Jr. has come to the point of the mountain between Salt Lake City and Provo, Utah on the weekend before Memorial Day to attempt to win the legendary Widowmaker Hillclimb. To win was something he'salway.s wanted to do, something his father Mel Kim- 16 ball Sr. had done in 1967 without topping the hill. Kimball was ready this year, and he and his Plaza Cycle-sponsored, singleshock 1125cc Honda four blistered this new version of the world's longest hillclimb - a hill that measured 1760 fee: - in 48.21 secollds. Mel w.as the only rider to top the mammoth hill in the Open Exhibition class. historically the premier class at hillclimb events. The hill was laid out by Kenny Kimball, brother to Mel, with the h'elp of Mel and the other Bees M.e. members. "When I helped prep the hill, I didn't honestly think I could go over," was Mel's summation of the hill after the event, "but that bike is a remarkable piece of machi nery. I think both my brother and I, are going to make the engines bigger for next year, but I sort of hate to. The bike is so hard to hold on to now, I'm afraid I will need to learn to ride it all over again." This year the hill was a straight run through heavy sagebrush with one slight S-LUrn between the 600and 700-foot mark. Up higher on the hill where the grade is 78%, ledges were cut into the hill to slow the momentum of the big machines. The Bees Motorcycle Club is highly protective of their hill, and strive each year to keep anyone from going over. That strategy worked for everyone but Kimball in the Open Exhibition lass. Part of the strategy wa to separate the Open and 700cc Exhibition bikes at the 9OO-foot level. That move kept the 101 entries in the 700ccclass from breaking a trail through the sage that would allow the bigger bikes to muscle through after gaining momentum on the trail up the lower slope. The trail split at 900 feet made for a diabolical hill in the 700cc class - a hill that made a right turn through a narrow opening in scrub oak trees, ran orr-camber along the hill, then made a tight, uphill left turn to run off-camber through heavy brush at a diagonal, then reunited' with the Open-cia s lane at 1150 feet. Even though the hill was particularly demanding. Todd Braithwaite. the 21 st rider out for the second run, urged his YZ490 over the top in 80.02 seconds. Eighteen runs later, defending Open Exhibition champ for the previous four years, Kerry Peterson, roosted around the turn at 900 feet like it was a motocross berm to shoot his American Honda, Raceway Honda, Hi-Point, ND, Cal-Fab, Tsubaki, Arai, Richter. Spectra, Uni-filter, Power Pros, Klemm Research, White Bros., White Power-sponsored Honda CR500Roverthe hill in 66.42 seconds tp \yin. ~h.e class. The only other rider to top the rugged hill this year was Russ McCoy, the first rider over in 1985, on a' YZ490S. McCoy was not at full strength, having lost nearly 50 pounds in seven weeks before the event due to a broken jaw. Peterson was philosophical about surrendering the traveling five-foot trophy to Kimball. saying, "Mel rode really well on the big bike, and I won the 700cc class, which is the biggest class, and I think it's the most competitive." Peterson was out of the top 10 in the Open class at the Widowmaker for the first time in years after getting stuck in a hole on the first run, then almost endoing his mammoth machine after hitting a buried rock in the line while the nitro-burning 1500cc Harley was at full song. In the Open class, Illinois' Tom Elmore made his best showing on the hill with second at 1323.5 feet on his 1200cc Kawasaki. He was followed in the results by Lance Lundgren on an amazing. stock-framed FJllOOat 1250 feet. In addi tion to a bui It engine, the bike sports swingarm extensions, a Fox shock and a front end from a 1983 YZ250. With the stock frame, seat and tank, this electric start motorcycle doesn't appear to be much of a handler, but it's successful on sheer power and rider ability. Don Henderson bough t and refi ned Jim True's YZ900 - two YZ490cylinder on a hand-made lower end, then roae it to fourth in the Open class. Fifth went to Utah's Todd Whitlock, on a 1294cc Kawasaki. In the 700cc class, those riding after the three rider who topped the hill were separated by mere feet or less in many cases, but the highest of those riders was Brian Pierson at 1250 feet, followed by Kenny Kimball at 1229. California's David Gestoso won the 500cc Expert class with an 817foot ride on a three-year-old Honda CR480R. Mike Bronk came all the way from Wisconsin to take second on a YZ490. and he also won money in the 700cc Exhibition class with an eighth pia e. Mike Carlton and SCOtt Peterson were tied for third and fourth at 749 feet, but Carlton had the better score for the other run and took third. Kent Argyle was fifth on a Yamaha. Dan Willenburg was the highest rider in the 250cc Expert class at 475 feet. ahead of Willie Rifer and Ray Simons at 467; Rifer. took the tie. Larry Smith was the best 501ccOpen Expert with 778 feet on his KTM. besting Montana's Rod Siemans (Yamaha 490) by a mere two feet. Devon Wheeler was third on a Kawasaki 750 triple. •

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