Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Left) Pro Clrcultsponsored Roble Peterson earned the 0700cc-class win and $1025 with his sldecarenglne-powered, CR5DO-framed hillcllmber (Below) Local rider Dave Johnston topped both tire classes and had a strong showing In the Unlimited class, where he placed fifth. tional $100 for being th.e first rider over the hill), Payne was fourth and Beer took the longest time to go over. Early Sunday the 0-700cc Unlimited class attacked another portion of the hill. It also included a tough double-ledge combo midhill, but the man-made step /IS-foot vertical shale face near the top of the hill was the toughest obstacle. Many thought no rider could clean the hill, but Whitlock proved them wrong with a beautiful ride over the top on his FMF-sponsored Honda. He was the first of only five riders to top that hill. Petersen was the fastest of the five on his rare and unusual Zabel. The 685cc two-stroke single sidecar motor is mounted in a Honda CR500R chassis. The Zabel was tne hot but expensive setup in this class. Less than two seconds separated winner Peterson and 19-year-old Jeremy Paget of Centervill, Utah, who was the slowest of the five riders to clear the hill. Former Widowmaker champion Steve Stith and his KTM550 didn't top the hill, but he did win a $250 five-wrench set from new event sponsor Snap-On. The black-ehrome wrenches with Dale Earnhart's autograph in 24-karat gold were' his prize for the wildest crash of the day as jUdged by the announcers. Few were prepared to argue that the one-and-ahalf reverse somersault the bike did at the top of the shale cliff was anything less than spectacular. The 701cc-up Unlimited class, the Open Rubber Tire class and the Advanced class used the same, straighter line in the center of the hill, with the tire class going first. Eleven riders posted times on big four-cylinder machines. Canadian Mike Reesor was first rider over, but his run netted him sixth overall. Johnston was the fastest on his GSXR-powered machine, though he claimed he wasn't full throttle. He was followed by Beer's KX500-framed (Left) Bike catchers armed with rope and steel hooks walt at the top of the hili to catch the bikes of those riders who don't make It over the top. felt in my heart that the second ride was a winner, and that's what's important. The money doesn't mean everything. Being up here and having fun with everybody is what's important." Zundel was third, four-tenths behind Whitlock, and Kenny Kimball was fourth. Kimball, a winner here before, said, "There is so much more competition, and so much better equipment out there, that it comes down to who's having the best day. Obviously today was Dusty's. He rode consistent in every class. The hill was real challenging. If you hit that 0-7oocc cliff with the wheel spinning and don't get out of the throttle the hike just keeps lifting and lifting until you're over backwards or you go straight up until you come off the hill. The Billings boys are just getting faster and faster." Johnston ripped off another fast ride for fifth and Mel Kimball was sixth. At the completion of the regular classes the top six riders from each tire class pulled to the line again to run for the Montana state championship in the Advanced class. Oddly enough, Beer qualified for the Advanced class on both· sizes of bike, so he was allowed to compete in that class on both. He actually finished first and third in that class and collected cash for both finishes. Whitlock was second, Beer was fastest on his KTM, and third on the four-cylinder Kawasaki. (N Billings Motorcycle Club Billings, Montana Results: July 27-28, 1996 701+ U/l.: 1. Dusty Beer; 2. Travis Whitlock; 3. Ron· Zundel; 4. Kenny Kimball; 5. Dave Johnston; 6. Mel Kimball; 7. Neal Payne; 8. Jeremy Paget; 9. Ed Taylor; 10. Brent Mace; 11. Craig Peck; 12. Jerry Seeley; 13. KZI000 four and Whitlock's FJllOO. Kelly Braswell and Zundel were fourth and fifth. The Open Unlimited class allows any wheelbase, any type of motor and fuel and rubber or steel paddle tires. Only Pat Johnson's GSXRllOO and Stith's Harley-Davidson ran nitro-injection systems, and neither finished in the top 15. Beer's trusty air-cooled KawasaKi set fast time of the first runs. Whitlock retaliated on his second run with a run that many - including Beer - felt might have been faster, but a timer malfunction missed the time. "They missed my time on my second run," Whitlock said. "It felt faster to me than my re-ride, but I beat him on the re-ride by a few thousandths of a second. Then he came back and beat my time on his second run. I James Foster; 14. Sid Sietz; 15. Stefan Fafnis. ~600 RUBBER TIRE: 1. Dave Johnston; 2. Brent Mace;"3. Mark Lenhardt; 4. Neal Payne; 5. Dusty Beer; 6. Kenny Kimball; 7. Mke Reesor; 8. Larry Coleman; 9. Ken Long; 10. Travis Whitlock; 11. Shannon Chamberlain; 12. Jim Walker; 13. Dean Cromwell; 14. Jerry Seeley; 15. Doug Sherburn. OPEN RUBBER TlREo 1. Dave Johns'on; 2. Dusty Beer; 3 .. Travis Shitlock; 4. Kelly Braswell; 5. Ron Zundel; 6. Mike Reesor; 7. Mel Kimball; 8. Larry Coleman; 9. Leroy Ebeling; 10. Kevin Downs; 11. Brent Mace; 12. Robie Peterso,n; 13. Mark Polen; 14. Pat Johnson; IS. Kenny Kimball. ADVANCED: 1. Dusty Beer; 2. Travis Wh;Uock; 3. Dust)' Beer. SR: 1. Leroy Ebeling; 2 Karel Kramer; 3. Gary Dark. 6-700 UIL:. 1. Robie Peterson; 2. Travis Whitlock; 3. Brent Mace; 4. Dave Johnston; 5. Jeremy Paget; 6. Dusty Beer; 7. Terry Nivens; 8. Gary GUlis; 9. Mark Polen; 10. Neal Payne; 11. Kenny Kimball; 12. Ron Zundel; 13. Pat Johnson; 14. Mil

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