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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128120
AMAlPace Round 9: STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID L. PATTON JR. DANSVILlE, NY, AUGUST 19 eff Thomas traveled to western New York with the fastest 540cc motorcycle in the class, and the exact same 800cc setup he used to win at Dansville last year. Despite thunderstorms that wrecked the hill, Thomas stomped the competition to take his first 540/800cc sweep of his professional career. The Poags Hole event was supposed to be run in the same format as the All-Star Challenge two weeks ago, at round nine, with a Money Round for the top ten after the points-paying runs. Unfortunately, the heavy rains forced the riders to forego the third ride. Defending 540 and 800cc National Champion David Watson was forced to miss the Poags Hole event, after a practice crash during the weeks between events. Watson crashed his motocross bike and suffered a ruptured spleen, a lacerated kidney and a collapsed lung, and was hospitalized for emergency surgery. He has been the dominant rider this season, and even after missing the Poags Hole round, he continues to hold the points lead in both classes. J 540 Jeff Thomas considers Poags Hole his favorite hill because the 500-foot hill rewards aggressive riding. He was the first rider off the Iin~. The hill was very dry, but Thomas had the fourcylinder Honda' CBR on the gas as he launched over the double on the relatively flat bottom half of the hill. Thomas hit the uphill jump a little offcenter, but he never backed off and launched high off of the big jump, landing in the silt on the steepest part of the hill. He flew past the timers at the 525-foot mark in 9.516 seconds, to set the time for everyone else to beat. "This is the first time this year that we had the bike set-up right for the first ride," Thomas explained. "With this new motorcycle, we've had to guess at gearing and suspension, and now we are getting things figured out." Tim Freidhoff followed Thomas' blast with an absolutely flawless run up the right side of the hill on the Hoff Machining/Adam's Cycle Repairbacked Honda CR500. Freidhoff ran a 10.719-second run on his singlecylinder Honda, on a hill that favors 50 SEPTEMBER 5, 2001 • cue I e me...ican National Hillclimb Se...ies ags Hola National the four-cylinder and twin-cylinder machines, because of their horsepower advantages. Phil Libhart is second in the 540cc points standings, and hot off his first win of the year, but his first ride was a rocky one, as he landed hard off the big jump after a decent run off the bottom. Libhart was crossed-up when he landed, and then fell at the 450-foot mark. Cayuta New York's James Wolfe had David Watson build him a Honda CR500 last winter, and had his best ride of the season at Poags, to take over second. Wolfe landed hard off the uphill jump and had to kick a leg out for balance on the upper part of the hill, but he was rewarded with a 10.581-second run. Wolfe's run also signaled the start of the foul weather and thunderstorms. After 2000 winner Tiger Strank Jr. ran a 10.870second run on the Dr. Bob Racing's/ Pirate Promotions-backed KX500, Chad Disbennett rolled his Triumph twin to the line. Disbennett started way to the right, looking for a drier line, and put together an excellent run off the bottom. The rain helped reduce and settle the silt in the landing area after the big jump, and Disbennett kept the throttle pinned to clock a 10.228-second run. "That was a pretty good ride for riding late in the round," Disbennett said. "We're just trying to tighten up the points race a little." Rookie of the Year points-leader Michael Goncalves was the last 540cc rider of the first round, and the Watson Racing/Factory Effex-backed rider had no problems with the greasy hill, running a 12.247-second time, to move into seventh behind Chris VanHyning. Round two saw a muddy, rutted hill challenge the 540cc riders' abilities to reach the top. Riders already in the top ten sat out as the hill was not giving up any decent times, but Libhart continued his eventful day. He was getting ready to drop the hammer on his second run when the bike lurched forward and stalled two feet from the starting light. "The clutch let go, and I barely got it stopped," Libhart explained. Team owners Ralph Kreeger and Brett Rexroth quickly tore into the Triumph during the 10 minutes allotted for repairs - after which time Libhart would be disqualified - to repair the damage. While the seconds ticked away, new clutch plates went n _ _ IS in and Libhart returned to the starting line. He rode cautiously on the Tuff Plates/Amsoil-backed twin, and ended up 10th overall, but still holds second in the points chase. Goncalves hoped to use his motocross experience to crack the top five, but he fell after the big jump, ending the round. "I just called Dave [Watson] in the hospital, he's pretty excited about me and James' [Wolfe] finishes," Goncalves said. Thomas took the win followed by Disbennett, Wolfe, Freidhoff and Strank. After the points-paying rounds were over, the riders agreed to cancel the "money round," due to the condition of the steep return trail, which was a mess after the day's thunderstorms. BOO Brandon Kreeger started out the 800cc action, but the traction on the starting line proved to be too much for the chains on his Triumph Triple, as they ripped loose and locked up his rear wheel - luckily just before the double. Three-time 800cc National Champion James"Jammer" Large was excited about the trip to New York, which is one of his favorite hills. "I like this hill," Large said. "It's technical, and if you time the jumps, it's good for fast motorcycles. I have a first and a second-place finish here, and I broke my foot and ankle here when I finished fifth, so the hill's been pretty good to me. Randy [Gabriel). and Clayton, and some of my friends hauled me up here from Ohio, and I'm just going to try to have fun. Large lined his Harley-Davidson XR750 up on the left side and ham- Jeff Thomas got his first..".,. 540/8OOcc _ . .p In a professional hlllclimb at Poags Hole. Thomas Is quickly gaining ground In the championship points stIIndlngs with David Watson out due to Injury. mered the V-twin off the line. He flew over the double and landed hard, but kept the bike straight and was wide open over the tricky uphill jump. He had no problem over the big jump as he wrestled with the Harley in the air to line up his run to the finish. The crowd came to their feet when his 9.824-second time was announced. "I just wanted to get over the hill and set up for the second ride," Large explained. As the rain continued, the hill got slicker, causing Bobby Templeton to have a spectacular fall. Templeton launched the Bob and Donna Erskine-backed Harley on the right, but was crooked over the double, drifting left and hitting a ledge after the uphill jump, causing him to highside up the hill. The bike and rider came to a rest on the big jump without too much damage other than a bent shock. Templeton would come back for sixth overall. Thomas and Mike Thomas [not related] rolled out their Yamaha XS800 twin with the same setup as last year, and Thomas blasted off the line. He launched really high over the double, but was able to keep on the gas as he flew toward the uphill jump. He hit on the left side, where Templeton ran into problems, but cleared the jump, and then sailed really high off the top jump. Thomas was barely able to avoid the trees on the left side, but he never let off and finished