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/1504322
USA Motoclimb Team Places Second To France T he 2023 USA Motoclimb Team competed against Europe's best Motoclimb ath- letes at Montee Impossible in La Bresse, France, on July 23. The team—which consisted of Harold Waddell, Joe Shipman, Logan Mead, Logan Cipala and Austin Teyler—was compiled through qualifying during the 2019 IRC Motoclimb Super Series season. The team put in extra effort this year and shipped over three USA-style racebikes to compete with, including two GSX-R1000s and a methanol-powered KTM 950. The Montee Impossible was also the Nation's Cup, with more than five nations represented and competing for both overall and individual results. Each racer had the opportunity to try the hill five times, and the one with the shortest time and covered the greatest distance wins the round. This hill is at least 800 feet long and gets nearly vertical in the final 30 feet. Rocks and rough spots litter the entire main hill. Joe Shipman was the first American to make it over the top, followed shortly by Harold Waddell, who bested his time. Those two successful attempts were the only two runs in which an American waved the check - ered flag at the top, as Mead, Cipala and Teyler were mere feet from reaching the top cleanly. Shipman and Waddell suffered in the later rounds, and couldn't make successful runs to the top. The French racers, however, took advantage of their home-turf advantage and crested mul - tiple times throughout the day. Multi-time USA Champion Logan Cipala described the challenging hill, saying, "This was the most difficult hill I've ever raced in my life." Yohan Peltier of France was holding the fast time with his KTM 1190, until fellow French racer Vincent Mougenot pulled off a very quick run on his Su - zuki TL1000 on nitrous. Harold Waddell was sitting in the third podium spot until French racer Thomas Jolly went over the top faster and bumped "The Gasser" back to fourth place. Joe Ship - man finished in seventh. There was also a Stock Bike Verticross in which racers battled up the hill in a tourna - ment bracket format. The finals comprised of Cipala and Teyler, and it was Teyler who made it to the finish line first to win the class. Overall, the results favored the French athletes, as they swept the overall podium and won the Nation's Cup. The American athletes had a couple of top 10s and placed second in the Na - tion's Cup. Team Switzerland, led by Moritz Yanka, placed in third. This was an exhibition race for the 2023 IRC Motoclimb Super Series, which will continue state- side at its next round at the Big Hill Jam in Yoncalla, Oregon, on August 12-13. Matt Musgrove WIND IN THE P60 Team USA celebrates second place on the podium with Team France (first) and Team Switzerland at the Montee Impossible hillclimb.