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HILLCLIMB AMA National Championship Hillclimb Series Round 12: Asheville, North Carolina This year's hill conditions were vastly improved over those of past events by the inclusion of three kickers to challenge the riders. At the event last year, the hill had no obstacles whatsoever. Bulldozed and groomed; the hUI this year boasted an initial kicker. peaking at the 3D-foot mark, the second at 170 feet and the third at the 235-foot mark. The .lights (finish line) came at 260 feet. Referee Harold White elected to have the BOOcc class run first and last with the 540cc class running back-to-back in between. "We want to cater to the Harley Rally," said White. "A big start to the show and a big finish to the event to make it a little more exciting for the spectators." Mickey Dent had the honor of starting the event after he drew for the first ride in the BOOcc class. Dent is returning from a long absence while he recovered from injuries obtained at the season opener, where he crashed and destroyed his left elbow. The number-four, nitroburning Harley was roUed into the box for Dent by the Gerencer crew members. Already fired up, the West Virginian • By Jay A. Herndon ASHEVILLE, C, SEPT. 30 erencer Harley-Davidson Team rider Lou Gerencer Jr. powered his way to the BOOcc class win to take the victory away from current points leader Steve Dresser, who placed second on the day. And so the points battle moves to the final event, Gerencer securing his victory with a single ride at the Asheville Motorcycle Rally's Pro Hillclimb event, with Dresser riding twice to lock up a seven-point lead, 163-156, going into the final round. Ted Wilkins added win number three to 'his season total after battling Paul Pinsonnault and Rick Soter IT1 in the 540cc class. Currently one point ahead of David Watson, Wilkins is now in third position with 122 points and trails behind series leaders Pinsonnault (163 points) and Soter (154 points). A wheelie-fest first ride combined with a wheels-on-the-ground second climb did the trick for Wilkins at the Asheville event. The 12th stop on the Pro Hillclimb calendar marked the 55th annual event for the North & South Carolina's Harley-Davidson Dealers Associations. The weekend also offered flat track racing, a bike show and a free concert. This is the second year that the HarleyDavidson Rally included the Pro Hillclimb competition in their schedule of events. saddled the machine and took to the hill, clocking a solid 5.6040-second run. Round two proved a little faster as Dent clocked a 5.5837, earning eighth place for the returning rider. Dent thanked his teammates, friends and competi tors for their support, cards, prayers and gifts while he was recovering from his injuries. Tom Reiser, team leader of the Pro USA Team, clicked off two fast rides. "We did a little gear changing," said Reiser, who topped the BOOcc class at the last round. "We leaned out the fuel injection. Also we remounted the pipes. We took them off the bottom of the bike and put them on the side, the more conventional way. Hopefully, we'll get a little more top end with the shorter pipes." Reiser had enough top end to clock a 5.4385 on his first run to secure second place at the end of the first round. On his second ride, Reiser's time improved to 5.3868 seconds but was eventually beaten by his team's newest member and the current points leader, Dresser. Dresser's first ride on the hill pro- (Above) Number-one plate holder Lou Gerencer Jr. blasted his way to the top of the 800cc class with a single run. (Right) Canadian Ted Wilkins continues to Impress In the 540cc class with his third National win of the season. (Below) After taking the 800cc-class win at the last round, Tom Reiser thundered to another top finish with a third-place at Ashville; he sits fifth in points. duced a 5.4442, a third in that round. Returning, Dresser knew he had to beat Gerencer (who was sitting on the bubble after his fast first run) to win the event. Blasting to the lights, Dresser rocked a 5.2545, an improved time but not fast enough to pop Gerencer off the bubble. "I think I'm going into the last round seven points ahead, but you know the stats speak for themselves," said the second-place finisher. "This year we had five or six different guys in there that won. Anyone of those guys can get in there any day. Seven points is okay, but is by no means a comfortable cushion." Gerencer rolled into the starting box and showed off the new-found horsepower his team had dialed in for him, squeezing off one blazing ride to take his fourth National victory of the season with an impressive 5.0787-second run. "Psychologically, I'm just trying to win the hillclimbs," said the happy Gerencer. "Mechanically, we're just runnin' the bike pretty much like we have all year. We worked on it a little bit last