VOL. 54 ISSUE 22 JUNE 6, 2017 P41
AMA PRO HILLCLIMB CHAMPIONSHIP KICKS OFF
J
ohn Koester, 2016 Xtreme
Class Champ, laid down
unbeatable rides to take wins in
both the Xtreme and Unlimited
classes at the AMA Pro Hillclimb
2017 season opener on the
White Rose Motorcycle Club's
hill at Jefferson, PA, June 4.
Defending Unlimited and Expert
Singles Champ, Jay Sallstrom,
took the round one win in Expert
Singles.
Koester rode second in the
order in the Unlimited class and
topped the hill in just 6.274 sec-
onds. Nuzzolilli posted a 6.891
E.T. but was bested by Sallstrom
with a 6.329-second ride. Once
again, Koester finished the half
in first, followed by Sallstrom and
Nuzzolilli.
In the second half, Koester
watched, waiting to see if he
would have to defend his po-
sition. Neither Sallstrom nor
Nuzzolilli posted faster times,
so Koester could relax. He was
flanked on the podium by Sall-
strom in second and Nuzzolilli,
third.
In the Xtreme class, Koester
rode fourth in the order and
posted a blazing 6.527-second
E.T., leaping into first by a three-
second margin. Vinny Nuzzolilli,
just back from a two-year hiatus,
topped the hill in 7.241 seconds.
Sallstrom bested Nuzzolilli with
a 7.139-second time. Jockamo
Baldina posted a 7.145, moving
into third behind Sallstom at the
half.
After inter-
mission, Nuz-
zolilli posted a
7.084-second
time and moved
into second
place, but Sall-
strom answered
right back with
a 6.734-second
ride to regain the point. Koester
again waited and watched. A
second run was not needed as
his first Xtreme class ride was
good enough to claim the win.
The Xtreme podium was a car-
bon copy of the Unlimited—Koes-
ter on the top step, Sallstrom to
his right and Nuzzolilli to his left.
In Expert Singles Molly Car-
bon, the series only female rider,
was the first to crest the hill,
showing the guys how it's done.
Phil Libhart posted the first sub-
nine ride at 8.838 seconds. Jay
Sallstrom's 8.291-second E.T.
near the end of the order moved
him to first, trailed by Libhart and
Carbon.
In the second half, Jack
Mason wedged in between
Libhart and Sallstrom with an
8.604-second ride. Libhart fell
short on his second attempt and
settled for third. Carbon bettered
her first-half time by seven-tenths
but it wasn't enough to climb
back onto the podium. Sallstrom
took the win, followed by Mason
and Libhart.
Jeff Whitehead
Unlimited
1. John Koester (Hon)
2. Jay Sallstrom (Yam)
3. Vinny Nuzzolilli (Hon)
4. Jockamo Baldina (Hon)
5. Dave Price (H-D)
Xtreme
1. John Koester (Hon)
2. Jay Sallstrom (Yam)
3. Vinny Nuzzolilli (Hon)
4. Jockamo Baldina (Hon)
5. Cory Strickler (Yam)
Expert Singles
1. Jay Sallstrom (Yam)
2. Jack Mason (Hon)
3. Phil Libhart (Yam)
4. Molly Carbon (Hon)
5. Jockamo Baldina (Yam)
John Koester
launches off the
second jump at
the White Rose MC
Hillclimb on his way
to the Unlimited
class win.
PHOTOGRAPHY
BY
JEFF
WHITEHEAD
