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AMAIPace AJT1erican National Hillclimb Series Round 1 : Zeke Wenger Memorial National Hillclimb (Left) Bobby Templeton won the BOOcc class at the Goshen Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club hili in Middlebury, Indiana. It was his fifth-straight win at the event. (Right) Phil L1bhart (Pictured) finished second to .John Hamilton .Jr. in the 540cc class. STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID PATTON JR. MIDDLEBURY, IN, MAY 19 he AMA National Championship Hillclimb Series, sponsored by Pace American, returned to Middlebury, Indiana, for this year's seasonopening national. The Eighth Annual Zeke Wenger Memorial Hillclimb saw former winners Bobby Templeton and John Hamilton Jr. jump to the top of the podium despite very different methods. Templeton needed only one ride to set the day's fastest time and earn a record fifth-straight win at the Goshen Iron Horsemen Motorcycle Club hill. Hamilton, on the other hand, had problems with the bike on his first run in the 540cc class. He then went from worst to first, with a secondround pass that was the highlight of the furious round, which had five different leaders. T 540cc Gary Bowlby started off the day of racing, but the cold-and-damp conditions hampered the timing 'lights on his and Jack Mason's first attempts. After defending 540cc National Champion Jeff Thomas battled a sick motorcycle to the top, Mike Livingston pulled the Mac's Kawasaki/ Off-Road Cycle Supply-backed Honda CR500 into the pit. Livingston has had his best finishes at the Iron Horsemen hill, and he pinned the throttle off the line. He flew way too high over the double, but he landed straight and moved into the lead with a 3.862-second run. Three riders 50 JUNE 5, 2002' r: U r: • e later, former 540cc National Champion Dave Watson took his shot on the Kleeberg Sheet Metal/Spectro Oilsbacked Honda CBR540. Watson chose the far-right rut and put together a great holeshot. Staying low over the double jump - which decides the winners from the losers - he powered toward the top. Watson backed off a little shy of the lights, but he still clocked the fastest run of round one with a 3.643-second time. Chris VanHyning and Tiger Strank also moved past Livingston in the first round. The rains hit halfway through the program but had eased up for the second round, and liVingston wasted little time assuming the lead. He still held it on too long and caught big air, but he stopped the clocks with a 3.537-second time. "After last year's problems, it's good to start off with two consistent rides," Livingston said. Watson was also ready for a faster run. "I hit the jump pretty good on my first ride, but the bike bogged when I landed." the former champ said. "Probably because of the cold weather. We're going to gear them down a little and try to go faster." Watson blasted the four-cylinder Honda over the double and hustled up the right side in just 3.525 seconds. Kreeger Pro Hillclimb's Phil Libhart suffered minor mechanical problems, but he got the Triumph twin fired up in time for his run. He mistimed the shutoff over the jump and shot straight up in the air, never n e _ lIS backing off. Libhart charged up to the top and closed in on his first Middlebury win with a time of 3.516. "We tried a paddle tire for the first run and it didn't work at all," Libhart explained. "I jumped too high but it was fast enough to put us in the lead." Chris VanHyning ran a 3.688 to take fifth behind Livingston. Next up was John Hamilton Jr., firing up the Bo's Radical RacingjThor-backed Triumph for his final run. Hamilton won at Middlebury in 1999, and he really hooked up off the line. The rain had improved the traction in the pit and he was a little late shutting it off over the first jump. Like Libhart, he leaped high into the air and was nearly vertical, but Hamilton had the throttle wide open when he touched down. The crowd roared as Hamilton's 3.442-second time lit up on the scoreboard. After Curt Snelling ran a 3.841 to climb into the top 10, Hamilton had the win wrapped up. "My pump drive spun off on the first run and I had to scratch," Hamilton said. "On the last run, I hit my line and the bike pulled hard, and I knew I had a good run going. I shut off a little before the lights but it was good enough." BOOcc The 800cc class came to the 150foot hiH with one goal: beat Bobby Templeton. "He's won like the last 15 times here or something," joked Dave Watson before the event. Templeton wouldn't predict a fifthconsecutive win but he was happy to start off the year in Middlebury. "We have a good setup for this hill and we've always run well here." Templeton stated. Reiser's Cycle Service-backed Gerry Bennett led the big bikes off in the rain. Bennett had the distance right over the double, but he didn't jump high enough to clear the second jump and took a soil sample on his first ride ever at the Iron Horsemen hill. Jeff Thomas nearly looped out on the Innovative Mold and Machine/ Thomas Racing/Vinylcraft-backed Yamaha twin as his tough day continued. After Tim Frazier ran a 3.822 on the Harley-Davidson Racing Pro HilIclimb XR750, Dave Watson lined up on the Troy Lee Designs/Factory Effex-backed Honda for his first pass. He used the right side of the hill and was smooth over the double for a 3.589-second time. James "Jammer" Large won the 800cc National Championship in each of his first three years on the circuit from 1997-99. He had to cut back on racing the last two years, so this was his first trip to this hill since 1999. "We pulled the bike out of the barn and dusted it off, so we'll see what kind of horsepower we got today," Large said. He didn't waste any time demonstrating how serious he is this year as he rocketed the Reiser's Cycle Service/F&S Harley-Davidson over the double. Large finished strong with a 3.514-second run.