Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

HllLCLIMB AliA National Championship Hillclimb· ~s Final Round: Devil's Staircase By David L, Patton Jr. OREGONIA, OH, OCT. 13 ~1'1-''' he Devil's Staircase is the premier event of the AMA ational Championship Hillclimb Series. The Dayton Motorcycle Club has promoted hillclimbs for 49 years and the season-ending race usually decides the National Championships. So with Lou Gerencer clinching the 800cc title two weeks ago, all eyes were on Paul Pinsonnault in the 540cc class. The three-time and defending Naqonal Champion traveled to the final round with the chance to become only the second professional hillclimb rider ever to win four straight National Championships. Pinsonnault has led the 1996 title chase since round two in June and he needed only an eighth-place finish at the Devil's Staircase to match 10-time ational Champion Earl Bowlby's record of four in a row. Pinsonnault, however, wasn't worried about history the morning of the season finale. "I plan on putting in two good rides today and hopefully taking home one of the trophies," he said. In the 800cc class Steve Dresser made his last ride with the number-one plate he earned in 1995 a memorable one as he conquered the Devil's Staircase for the second straight year. Dresser's run made up for a tough season and gives him momentum for the coming year. So while Gerencer clinched the 800cc championship two weeks ago and set the pace for round one, he wasn't able to top Dresser's second ride and would settle for second ahead of Rodney "Hot Rod" Williams, who put in a strong performance in only his fourth National of the season. 540cc \0 0\ 0\ T""i o ('t') l-< Q) :9 u o 28 Indianapolis, Indiana's Jeff Thomas blasted his YZ490-based machine off the line to open round one. Thomas had a fast run going until he flew off the third breaker, looped out and crashed hard. He would not return for round two. Roger McNeely was next to take on the 400-foot hill and he calmly rode his Yamaha through the lights in 9.621 seconds, his best run of the day. Triumph-mounted Ralph Kreeger didn't have any problems, turning in an 8.615-second ride for his best time of the day and a ninth-place finish. After John Hamilton Jr. had gone on the 1Q-minute clock earlier, he returned and tried to cut into fellow 540cc rookie Michael Templeton's eight-point lead in their battle for Rookie of the Year honors. Hamilton had his work cut out for him but put in a good performance on his first ride up the Devil's Staircase. Though he mistimed the all-important first breaker, his 8.703 earned him a top-10 finish by day's end. Templeton was up next and the twotime Amateur National Champion was trying to join his brother Bobby as the only two brothers to win the BOOcc and 540cc Rookie of the Year titles in the same season. Templeton's first attempt at the hill was exciting as he nearly flipped before the third jump. He held on for a time of 8.709, only good enough for 12th butenough to sew up Rookie of the Year. Paul Lowe missed the timing at the bottom of the hill and flew way too high over the first breaker. The rest of the hill (Left) Paul Pinsonnault's second place at the Devll's Staircase helped him clinch the championship In the 540cc class. It is Plnsonnault's fourth consecutive title. (Above) Defending 800cc champion Steve Dresser had a tough season, but finished off the year with a victory. went well for Lowe on his Logan Kawasaki-backed KX500 and he stopped the clocks at 8.606 seconds. After Ted Wilkins' ride was slowed by mechanical problems, Mac's Cycle Supply-backed Scott McNeely pulled his Honda into the pit. Scott and Michael Pulver were in a tight points race for third overall for the series and both riders were looking for the number-three plate. McNeely's ride almost ended after the second jump as the bikes were really hooking up and theHonda rider had to fight off a huge wheelie in the middle of his ride. He crossed the line with a time of 8.683. . BSA-rider Richard Soter III was competing in only his third National of the season and last year's 540cc-dass runnerup had his nitro-burning BSA wound up and ready to go. Soter got his rear wheel down quickly over the first breaker and he never shut off. He leaped off the last jump and the record crowd came to its feet as his time of 7.975 was announced. Pinsonnault, on his KAP / Wulfsportbacked Honda, wasn't able to catch Soter but his 8.114 would earn him second overall and his fourth National Championship. Terry Thompson also flirted. with the seven-second range but in the end only mustered an 8.183-second run. It was