Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

Round 1: Goshen-Iron Horsemen Me AMA NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP HILLCL/MB SERIES By David & Lora Patton MIDDLEBURY, IN, MAY 16 hn Hamilton Jr. and Bobby Templeton each notched career win number one with come-from-behind periorances at the fifth annual Zeke Wenger Memorial National Hillclimb at the Goshen Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club, round one of the AMA National Championship Series. The 1999 event featured record crowds and intense competition on the man-made hill. The 170-foot course features a treacherous double jump that is often the deciding factor between winning and crashing. Both riders had to hold off the challenges of the 1998 Goshen winners. In the 540cc class, Hamilton's first.attempt at the hill resulted in a boundary violation, but his second run blitzed him past Ted Wilkins. Mike Livingston also came up big on ride number two to take hi first Pro podium finish, with the third spot. In the 800cc class, Templeton's first run had him in the top five, but he nailed his second pass to take over the top spot. Lou Gerencer led most of the day, but he couldn't top Templeton's time. Greg Williams took'a solid third on his fourcylinder Honda despite bike problems that forced him out after his first try. Three of the top 540cc riders have joined the 800cc class for 1999, but Goshen was a tough beginning for them. Defending 540cc champion David Watson crashed on his fir t 800cc ride; then he took the conservative approach for 13th place. Terry Thompson suffered mechanical problems before the event and will have to wait until round two to make his 800cc debut. Tim Frazier returned to 800cc class competition for ninth overall behind 1997 & '98 SOOcc National Champion James "Jammer" Large. J1 N ... C ::0 .., 26 540 Phil Libhart wheeled his Howe's Triumph/M&J Racing/Kreeger Pro Hillclimb Team-backed twin into the pit to Bobby Templeton scored his first career 800cc AMA National Hillclimb victory during the 1999 series at the Goshen Iron Horsemen Me. open the day's competition. Libhart has only been on the circuit for three years, but he has always ridden well at Goshen, and he easily cleared the top. Libhart came off the bottom hard, but he couldn't get his bike low ov~r the jump and lost valuable tenths in the air. He would improve on his 3.797 run during his second shot at the hill. Thomas Racing's Chris Brown blasted his Honda up the hill and really timed the jump perfectly for a fast, smooth pass. His 3.488second run wa the second-fastest time in the first 540cc round. After Chris VanHyning ran into problems, Ted Wilkins pulled in for his attempt. Wilkins won the first two hillclimbs of 1998 and led for more than half the season before problems dropped him to fifth for the series. His Rotax snowmobile-engined two-stroke twin shrieked up the hill toward the double. Wilkins dropped the no e a little while airborne and nailed the landing, going on to stop the timers at 3.412 seconds, the top 540cc run of round one. '1t felt like a Sunday drive," Wilkins said. "I wanted to run up the middle of the hill and take it easy to get over the jumps, and it was real smooth." Aaron Brown tried the far right side of the hill, but he shut off too early for a winning time. Brown, on the Thomas Racing Yamaha twin, did a great job keeping his bike in bounds, and his 3.698 would earn him 10th for the day. Toby Thompson was the next rider to get into the three-second bracket, doing so aboard a Thompson Racing/ProAction/White Brothers BSA. Thompson spent a little too much time in the air, but his 3.559 was still a top-three run. Triumph rider Chad Disbennett tried . the far right side of the hill, but he was in trouble right from the start, and he crashed hard just past the double. Former Rookie of the Year Tim Friedhoff picked up his first Pro win la t fall at Goshen, and he clicked off a nice, clean 3.628-second run on his Adam Cycle Repair/Cernics Honda CR500 to move into the hunt for this year's win. Mike Livingston also rode a Honda into the ub-four-second bracket with a 3.720 run, but it wasn't easy, as ge got crossed up over the jump and nearly high-sided when he landed. But he held it on, and held on, and made it up the hill. Hamilton also launched too hard, but he was able to back out of it, though he went out of bounds. Melvin Mease JT. had problems on the line to end the first round. Libhart's second pass was faster and he stayed low over the double. Libhart's 3.610 earned him seventh overall. Chris Brown wasn't able to improve his firstround time but he still claimed fourth overall. After Aaron Brown suffered mechanical problems, Richie Scheuerman's 3.47-second run pulled him up to ninth overall. Thompson's BSA developed a miss off the line, but hi 3.559 in round one was good for sixth place. Hoskins, a top-five competitor who had mi sed mo t of 1997 and 1998, crashed hard on hi first ride when he carne up short, but he nailed his second try. "It's a lot smoother when you clear the jump and don't crash," Hoskins said after he broke the lights in 3.547 seconds for fifth overall. His comeback to hillclimbing was certainly one of the highlights of the weekend. FriedhofFs second attempt didn't go as well, as he shut