Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127852
H ILLCLIMB A NATIONAL C MA HAMPIO IP NSH HILLCUMBSERIES 'G atAmerican Hillclimb re (Len) Travis Whit lock took top hon ors at th e Grea t America n Hillclimb In Montana . (Above) Neal Payne cam e away with a couple of class wins. (Below len) M ac McCasland gets the hoo k nea r the top of the 400-Ioot hill. (Below right) Doug Sherburn pushes his YZ980 tw in over the top. BILUNGS. MT, JULY 26-27 m e rican Fork, Uta h's Tr a v is Whitlock re tu rn ed as the most po we rfu l fo rce in rou g h hillcli m bi ng a t th e Billing Motorcycl e Club's (BMC) 77th ann ual Grea t American Hillclimb . The BMC hill is se r iously g narly, though relatively sho rt at just over 400 feet high, but the stature hasn't held the eve nt back. It remains the oldest. biggest a na rich est of th e Nor th Ame rica n "ro ugh " hillclirnbs. Western hillclim bs are called "roug h" hillclimbs to distinguish them from the smoother Eastern AMA-sanctioned series. While the Eastern hills are rela tively smooth, timed runs with jumps. the western hills are rough and nasty wit h relatively few riders topping the hill. In fact, every class paid money to riders who did not top the technical, multicliffed face. Parts of the face are impossible to walk up wit hout the aid of a rope. Of the riders who did visit the top, Whitlock was the most successful w ith three class wi ns, a fast time, a first rid er over, and a third place in the advanced class - for $3050 in total wi nnings for two days. Ove r the yea rs, Whitlock has been a consistent winner here, with four Montana State Cha mpio nships to his name. A Hon da CRSooR and a self-built Yamaha FJlloo with 1986 Yamaha YZ490 suspension, are the too ls of his trade . He topped the 0-600cc Rubber Tire class, the 0-700cc Unli mited class and the Open Unlimited ciass. He failed to place in the Open Tire class, and later credited that failure with allowi ng a fifth cha mpionship to escape his gra sp. Two other former winn ers were next on the money list. Shan non Chamberlain pocketed $2275 for his efforts on a CRSOOR in the smaller classes and on a potent Bearto oth Harley-Davidsonsponso red 1500cc V-twin in the Open classes. Last yea r' s big winner, Dus ty Beer, collected $2175 for his efforts on a KTM 550 and a Kawasaki KX-framed KZl000 mo tor (pu nched out to 123Occ). These two local riders were followed on the mo ney list by fellow Billings rider Dave Johnston. Sid Seitz of Dunmore in Alberta, Canada, was next with $1625 in winnings, including the overall in the Open Tire class. He was followed by three out-of-state riders: Mel and Kenny Kimball with $1275 and $1375, respectively and Colorado's Neal Payne with $1250. Payne took home the Montana State Championship title for his win in the advanced class. The Q-6OOcc Tire class hit the hill first on Saturd ay, and Whitlock was the first and the fastest rider over the tricky hill. Only thr ee other riders fou nd the wa y over the top. One was Ken ny Kimba ll. After his first ru n, Kimball's 7-year-old son ran on the trophy hill. A frea k fall right off the start broke the boy's femur, and da d naturally we nt to the hosp ita l with him . While the boy was in surgery, Kimball returned to give his parents the keys to pack up . If a rider can' t make his appoi n ted run, he has 10 mi nutes to make it to the lin e. Und er the cir cumstances, the club waited for 10 minutes afte r the fina l rider . Kim ba ll arrived back at the hill well in to his grace peri -