Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.H L LIM I C B L . AMA National Championship Hillclimb series • BushkUIValtey • By Jay A. Herndon 48 FREEMANSBURG, PA,)ill'<'E 11 anadian Greg Williams, aboard his legendary father's revived pro hillclimb bike, ripped the Bushkill Valley's 500-foot hill to a sweet victory in the BOCcc class , winning his first National Hillclimb since June o f 1994 at rou nd three of the National Hillclimb Series host ed by the 37-yearold Bushkill Valley M.e. In the process, the Honda rider put himself second in the overall points battle. Williams had only one ride in the day's event. Rick Soter III, of the 540cc class relied on his second attack on the ominous hill to secure his second National win - at a price: Sotor blew up his BSA as h flew past the flagman. The third stop on the Pro Hillclimb circuit at Bushkill Valley M.e. as usual proved that the 490-foot light-to-lig ht run is one of the toughest stops on the schedule. Located close to Bethlehem, ju s t outside of picturesque Steel City, the hill boa sts three major jumps: first a small kicker 7S feet off the starting log with the first jump at the 15().{oot marker; the seco nd jump at the 275-foot marker; and the last jump at the 400-foot marker. The wooded hill chokes the narrow course, eliminating boundary lines . If you're out of bounds, you're in the trees . Drawing the first ride in a field of 22, Alan Ho skins started off the 540cc class. Hoskins launched his stretched Honda on the hill in a frenzy, only to crash at the 320-foot mark. The Georgetown, Illinois rider's return in the second round proved mo re fruitful as he fough t to keep his Honda ,fro m wheelying a nd clocked an impressive 1O.95-second run that netted a sixth-place finish. Ted Wilkins squeezed off his best . ride in the day 's first-roun d action . Plagued with mechanical problems this year, Wilkins put the innovative snowmobile-powered, fabrica ted-framed bike to th e hill' s face in a traction-hungry blast. Screaming to the top and fighting off some wheelies, Wilkins clocked in at 10.050 seconds, for a third-place finish . Wilkins' seco nd ride was slower despite his feelings to the contrary. Pau l Pinso nnau lt launched his number-on e Wulfsport-backed Honda for a fishtail-filled wheelie-fest only to clock a 10.170 for his first climb. Returning in the second half of the day, Pinsonnault put the Honda in the groove and it showed with an improved time of 10.01 seconds to take hi s second runner-up finish behind Soter. BSA-mounted Soter popped onto the hill in a mad dash for the timing lights. Kicking out a huge rooster tail, Soter docked a 10.762. The Maryland rid er's seco nd run p roved faster at 9.77, which secured his second consecu tive firstplace fini s h in the series. Th e victory had a price, however, for w hen So ter bl ew th rou gh the finish-line tape the nitromethane-fed motor blew, lifting the cylinders off the motor. "Well , I've go t a week to pu t it back together . The win makes that easier to swallow," rela ted Sotor. Steve Dresser, the newest member of the four-rider Pro USA Hillclimb Team, p ut h is Harley Davidson against the ents fo r their su p p ort," said the New Yorke r. Lou Gerencer [r., member of the Gerencer Pro Hillcllmbing Team from Elkhart, Ind iana , pu t his best ride together on his first climb. Centered at the bottom of the hill, Gerencer rode hard, bouncing off the jumps to rock the stopwatch with a 9.38-second run. Gerencer's following climb, technically bette r, proved slower by only four-hundredths of a second, at 9.7B. Relying on the first climb, Gerencer secured a second-place finish. Canadian Greg Williams, son of the legendary hiIIc1imb champion John Williams, rolled his father's beautiful re vamped championship four-eylinder starting log to start off the 12-rider BOOcc class . Dresser, leading the points ba ttle, blasted to the top in a crowd-pleasing show w hile docking a 10.4766. Needing an improved time, Dres ser received coaching from his team lead ers, Tom and Buela Reiser . The advice must have been all right as Dresser shaved the time to an improved 9.86 for his second ride, grabbing a third-place fini sh. "Te am work is what it takes . Tom and Buela told me how it is and I just did what the? told me . I thank them and my par- (Top) Continuing his winning ways, Rick Sotor III topped the 540cc class· blowing up his BSA's motor in the process. (Above) Canadian Greg Williams roosted his Honda to the win in the 800cc class with his first and only ride. (Above) illustrating the fact that at Bushkill the trees are the boundary lines, 540cc rider Scott McNeely climbs out of the brush and out from under his Honda. McNeely placed ninth. (Left) . On top at the bottom of the hili, . winners WIlliams (left) and Soter III flank event referee Harold White. bike int o the starti ng bo x for his single run. Williams took his Honda to the top with a fl ying straight-line ride and .clocked a 9.0B- second run to take his first win of the 1995 season. t.. ~ Bushkill M.e. Freemansburg, Pennsylvania Results: June 11, 1995 (Round 3 of 14) 540: 1. Rick Soter III (BSA); 2. Pa ul Pin sonnault e (Hon); 3. Ted Wilkens (Tri ): 4. David Watson (}(aw ); 5. Mike DeBusk C BSA); 6. Alan Hoskins (Hen): 7. Mike Pulver (Ho n); 8. Scott McNeelr. (Ho n); 9. Keven Zucco (Kaw); 10. Paul Lowe (Kaw), 1 . Ralph Kreeger (Tn); 12. William Price (Yam); 13. Paul Carrety (BSA); 14. Walter Herri ck; 15. Jam es Zucco (Kaw): 16. Charles Roberts (!(aw); 17. Jason Petty (Kaw); 18. Bob Ha wk (BSA); 19. Jack Macauley (Han); 20. Terry Thom~n ( asA) ; 21. Robert Shreiner (BSA); 22. Doug KIon t (Tri)' 800: 1. Greg Williams (Ho n); 2. Lou Oerencer Jr. (HD); 3. Steve Dresser (H·D); 4. Harty Schreiber (H-D); 5. Tom Reiser (H-D); 6. Rodney Willia ms (H-D); 7. Wallace Fow ler (Suz); 8. Randy Gabriel (H-D); 9. Roger McNeely (H-D); to. Jim my Dingee (H -D); 11. Rodne y Smith (8SA); 12. Robert Casdedine (H-D).

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