Cycle News - Archive Issues - 2000's

NAHA HillcJimb Finale Carnegie SVF=lA decided until nearly dark on the second day near the last of the runs in the 251- 700cc Exhibition class. Even at the final event, the battle never let up between the two, though other riders more than kept them honest. Three of those riders were AMA National Hillclimb contenders from back East competing in a Western Rough Hillclimb for the first time. Last year's Champion Dave Watson and his teammate Mike Gonsalves were joined by newly crowned '01 540cc champ Jeff Thomas. Watson and Thomas both had 13th-place rides in one class each, though Watson was consistently the highest finisher of the Eastern trio. All claimed they had fun, but claimed the Western and Eastern climbs are different animals. "Our type of hiJlclimbing is like motocross," Watson said. "And this type of hill climbing is like riding in the woods. The hill is very slow and STORY AND PHOTOS BY KAREL KRAMER/DIRT RIDER MAGAZINE TRACY, CA, OCT. 20·21 emember what Woody was always saying in the Disney animated movie Toy Story? "Reach for the skyl" And that is exactly what the members of the North American Hill· climber Association have been doing all year long. At each of the NAHAsanctioned events, the Pros accumulate points in every different Pro class that count toward the championship. At Carnegie SVRA, that amounted to six classes that paid points. With s.o many points-paying classes the points totals look high, and the series frontrunners Dusty Beer and Travis Whitlock came into the final event with over 32,000 points for the year, but only separated by 129 points. Basically, the final event decided the championship, but the closeness of the points ensured that the title would not be !Above) The eastern boys were a bit out of their element on the technical Carnegie hili, though they all had a great time. (Left) Winning the 250cc Exhibition and Pro An Open classes was Travis Whitlock. Needless to say. this Isn't his 250cc steed. technical for us." Saturday saw the Pro Altered classes (O-600cc and Open), which allows extended wheelbase but requires knobby tires, take to the hill. In the 0-600cc division, Beer edged Whitlock by roughly half a second with Pete Loomis third. The top six riders in the class all fell within a window of less than a second, and 33 riders topped the hill - including all of the Eastern trio. The Altered Open class was also incredibly close with Whitlock and his FJl200-powered YZ winning with fast time, and the only run in the 11 s. Jon Smith put another FJ into second with a time less than 1/10th of a second slower. Mike Reesor came from Canada to roost to third on a 1393cc Kawasaki KZI000-powered monster. Utah's Mel Kimball has been collecting cash since the mid-'80s with his Honda CB900F (1123cc)-based spe- 22 NOVEMBER 7, 2001 • cue I • n e _ s cial, and he collected more with a fourth. Dusty Beer was the final rider in the 12s with his KX500-based 1400-something KZ I OOO-powered special. Beer's 200-horse motor grenaded the week before Carnegie, so he was back to his tried and proven 160-horsepower engine for the event. The names were the same in the 250cc Exhibition class with Whitlock nearly a second quicker than Pete Loomis and Beer. The hill was tough on the 250s, and only eight riders made the top, though all five major brands were represented in the riders who made it over. The Open Exhibition class moved down the hill a bit to a fresh spot and tackled a slippery slop 525 feet high. The trail was bannered off with two hard turns and a gradual bend in it as if the grade wasn't tough enough! Canadian Powermonger Reesor pulled out a magic run on his potent Kawasaki KZ1393. His line included banking up the side of an old rain rut, then threading between two buried boulders only IS-inches apart! All of the fast times mimicked his line. When congratulated on the hot line and fast run after the event, Reesor

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