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/128124
AMAIPace American National Hillclimb Series Round 13: Goshen Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club (Above left! Bobby Templeton secured his third win of the season and moved into third In the points standings In the 800ce ela... (Above rivhtl Chris Vanhyning took his f1rst-ever national hlllelimb v1c:tory In the 540ce ela. . at Goshen. STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID L. PATTON JR. /lllDDlEBQRY,lN SEPT 16, 2001 s America tried to recover from the terrorist attacks, the oldest form of motorcycle racing retumed to action in Middlebury, Indiana. The Goshen Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club hosted Round 13 of the AMA National Championship Hillclimb Series, with heavy hearts but with a determination and desire to help. The club, the riders, and the fans contributed over two thousand dollars to the Red Cross Relief Fund by the end of the day. Chris Vanhyning has had a tough season in 2001; after an excellent 2000 campaign, which included a career-best second place. At Middlebury, Vanhyning only needed 3.522 seconds to claim his first 540cc national victory and turn his season around. In the 800cc class, Bobby Templeton continued to rule the roost at the Goshen events. Templeton only needed one run to notch his third-straight victory at the hill. He now has four wins out of the last five Iron Horsemen races. A 540 Vanhyning was the first rider to challenge the 150-foot hill, which features a long uphill double jump only thirty feet off the tine. Vanhyning shot off the line on his CR500 and easily cleared the double. He timed the double perfectly and landed with the gas wide open. His run was wasted: however, as the timers weren't working properly - he would have to do his run over again. Walter "Tiger" Strank Jr. put his Kawasaki KX500 in the lead with a 3.802-second time, but he would end the day in the lOth position. Tim Freidhoff has one National 20 OCTOBER 3, 2001 • cue • _ victory in his career, and it came at Goshen. Freidhoff was straight off the line and he minimized his airtime over the double on his Honda CR500. He raced for the fmish line and took the lead with a 3.535-second pass. After Mike Livingston clocked a 5.583-second pass on his Honda CR500, Vanhyning rolled up to the line. His Honda suffered a meltd.own at Round 12 of the series, and with air traffic grounded, his father had to drive two 16-hour round trips back to their shop to get the engine put back together. All the hard work paid off, as Vanhyning put together another flawless ride - he never shut off as he approached the crest of the hill. The fans' cheers told the tale, as 3.522 seconds flashed at the top of the leaderboard. Current 540cc points leader Jeff Thomas overjumped the double, as did Phil Libhart, his closest competitor in the 2001 points race. The hill dried out and developed a lot of ruts by the time the 540s started their second round - a fast run was going to be very difficult. As Vanhyning watched, Freidhoff couldn't match his first run and would settle for third. Mike Livingston nearly looped out and would finish fifth behind John Hamilton Jr. Hamilton had a forgettable first run, but he had the Triumph up and over the top in 3.568 seconds on his second ride. Thomas was the next to last rider, and he held it on too long, nearly looping out over the double. The impact of the landing nearly put him over the bars. He rode to the lights with his body hanging off the left side of the bike, which dropped him out of the top 10. n __ s "The 540 leaves the line so hard it's hard to time the shutoff just right: Thomas said. "It's been a tough day for us." Libhart started the day 15 points behind Thomas - he has had many podium finishes at the Middlebury hill. He lined up on the left side and dropped the hammer on the Triumph twin. He timed the landing perfectly as his chained-up rear wheel hooked up and shot him to the top. He edged Freidhoff with his 3.531-second run to take the runner-up spot. "We finally got a good ride," Libhart said. "We've had a tough time these last few weeks, but hopefully they will let us back in the championship chase. The bike is really coming to life lately, so we geared it down - because it dried out - and it worked out today." Vanhyning eamedhis win on this day. "The bike was setup good and it didn't bother me too much when the timers didn't work on the first run," Vanhyning said. "Everything worked out for us today." BOO Rodney Williams, from nearby Niles, Michigan, was the first 800cc rider on the hill, returning to action after a four-month layoff. Williams took fourth at the season opener in May but broke his wrist; however, he was excited to be back on the bike. He chose the far left side and had a trouble·free launch up to the double. He stayed close to the ground and landed straight, then he turned it on for the final 100 feet to the timers. He ran a solid 3.627-second pass to open the show. Strank was up next on his Yamaha Rl. Strank has a solid lead in the National Championship Series, he showed everyone why on his first run. He came off the line hard, and tried to keep the bike low over the double to minimize airtime, but he came up a foot short. He cased the jump - with the impact slamming his head back - but he held on and nailed the throttle for a 3.479second time. "That run snapped my head back, so my helmet covered my eyes for a second, then I turned it on," Strank said. "I didn't think I was going that fast when I got to the top, but when I jumped over the top, I was too high, so I bailed off. Luckily, nothing got hurt." Strank's hold on the top time would be challenged when Templeton pulled his Harley-Davidson to the line. Templeton lined up on the left side and dropped the hammer on the XR750. He was straight over the double and eased hi~ front wheel down first then pushed hard to the top. He took the lead with a 3.346-second run, but he felt he could have gone faster. Thomas is second in the 800cc points, and he has won at Middlebury before, so he was after Templeton's time on his first ride. Thomas fired the Yamaha-XS twin off of the right side of the hill where Vanhyning ran in the 540cc class. He had a good run going, but he was crossed up over the double and had to back out of the throttle to stay in bounds on the right side. He still ran a 3.508-second pass despite his problems. Brandon Kreeger was the final rider of the round and he had the Kreeger Racing-backed Triumph Triple completely sideways over the double. He never backed off and the bike snapped straight enough for him to get over the top, but he was a little off the pace with a four-second run.