Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Mike Bronk posted a 8 .35-second t ime to score the overall victory at the National Championship Amateur Hillclimb on " Old Ugly." AMA Nationa' Championship Amateur Hillc'imb Bronk blasts Sparland By Merle Acord SPARLAND, IL, AUG. 6-7 Mike Bronk; a motorcycle tech nician from Wi sconsin Rapids, Wisconsin, ridin g a Bob 's Yamaha City-prepared Yamaha 500, busted " O ld Ugly" .in 8.35 seconds and led the 250 riders at the Peoria Dirt Riders M.e. organized Nation1 Ch . hi A a . .amplOns ~p ~ateur H ill clirnb. Bro n k s fast nrne of 20 the event came on Saturday, the first day of the two-day event. "I hope the time stands up," said Bronk, "but I'll make my second c1:mb regardless. I wouldn't miss it; this is my lucky hill." Bronk was a couple of ticks of the clock slower on his second attempt, despite a second straight arrow ride to the top. But Bronk's luck held out and no other rider could better his climb of 8.35 .seconds. "Old Ugly," a 235-foot clay hill, was not treated kindly during the summer months by the drought and her face after a few climbs became powdery and loose. " T o save the hill we held all our climbs on the sister hill this season," said Peoria Dirt Riders Club President Bob Fisher. "Our preparations began last year when we applied for the National climb. We planted grass and cut brush and to ma ke ·it a National caliber clim b we cut a stairstep at 120 feet. And we built that 20-foot high tabletop that 's guaranteed to get everybody airborne right off the log. The hill's a challenge. " "This used to be a six- or sevensecond hill," said past Open class National Champion Tom Elmore. "No more. You've got to jump the crater and ge~ beyond the 100se stl;lff or there won t be any traction. I m going to hit it hard and if I make it great, and if 1 don't I guess I'll fall off." Elmore couldn't keep his 1400cc Kawasaki straight after the jump and was spit off at 179 feet and finished eighth in the Open c1asss. Charles ' Colsch , from Lansing, Iowa, won the Open class by turning in a 9.04 on Sunday. On Saturday, Colsch's 10000c Harley got out of shape jumping the stairstep and he unloaded at the 147-foot level. Prospects for a good climb Sunday were poor at best. Traction on the hill was getting worse and the best line that lay to the right of the hill was deteriorating rapidly. When the day's results were posted Saturday, Mike Schobert was the only Open class rider to go over the top. Schobert had taken his I325cc Kawasaki through the lights in 10.14. On Sunday, Schobert, riding on number one, went no further than the 209-foot mark before unloading. Schobert's 10.14, his Saturday effort, was good for second in the class. Rex Hardesty, from Fairmont, West Virginia, and sixth off the log, rode an 850 Suzuki into the third slot with a climb of 206 feet. Tod Parm eter, from Wisconsin Rapids and five times District Champion, was in second place with a Bronk. a motorcycle technician f rom Wisconsin. collected his first-placE trophy after claiming fastest time during his first run on Saturday. Saturday climb of 198 feet when he came to the log on Sunday, but when he jumped the "moon crater" on his 900 Kawasaki, he didn't come down straight and lost it at the 149-foot mark. He finished fourth in class. The 500cc class was the largest class with 55 riders and from its rank came the fast time for the event, Bronk's 8.35. There were also two other riders in the eight-second bracket: Paul Heidenreich at 8.71 and jeff jack at 8.79. Paul Heidenreich, a 19-year-old engineering student with eight years National riding experience at the amateur level, rode a Freeport (Illinois), Sport Motors Hondasponsored CRSoo to the 205-foot mark on Saturday. Sunday Heidenreich never faltered and disappeared over the hill, .36 seconds slower than fast time for second in class. Heidenreich gave a little insight on how to become a hillclimber when asked how he managed to stay upright while all those about him were falling down . "I learned to ride with my older bro ther Mark when I was only seven," said Heidenreich, "and I had to stay up 'cause whenever I fell down Mark would run over me." ," jeff jack, riding a Honda CRSOO, posted an 8.79 on Saturday that, in the final count, would net him third in class. Sunday, while waiting for his riding number to come up, jack detailed why the hill was so hard to climb. "There are several things: The hill is very dry and loose and getting slicker. The first jump at the tabletop is important, hit it too hard and get too much air and you'll probably get out of shape right there because it tends to pitch the rider straight-up. The take-off to jump the stairstep is critical because the landing is critical. It's best to come down on the back wheel with the front wheel so high that on other hills the motorcycle would loop. But here the back wheel has got to get traction and pull the front wheel down. If the landing isn't on the back wheel the suspension rebo und wi ll cause the machine to lose traction and that's all she wrote." On h is second climb, jack lost traction after the "moon crater" and dusted out at 162 feet. Chad Falde, an 18-year-ol d from Spring Valley, Wisconsin, with five years National hill climbing experience, made his first appearance in the 500cc class, riding a Honda CR and crested the hill in 9.63 0 1 Saturday. The time stood up fo fourth in class. The 251-372cc class saw one ride go over the hill: Dean Gerdes, an. he performed the feat only on Sat urday. Gerdes, from Bay City, Wis consin, posted second fastest time 01 the hill, 8.38 seconds, aboard a ValleSprings-sponsored 370 Suzuki. Alan Hoskins, a 30-year-old GeO! getown, Illinois, machinist, rode : 360 Yamaha to the 203-foot marl Saturday for his second place troph' while Gregory Haas, a self-employes farmer, riding a Double ~ Enterprises-sponsored 360 Yamaha went 196 feet Sunday for third. Gera ld Labbe, the 250cc ' class champion in 1987, busted " Ole Ugly" in 9.56 to beat Kawasaki ri der Kelly Senn's effort of 10.88. Randy Lovejoy, rider of the year in District 21, rode his 250 Kawasaki 232-feet and took third. National Ama teur 250cc Champion in 1982 and runner-up it! 198384, j ay Parmeter, from Wisco nsin Rapids, rode to a fourt h p lace finis h wi th a 211-foot climb aboard his Panel-It-sponsored Honda CR250. jay is kept sharp by competition' from his wife Rose. Daniel Shaha from Green Bay, Wisconsin, climbed 208 feet with a 200cc Kawasaki Sunday. That was eight feet better than he did on Saturday. jason McGrath bettered his Saturday effort by 22 feet, going to the 2M-foot mark Sunday. And late arrival Bill Timm rounded out the top three with a climb of 196 feet. Glen Labbe, undismayed by his 166-foot climb on Saturday took his 125 Kawasaki to the 206-foot level Sunday for first in his class. Mark Schroeder, riding a Torque Center/ Farley Racing Team Honda CRI25, was one-foot ahead of Labbe on Saturday with a 167-foot effort, but "the 17-year-old came up three feet short on his second climb Sunday (203) and finished second. Another pair of climbs Saturday by David Tabor and Daryl Pevker were bettered o n Sunday whe n they turned in 197 and 190-feet efforts, in that order, for th ird and fo urth, respectively. P hylli s Fisher, in th e first hill cl imb she has ever competed in; won the 1000c class with a climb of 140 feet, beating'Pat Daniels by two feet. Petite P hyllis turned in a 140-foot cli mb on Saturday, aboard a 190

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