Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

1996 All-Star Invitational NORTON SHORES, MI, AUG. 4 very year the cream of the hiIlclimb crop assembles in Norton Shores, Michigan, for a one-round, winner-take-all contest. Here, the riders forget points, where they're running in the championship and focus on one thing: the fastest run they can make. BSA-mounted Terry Thompson, 1995 rookie of the year, used the opportunity to score his first 540cc national win to end the Honda domination of the 1996 season. After his final ride, his fastest for the day, Thompson had but one person to look out for. That person was threetime and defending champion Paul Pinsonnault and always someone to worry about. The Honda rider blasted up the 300foot Muskegon Motorcycle Club hill with a nearly flawless ride in his final chance to beat Thompson. The only flaw was that it was 0.013 second short of Thompson's blistering 4.933-second run. Though Pinsonnault leads the season points race, he would finish second today. Rotax-mounted Ted Wilkins had a few shaky moments during his runs but pulled it together long enough to' power up the hilI in a solid 5.078 to finish third, crashing as he went over the top of the hilI. Although the Invitational isn't part the the championship points race, 800cc rider Lou Gerencer treated it like most of ... the other rounds this season, blasting to the win and extending his win streak this season to four in a row. The Harley-Davidon Racing Pro Hillclimb team captain defeated Glen Petty Jr. and Tim Frazier. Riders qualify for the AMA All-Star Invitational National HiIlclimb based upon their performance during the series since this time last year. The top 15 riders in each class are invited to compete at Mount Garfield. The event marks the unofficial halfway point of the season as well as offering a unique format: Each rider is allowed three rides up the 300-foot hill and finishing positions at the Invitational do not figure in the national championship points races. The Muskegon Motorcycle Club hosts the hilIclimb every other year and the event often marks a turning point for the competitors. 540cc The lineup starts off with the 15thranked rider (or an alternate) and goes up the standings until the series points leader is reached. Scott Kiogima got first chance at the hill. Kiogima put in a smooth ride to put his Honda up and over the top and the battle for the All Star Invitational win was on. Mike DeBusk put in a quick first ride to hold the early lead, but with three chances to get in a perfect run, the 540cc win certainly wouldn't come in the first round. Thompson had a good ride in round one, though he had to fight off a big wheelie in between the two jumps. Wilkins, on the other hand, had a wild ride, nearly crashing after the first jump. David Watson, winner of the last two Nationals, had a horrible first run. "I kicked the shifter into third gear instead of second," Watson said. Watson would make up for his early mistake on his next two rides. (Left) Lou Gerencer scored his, second straight Invitational win and his third straight national win with his daclsive victory In the 800cc class. (Above) ~SA mounted Terry Thompson took the win In the 540cc class by a scant 0.013 second. It was the first national win of his career. Paul Lowe and Pinsonnault ended the first round tied for first place ahead of Thompson and his BSA Lowe picked it up in round two, putting in his fastest ride of the day. It would, however, only net him sixth overall as the top five finishers all had their best runs in the third round.. Like Lowe, DeBusk also found his greatest speed during his second ride and finished just behind Lowe, in seventh. Scott McNeely's third ride moved him into the third spot, but only briefly. Several other riders would surpass his time and he would end. the event in fifth place. "I just didn't have enough horsepower for this hilI," said McNeely. . One rider who didn't have a horsepower shortage was Laurelville, Ohio's Thompson. His Bowlby Cycles-backed BSA had been fast all day and the 1995 540cc rookie of the year really turned it loose on his last chance for victory. Just 4.933 seconds later, Thompson had the lead and was looking for the first National win of his career. Wilkins' Rotax screamed up the hill, but his 5.078 would only net him third place. When Wilkins reached the top of the hill he was forced to let go of the bike as he was out of control. David Watson put his KAP Honda between Wilkins and McNeely for fourth overall. "1 made a lot of little mistakes," said Watson. "Still, fourth is good." Thompson then had only one rider to worry about: Paul Pinsonnault. "All 1 can do is pray to God that Paul doesn't beat me," said Thompson. Pinsonnault has made a career out of .big-time rides under pressure and he put in a nearly flawless ride. Then the announcer spoke, "And the winner with a 4.933, Terry Thompson." As Thompson received congratulations from fans and the other riders, Pinsonnault had to settle for second, with a 4.946,0.013 second off the winning time. "1 rode well," Pinsonnault said. "1 just came up 0.013 short. It was a good day, now it's back to the points race." Pinsonnault is attempting to tie Earl Bowlby's record of four championships in a row and is currently leading a tight points race with Watson. 