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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128121
AM:AlPace Amer'ican National Hillclimb Ser'ies Round 1 1 : Mountain Lake Valley Par'k STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID L. PATTON JR. Bobby Templeton took his second win of the year In the 800Cc class on his Harley-Davidson-powered hillclimber. WEIRTON, WV, AUGUST 26 eff Thomas made it two 540cc National wins in a row with a great ride at "The Elevator", at Mountain Lake Valley Park. Thomas put together two clutch-performance secondround rides to pass the injured David Watson for the 540cc-points lead. He also kept his 800cc title hopes alive with a fourth overall in that class, two spots behind new series leader Walter "Tiger" Strank Jr., who finished second behind Bobby Templeton. Templeton scored his second win of the 2001 AMA National Championship Hillclimb Series - sponsored by Pace American Trailers - with a flawless ride in the first round of 800cc action, and set the day's fastest time on the new hill. Once again, the Pirate Promotions facility was hit by rain storms on Sunday, morning, but the rains were short-lived and actually helped the dry, rocky surface of "The Elevator" a very steep, 450-foot-long hill that is very similar to nearby Rush Mountain, site of Round six of the series held last July. J Cincinnati, Ohio, resident Curt Snelling was the first rider to challenge the 450-foot hill, and his Honda CR500 struggled to get over the second breaker near the top, but he made it through the lights to start the event. The hill has a flat starting-line chute, about 25-feet long, and then it goes nearly vertical to the first big breaker. The middle section is more gradual, leading up to the second breaker, and then there is a 50-foot flat section that leads to the timing lights. The hill requires horsepower, and most of the twins and Thomas' four-cylinder were predicted to be the bikes to beat. Libhart had a good holeshot, but he hit the little kicker on the face of the first section and it messed up his timing on the first breaker. He lost time in the air and couldn't catch early leader Chris VanHyning. Thomas is right behind Libhart in the points standings, and they are both trying to reel in the injured Watson, who remains the points leader despite remaining sidelined with injuries. The A.R.C. Levers/ Vinylcraft/Wiseco-backed Honda CBR is the fastest bike in the class, and Thomas got a good, straight launch, but he mistimed the breaker. The Honda hooked up in the middle section and then screamed up the top for the first nine-second pass of the day - a 9.717 -second time. Tim Freidhoff lined up way to the right on the Adam's Cycle/Hoff's Machine-backed aluminum-framed CR500, and he timed the breaker perfectly. He kept the throttle pinned to the top breaker and clocked a 9.345-second run· to take the lead. Anthony DeHart rides well on hills requiring a lot of throttle control, and he nailed the first breaker perfectly. He kept the CR500 on the ground and hooked up, and rolled the top breaker for the run to the timers. His run put him in the top spot with a 9.296second time. "That is the best ride I have had in a long·time," the 2000 Rookie of the Year said when he came back down. Tiger Strank Jr. also had a good run, but he had to fight off a wheelie in the middle of the hill and couldn't catch the leaders with a run of 9.480 seconds. John Hamilton Jr. finished out the first round, with a solid 9.329second pass on the Bo's Radical Racing-backed Triumph - despite the hill drying out - to move him into second. 66 • 540 SEPTEMBER 12, 2001 • cue I n • _ s In the second round, the 540cc riders faced a rocky, rough and loose hill, which made it difficult to gain time on. The first 10 riders were unable to crack the top five, and then Thomas pulled into the start chute. "I know I can go faster," Thomas said. "My first run was real conservative, so now I can turn it loose." Thomas left the line hard and he hit the little kicker even harder. His bike bounced up to the first breaker, keeping the rear wheel on the ground and driving, then he gunned the Honda to the second breaker. A rock kicked him sideways as he crested the top breaker, but he cranked it on to cross the line with a new fast time of 9.017 seconds. "It's taken us 10 races to get the setup on the 540 right," Thomas said. "We didn't have to make any changes to the bike." Freidhoff couldn't get through the rocks, and Disbennett ran to sixth with DeHart trying to retake the lead. DeHart wasn't able to get over the kicker clean, and it slowed his charge. Strank was faster than on his first run, but a 9.375-second run was only good enough to finish fifth behind Freidhoff. John Hamilton Jr. rolled to the line for the last ride of the day. When they went to start the bike, the high-compression twin snapped it's primary chain. John's father and a lot of friends, including Rodney Smith, jumped in and tore the bike apart in the 10-minute grace period allowed by the rules, and they got it running as time ran out. Hamilton left the line hard despite a minor problem. "When I took off, my footpeg was up," Hamilton said. "Luckily, it came down when I was in the air from the kicker and I got my foot on the peg." He timed the top breaker and stopped the clocks with a 9.275-second run for second. Jeff Thomas' second-straight 540cc win moved him into the points lead. "On hills like this, a four cylinder built by Tom Hooker's Engines is almost unbeatable," Thomas said. BOO James"Jammer" Large started off the 800cc class with a 9.l38-second pass. "I overjumped both breakers, but the bike stayed straight and was pulling hard on the top," Large said. "I lost a little time in the air, though." Tim Frazier was up next, 13 months after breaking his hip on his winning ride at the 2000 All-Star Challenge. He was on-line off the start but was a little off-line at the first breaker, which is the key to the hill, but he had a 10.069-second pass. John Hamilton Jr. ran a 9.302-second run on the Indianapolis Southside Harley-Davidson and Buell-backed XR750, followed by Jeff Thomas' first run. Thomas was wide open right from the start and he looked the quickest at the bottom of the hill, but it all ended at the first breaker. "A rock got caught in the chain and broke the countershaft sprocket in half," Thomas said. Disbennett nearly caught Large with a 9.156-second run on his Triumph, and then Strank rolled his R1 to the line. "I used to ride more aggressively, but the last two years I haven't been going as all-out as normal," Strank said. "With the points race the way it is, I'm going to turn it up a notch." Jeff Thomas put together a couple of good rides to win the 540cc class, passing the Injured David Watson In the points standings in the process.