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/128129
Wboah, Nellie! Hillclimb legend Robie Petenon didn't ..... a el_ win, but he did style on his _ to the top of the difficult climb. commented tongue-in-cheek, "It wasn't good enough to help me in the 252- 700cc class." His Kawasaki was chased by three FJ1200s with Brandon Whitlock besting elder brother Travis by 11/l00ths of a second. They weren't the only brother act, Jon Smith nabbed fourth on his FJ, but younger brother Jason was seventh on a Rocket-Scienceframed Rotax 800cc twin. The 140horsepower two-stroke is out of a snowmobile! Beer was fifth. Mel Kimble, who was sixth, is usually half of a potent sibling rivalry, but brother Kenny Kimball wadded a collarbone racing the Vegas to Reno desert race shortly before the Carnegie round. The race action wasn't the only drama in the Open Exhibition class. Beer tore up a knee at his hometown climb in Billings, Montana. He raced broken two weeks later, then went in for surgery to repair the knee, then competed again just four weeks early. Whitlock has had a healthy season, but while up checking out lines on the hill a 1OO-plus horsepower monster flung a rock the size of a brick out of the rear paddle tire. The rock caught Whitlock in the left forearm like an artillery shell. It affected his grip, but he still pulled off the third! Then Chad Lorenz had his FJ 11 00 let go in spectacular fashion. The connecting went through the front of the cases, and the hot oil sprayed on hotter exhaust pipes, and the engine caught fire. Lorenz stayed cool, and babied the bike up the hill and out of dried grass before stopping to throw dirt on the engine. The final class of the weekend was the 0- 700cc Exhibition class. The hill was showing the effects of the monster bikes, but Beer ripped off a rapid time on his KTM 550 MXC, that required Whitlock to finish 15th or better to win the championship. His last run, made after many claimed the hill was too chewed up for a fast time, bumped Mel Kimball to third. Beer was delighted at the trophy presentation saying, "Unlike the Bush/Gore election, I'm not waiting for Florida. Let's hear it for the new number-one-plate holder!" Let's. eN ClImelie SVRA Tracy, California Resuhs:October20-21,2DOl OT 0·600: 1. Dave Gestoso Sr. (Yam); 2. Denny Storlie (Hon); 3. Jell Young (Hon). OT OPEN; 1, Jeff Barger (Suz); 2. Mick Jensen (Kaw): 3. Lefty Frueh (Kaw). PRO AlT 0-600: 1. Dusty Beer (KTM): 2. Travi. Whitlock (Hon); 3. Pete Loomis (Suz); 4. Pete Krunich (Hon); 5. Robie Peterson (Hon). PRO ALT OPEN; 1. Travis Whitlock (Yam); 2. Jon Smith (Yam); 3. Mike Reesor (Kaw); 4. Mel Kimball (Hon); 5. Dusty Beer (Kaw). EXHIB 0·251: I. Travis Whitlock (Hon); 2. Pete loomis (KTM): 3. Dusty Beer (KTM); 4. Jon Smith (KlIw); 5. Darren Monis (Hon). EXHIB 251-700; 1. Dusty Beer (KTM): 2. Travis Whitlock (Hon); 3. Mel Kimball Jr. (Hon) 4. Jason Smith (Kaw); 5.Mike ClIriton (Hon). EXHIB OPEN: 1. Mike Reesor (Kaw): 2. Brandon Whitlock (Yam); 3. Travis Whitlock (Yl!lm); 4. Jon Smith (Yam); 5. Dusty Beer (Kaw). cue I • n ... _ S • NOVEMBER 7, 2001 23