VOL. 53 ISSUE 25 JUNE 28, 2016 P33
LIBHART WINS KENTUCKY HILLCLIMB
P
hil Libhart took double wins
in the AMA Pro Hillclimb
round 4, June 25, hosted by
Rush Off Road—a brand new
venue for pro hillclimbing in
Rush, Kentucky. Winning
both the Unlimited and Xtreme
Classes for the second time this
year, Libhart broke an unprec-
edented three-way Unlimited
Class tie with rivals Jay Sallstrom
and John Koester. Koester won
the Expert Singles Class and
Sallstrom the exhibition Hill-
Cross competition.
Sallstrom crested the hill
in just 9.737 seconds for first
place in the Expert Singles
Class at the half. In the second
half, Libhart leaped into second
with a 9.859 E.T. Adam Holmes
took over the lead, posting a
9.7-second ride. Then Koester
bested them all with a blazing
9.471-second ride. Sallstrom
battled back, riding last, but fell
two tenths short, settling for
second and nudging Holmes to
third. Koester took the win and
Sallstrom took the TiLUBE Top
Gun award.
In the Xtreme Class, Sallstrom
once again led at the half, and
waited out the second half see-
ing if he'd need to ride. Libhart,
riding last in the order and
standing in fifth, lopped off three
tenths to take over the lead,
forcing Sallstrom to ride and
Jockamo Baldina to third. Sall-
strom bettered his own first-half
score but couldn't pass Libhart.
In the Unlimited Class, Sall-
strom led at intermission as the
only rider to drop into the eights.
Koester had his bike sorted
out for the second half of the
Unlimited Class and posted an
8.977-second E.T.—fast but not
faster than Sallstrom. But again
Libhart, riding late in the order,
was the spoiler. He shaved just
0.007 seconds off Sallstrom's
time and forced a ride. Sall-
strom answered but fell short of
Libhart's pace, again settling for
second. Koester made his only
shot at the hill good enough for
the third step of the Unlimited
Class podium.
Jeff Whitehead
U/L:
1. Phil Libhart (Tri)
2. Jay Sallstrom (Yam)
3. John Koester (Hon)
Xtreme:
1. Phil Libhart (Tri)
2. Jay Sallstrom (Yam)
3. Jockamo Baldina (Hon)
Expert Singles:
1. John Koester (Suz)
2. Jay Sallstrom (Yam)
3. Adam Holmes (Hon)
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JEFF
WHITEHEAD
Phil Libhart
dominated the AMA
National Hillclimb in
Kentucky.