off too soon and didn't clear the second jump. Tim's firstround time was eighth best. Off-Road Cycles/WD-40/Screaming Peacocksponsored Mike Livingston really picked it up on his second chance. '1 didn't know what to expect after my first ride," Livingston said, "but everyone told me that i1 I could keep it straight, I could do it. Roger McNeely of Mac's Cycles told me the bike might kick over the jump, but I got over the jump and tbe bike just took off. A lot of people have helped. me, including Watson Racing and my girlfriend, and we're ju t going for it this year." Mike blasted his way to third overall at 3.481 seconds. Hamilton brought his John Hamilton/Lanny Zeunges/ ASAP Racing/Get High Racewear Triumph to the line with winning on his mind, and he let it rip. Starting on the far left side of the hill, he immediately got sideways going up to the jump, but he snapped his bike straight and landed with the throttle cranked wide open. Some 3.289 seconds later, Hamilton had the class lead. '1 came off the jump a little sideways and really high, 0 I turned the ga on in the air, and when it hit, it landed soft and straight," Hamilton said. After Melvin Mease Jr. fell on the jump, Wilkins tried to reclaim the victory. He left the jump ,,~th the throttle on and did a huge skyshot, leaving it pinned wben he landed, but the time lost in the air relegated him to second place. "That was fun, but man, it hurt," Wilkins said. "I came off too hard and it spun, then it hooked up as 1 got to the jump and I flew way too high. I'm happy to start the year off with second place." Wilkins' demise left Hamilton with his first win. . "Man, J've been waiting for this for a long time," Hamilton said. "My dad has worked real hard and has given me a fast motorcycle, and that makes it a lot easier." 800' Harley-Davidson Racing Pro Hill- ~ climb Team captain Lou Gerencer led off the SOOcc class on his XR750, hoping to repeat his win at Goshen last fall, and the three-time 800cc ational Champion put in a flawless opening ride to score a 3.349-second run. ational number two, Glen Petty Jr., has also had success at the Iron Horsemen hill, and he lined up on the far right side for his first pass. Petty didn't get the perfect ride he was after. '1 couldn't get any traction out of the hole, and when it did get going, it just about threw me off," he said. Petty chased the motorcycle all the way up the hill, but he wouldn't back off, and he held on for a time of 3.468 seconds on the Stoughton's Cycles H-D. Southside H-D & Buell rider Russ VanderVeen had problems over the double and went out of bound right before the timing lights at the lSD-foot· mark. Former ational Champion Beese Wendt tried the right side of the hill, and he had a good run out of the hole. Beese got his bike down after the double and he ran through the lights in 3.967 seconds for ninth overall. Beese crashed on his second pass and suffered leg injuries that may keep him out of action for a while. Defending 540cc champion David Watson made his move up to the SOOcc class on a sLeeved Honda CBR900R sponsored by Kleeberg SheetmetaL, Mac's Cycle Supply and A&P Machine. "We did a lot of work this winter," Watson said. "Hopefully everything works out so we can have a good run today." Watson left the line hard, but he ran into trouble over the double. '1t was fast," Watson said. '1 wasn't expecting it to hook up so fast on the first part, and it caught me off guard there when I got to the jump. I got crossed up in the air, and that was it." Watson was banged up, but he would make a second ride. Southside H-D & Buell rider Harry Denham's ride also ended short of the top. Denham, the 1998 800cc Rookie of the Year, carne up way short and plowed into the face of the second jump, taking himself out for the rest of the day. Templeton then wheeled the Erskine's PMS For Motorcycles Harley to the line. He got cross-rutted up the double and lost time getting it straight, but his 3.517-second time was an indi.cation that he was fast enough to go for the win. Gerencer's H-D of Elkhart/Parts Unlimited/Thor-backed Tim Frazier followed, and he had a good launch off the line, but he wasn't able to shut off quickly enough and came off the jump with his front end too high. The four-time 540cc champion saved it and stopped the timers at 3.629 second . BSk mounted Mark Swem put ill his best ride ever, ending with a 3.396-second run for fourth overall Brandon Kreeger cased the second jump on his Triumph Triple but got over the top, and Bob Shreiner had a problem off the line and had to roll the jumps. His teammate Mike DeBusk came off the line with his Kawasaki two-stroke triple screaming. Unfortunately for Mike, the front end was up in his face, and when he landed he went down 'hard, but Mike would give it another try in round two. Greg Williams of Ontario, Canada, had a great launch off the bottom on his four-cylinder Honda, staying low over the double, but his bike sputterec! near the top. '1 went over the top a nd landed so hard it jammed my ankle and bent my throttle linkage," Greg Williams sa.id. Williams still clocked a 3.372-second run that would be fast enough for third overall. Two-time and defending 800cc National Champion James Large hasn't

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