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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128123
AMAIPACE "i'merican National Hillclimb Series Round 12: Elushkill Valley Motorcycle Club J (Above) Walter "Tiger" Strank Jr. took his third 800cc win of the season at the Bushkill Valley Motorcycle Club. He leads 540cc winner and points leader Jeff Thomas !Below) by eight points In the 800cc standings with three rounds to go In the season. 540cc The Bushkill Valley Motorcycle Club hill is over 500 feet high, with three jumps and a small kicker just off the starting line. The timing lights were set at the 500-foot mark, which is tough on the two-stroke singles, as they often run out of momentum near the summit. Gollan's Honda/ProAction-backed Ken Bonnema was solid at the bottom of the hill and was on line over the jumps on his CR500 for a time of 11.592 seconds. The first nine-second run belonged to Dr. Bob Racing's Strank, who was smooth off the bottom and didn't have to back off when he hit the kicker. Keeping his Kawasaki KX500 low over the critical first jump, he then kept it pinned to the timers for a 9.928-second run. Two riders later, Thomas brought his CBR-powered Honda to the line. Thomas won his STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID L. PATTON JR. FREESMANSBORG, PA, SEPT 9 eff Thomas continued his charge for the 2001 number-one plate with his third straight 540cc victory at round 12 of the AMA National Championship Hillclimb Series. Walter "Tiger" Strank Jr. added to his 800cc points lead with his third win of the season, claiming his best 540cc finish of the year, taking second ahead of Dave Watson. Watson returned to action just four weeks after emergency.surgery for a ruptured spleen and punctured lung and scored an incredible third in the 540cc class. Bobby Templeton took the runner-up spot in the 800cc class, wit~ Tim Frazier - in only his second hillclimb back on the bike after suffering a broken hip 13 months ago - taking the third step on the podium. 24 SEPTEMBER 26,2001 • II: U II: I e n e _ s lead. Recuperating after his injury, Watson decided to make his return to Pro hillclimbing at his favorite hill, and the huge crowd was on its feet as his father, Dan, rolled his Honda to the line. "I feel a lot better now than when I was stuck in a hospital bed," Watson said. "I've only done four holeshots since the crash, but I'm going to do the best I can." Watson had a decent run off the line, but when he launched off the first jump, his strength let him down and he almost fell off the back of the bike. He recovered to make a decent run to the top to take third with a 10.248-second effort. John Hamilton Jr. ran a 10.741-second pass, and Paul Pinsonnault rounded out the top five with a 10.771-second run. The starting box was very rutted by the second round, and only two riders were able to crack the top five. Pinsonnault has won many times at the Freemansburg hill, and he put together an excellent second run to take fourth overall with a time of 10.415 seconds. Anthony DeHart ran an 11 :20-second time on his first pass, but the A.M. General-backed Honda rider put together a clean 10.510-second run on his CR500 to edge out Hamilton Jr. for fifth. The first-ever 540cc National at Freemansburg in June, and he blasted off the line on the left side, looking for a solid first-round ride. Thomas kept a tight rein on the horsepower over the . jumps and then had a little wheelie before the third jump, but he feathered the throttle and slid past the timers in 9.844 seconds to take the top three remained the same, as Watson wheelied off the line and Strank couldn't match his first run, sewing up Jeff Thomas' third straight 540cc win. "I just feathered the throttle up the hill on the 540, but the bike is so fast, you can do that and still win," Thomas said. . BOOcc Rodney Smith led off the big-bore bikes, but his Yamaha started to run poorly off the line and he was well off the pace when he reached the lights. Watson figured he would have more trouble hanging on to his 800, but he had a decent launch through the rutted starting area. He was crossed up over the first jump at the 150-foot mark, but he corrected it and was straight the rest of the way to the top. Watson ran a 10.347-second pass to take the early lead. Thomas nearly won the Bushkill event in the spring, and he was wide open right off the line on his Yamaha XS800 twin. He started on the far left side of the hill and was blazing-fast on the bottom half of the hill, and was straight as he neared the last jump. He fought off a huge wheelie after the last jump and had to slam the throttle shut to stay on the bike. "The bike was set up perfect, but rider error at the top cost me a halfsecond," Thomas said. "I had a fast bottom, then I stood it straight up at the top and had to back off to make it to the lights." Thomas held on for the first ninesecond run of the day, a 9.806. Strank is the 800cc points leader, and he was too aggressive off the line on the Dr. Bob Racing-backed Yamaha R1. He was all over the place at the bottom of the hill, ending his chances of a fast time. Bobby Templeton and his Harley-Davidson have been riding well the second half of the season, and he was on the gas on the bottom part of the hill. He was very clean over the last two jumps and crossed the lights in 9.808 seconds. Disbennett also clocked a 9.758-second time on the Bo's Radical Racing/Thor-backed Triumph to end the round. Watson elected to sit out his second run and would finish in eighth. "Somehow, I finished third on the 540," Watson said, "But I'm just too weak right now to hang on to the big bike." Strank ended the first round in eighth and was in danger of losing the points lead, so he came to the Hne needing a fast run. He hammered the bike off the line and this time kept it straight over the first jump. He pinned the throttle and the four-cylinder screamed all the way to the top. The crowds cheered the result, an 8.688second pass.