still a top-three time. David Watson has been Pinsonnault's most consistent competition all' season and he put in a smooth, fast ride, but the hill favored the twin-cylinder fourstrokes and Watson's 8.661 was a little off the pace. Pulver's first run was going well until the 200-foot mark. As Pulver landed off the second jump, his bike slipped out of gear for a fraction of a second, hurting his time. Pulver would improve on his second ride but he couldn't catch McNeely for third overall for the 1996 seaon. Michael DeBusk was the last rider of the fiist round and his strategy was simple. '1'm going to kick their butts today," DeBusk said. He made it three BSAs in the top four with a time of 8.253 seconds. 1"1any riders made changes for round two but the first rider to improve his time was Lowe. "We geared the bike up for our second ride and we went faster, though we could have used more gear," said Lowe, whose 8.314-second time was fast enough for fifth. Wilkins and McNeely also went faster but they couldn't catch Lowe. McNeely, however, was content with third overall for the season. "I'd hoped to win today but I did what I came here for," McNeely said.. "My goal coming in was to finish the season in the top three." As Soter watched, the rest of the 540cc class set their sights on his time. Pinsonnault nearly matched his firstrun time with an 8.118 and he would mathematically clinch the title if two of the remaining riders failed to beat his first-run time. Thompson dropped his time by 0.060 second, locking up third overall for the day but Pinsonnault was still one rider away from the crown. Watson had to beat Soter's time to keep the championship chase alive but the KAP Honda rider turned an 8.396 to finish in sixth. "I rode well, we just didn't have enough power," Watson said. As the riders took their last runs of the year, Soter's hold on first seemed more and more secure. DeBusk was the last rider" with a chance to beat Soter but he couldn't quite match his 8.254 and would have to settle for for fourth. Soter's first win of the season came at the National Hillclimb series' biggest payday, and he warned the' competition about next season. "1' m going to ride the whole series, and I'm going after the number-one plate," the BSA rider said. 800cc Last year at this time, Dresser was flying high after taking the win and clinching his first National Championship. This year has been tough as he has suffered mechanical problems and missed races while Gerencer has been nearly perfect all season long. Still, Dresser wasn't going to go away quietly and after his Pro USA teammate Bob Castledine led the 800cc class off with a 7.763-second run, Dresser brought his number-one XR750 Harley-Davidson to the line and rocketed up the hill in a nearly perfect run. But he landed so hard _ off the next-to-Iast jump that he wasn't able to hold the throttle wide open and he hesitated just a fraction. Despite this, his 7.623 was the second-fastest time of round one. The Devil's Staircase hill was giving the riders problems as they tried to balance velocity with control for that one ride worth thousands of dollars. Randy Gabriel predicted it would take a 7.2-second ride to win but only five riders broke into the sevens on their first rides. Glen Petty Jr. rode his Harley to a 7.813, behind Castledine's time and Willie Prices' 7.715. Dresser held second after round one because Gerencer, on his Harley-Davidson Racing Pro Hillclimb-sponsored machine, manhandled the hill with a 7.614-second run. Gerencer was after his seventh win of the season. And with the championship already his, he was letting it all hang out. "I'm just here to ride today," Gerencer said. "The pressure is off and I'm just going for the win," Castledine was unable to improve his time, so Dresser was taking his shot. The Arkport, New York, resident roared up the hill and he jumped so far over the last jump that when he crossed the finish line he was still airborne. Dresser's 7.369 electrified the record crowd and the showdown between the 1995 number one and the 1996 number one had gone up a notch. Paul Zander from Glen Rock, Pennsylvania, was competing in only his second hillclimb and, after bike problems on the line, he came back to pick up a time of 7.809 on his BSA, good enough for seventh overall behind Castledine. Triumphmounted Jason Petty took ninth ahead of Tom Reiser with a 7.89O-second run. Rodney Williams was the next rider to crack the top five when he put together a 7.473-second run. "Hot Rod" would have gone even faster, but he spent 25 feet try-

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