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HILLCLIMB AMA National Championship Hillclimb series Round 5: Greasy Ridge (Left) Glen Petty Jr. flew to his first BOOcc National win of the year under the lights at the Action Sports Greasy Ridge Hlllclimb National. Petty's 5.1287-second pass bettered runner-up Willie Price's lime by 0.044 of a second. (Above) Paul Lowe (left) claimed the S40cc victory at Greasy Ridge. Here, Lowe celebrates In the winner's circle with promoter Drew Wolfe (center) and 800cc winner Petty. (Below) Willie Price narrowly missed out on his first National win In the 800cc class, posting a lime of 5.1724 seconds for second place. jump on his bike as soon as someone beat his time, but as the hill got rutted, only four 540cc riders would improve their time, and Low.e had his second career National win. "What a great night," Lowe said. "I got an early ride when the hill was smooth and got in my time and stayed on it." Lowe's win was similar to his 1995 win in Massachusetts. He wasn't thinking of the times he had to beat, he just went'out there and rode his best. Wilkins and Templeton weren't able to improve on their second chance at the hill. Watson was able to improve his time, but he couldn't catch Templeton. "I rode terrible," Watson said. "But still, it's my best finish here." Pinsonnault did a fantastic job of staying upright after he got crossed up over the jump. His fifth-place finish was' his worst of the season, but he isn't giving up on his fourth straight title. "This is a rough hill, anyone can win here, it's real competitive:' Pinsonnault said. "Everyone wants to beat me, but I'm not done yet." By David L. Patton Jr. HAYDENVILLE, OH, AUG. 10 ound six of the AMA National Hillclimb Series at Greasy Ridge saw two of 1995's winners return to the top step on the podium. Glen Petty Jr. pulled out a dramatic win in the 800cc class, ending Lou Gerencer's four-race winning streak, and PaUl Lowe put his season of tough luck behind him with a perfect ride in the 540cc class. Greasy Ridge featured one of the most difficult hills in the series, with the bottom half of the hill soft and loose, the middle of the hill having a lot of bumps, a sandstone ledge and a jump. The top half of the hill had a rough landing area and a slight curve to the lights. Former National Champion and 1996 800cc points leader Lou Gerencer summed it up when he said, '1 don't like this hill." Another unique aspect of the Action Sports-promoted event was that the hillclimb started at 7:30 p.m. Most of the first round was run in daylight and round two happened under the lights. R 540cc Indiana's Jeff Thomas started the evening off on his Yamaha, and he had a smooth run until he hit the jump. This year the jump had a really steep pi tch and it threw Thomas way up in the air. Thomas couldn't control the landing and he crashed short of the lights. Logan Kawasaki/Joe Townsendbacked Paul Lowe was up next with his KXSOO, and he got a good launch off the still-smooth starting area, picked his line and made a midair correction over the jump, then drove through the lights for a 5.344-second run. Ted Wilkins from Kinmount, Ontario, Canada, tried the right side of the hill 800cc with his two-stroke ROlax twin. Wilkins never let off, launching into a huge skyshot over the jump and nearly losing the bike when he landed, but he held on past the line for a 5.s~second run. Former Amateur National Champion Michael Templeton made his official pro debut and put in the third sub-six-second run of Round one. "My ride went great once the butterflies were gone:' Templeton said. "It kind of shocked me. It hooked up really good." The 1996 points battle in the 540cc class is currently between three-time and defending National Champion Paul Pinsonnault and close friend David Watson. The KAP-sponsored Honda riders ended round one separated by 0.042 seconds with Watson having an incredible ride. Watson nearly flipped over the jump, and when he landed, both feet came off the pegs. But he still had his hands on the bars with the throttle cranked open, and that saved him and it got him across the finish line. Lowe watched the action in round two from the spectator area, ready to Triumph-mounted Jason Petty put in the first fast ride in the 800cc class despite a hard landing that bounced him so much he couldn't get the throttle wide open before he crossed the line. Petty's 5.682 was good for third in the first round. Harley-Davidson Racing-backed Gerencer bettered Petty's time, despite jumping way too high and nearly flipping, scoring a 5.676. Willie Price and Tim Frazier also broke into the five-second bracket, but they couldn't catch Petty or Gerencer. Gerencer's teammate Mickey Dent came into Haydenville second in the points and already had a 1994 Greasy Ridge victory, but his chance for another win ended at the 22~foot mark. Dent got out of shape in the ruts before the jump