800cc Jason Petty opened the SOOcc action on his Triumph with the same goal as nearly everyone else: Stop the #2 bike from winning the hillclimb by outrunning Lou Gerencer. A wheelie at the 170-foot mark slowed Petty's first ride but he would make a big comeback later in the day. Harry Schreiber Jr. put in one of the fastest rides of round one, but it resulted in a season-ending injury. '1 had let off the gas and was coasting up to the top when it just took off," said Schreib~r. The bike suddenly went wide open and wheelied toward the tower at the top of the hill. Bike and rider hit the protective hay bales and Schreiqer suffered serious leg injuries. For the second time in the last two years, he will miss most of the season with an injury. Former 540cc national champion Tim Frazier wheeled out his radical new Yamaha for its first ride and nearly matched Schreiber's time up the hill. As each competitor got in his first ride, the crowd waited for the last two riders, ·Reiser and Gerencer. Reiser, of the Pro USA Hillclimb team, is the only rider to beat Gerencer all year and he would ride second to last. Reiser has made a lot of changes to his • new machine since its first race in 1995 and he is constanJly working on improvements. Many changes he made in the month before the hilIclimb weren't perfect and his first run reflected this. Gerencer, on the other hand, showed that the layoff hasn't slowed him down one bit. The Harley Davidson Racing Pro Hillclimb team captain blasted off the line with authority, and though he had to straighten his bike out over the first jump, he never let off the gas. Gerencer flew off the second jump, landing near the finish line for the first ride in the foursecond range with a 4.877-second run. Though the riders changed their bikes to suit the hill conditions, many were surprised by the ruts carved into the jumps. Only two riders were able to use their second-run times to make the top five. Reiser's front-wheel landing on the second run didn't slow him too much and he was really on the gas up the top half of the hill. Rodney Williams, third in the championship in 1995, has been out much of the season and he looked rusty in his first attempt of the day. Run two was a different story, though, as Williams blasted into fifth place, just a . tick behind Reiser. In contrast to Gerencer's strong runs, his teammates had a ro!-,gh day. After Schreiber's crash, Mickey Dent flipped hard off the first jump on his second ride, ending his day. Then Willie Price flipped his machine on the same jump, though he would be able to return for a third attempt. As the big bikes begal1"-their final run, it began to look as though Gerencer's time was safe. Petty rode through another wheelie to move up to sixth overall and Frazier put in his third good ride to climb into second place with a 5.182-second run. 'We didn't change anything all day," Frazier said ·after his run. Gerencer was ready to ride as the competition took their shots at him, but he had the deteriorating hill conditions on his side. "The hill is getting really rutted now," Gerencer said. "It was a lot easier when I rode." When asked to handicap the last three riders as to who could win, Reiser's name came up, as did the "Jeff Yoder Motors" of Williams and Glen Petty Jr. Williams and Reiser both got too much air over the first jump and couldn't improve on their second-run times, but Petty put it all together. "1 just want to make Lou ride again," he said. Petty did a good job of keeping his bike low over the jumps and the gas on, but he couldn't stop Gerencer's winning streak. Petty's 5.013-second run did, however, move him to second ahead of Frazier. Gerencer appears to be on a Jeremy McGrath kind of roll and it will take a great ride by someone to slow his championship run down. f.N Muskegon Motorcycle Club • Norton Shores, Michigan Assuhs: August 4,1996 '540<.: I. Terry Thompson (BSA); 2. Paul Pinsonnault (Hon); 3. Ted Wilkins (Rtx); 4. David Watson (Hon); 5. Scott McNeely (Hon); 6. Paul Lowe (Kaw); 7. Mike DeBusk (BSA); 8. Kevin Zucco (Kaw); 9. Roger McNeely (yam); 10. Mike Pulver (Han); 11. James Zucco (Kaw); 12. Bob Schreiner (BSA) 13. Ralph Kresger (Tri); 14. Doug K1on! (Tri); 15. Paul Garrety (Kaw). BOOce 1. Lou Gerencer (H D); 2. Glen Petty Jr. (H D~ 3. Tim Frazier (Yam); 4. Tom Reiser (H.. D); 5. Rodney Williams (H D); 6. J~Petty (Tri); 7. Hany Schreiber Jr. (HD); 8. Bob Castledine (H b); 9. Rodney Smith (BSA); 10. Willie Price (H D); 11. Randy Gabriel (H D); 12. Russ VanderVeen (H D); 13. Tommy Wells (Tri); 14. Mickey Dent(H 0, Upcoming Rounds: Round 6 - Haydenville, Ohio, August 10 Round 7 - Monson, MassachussetlS, August 18

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