Wild action at third round of AMA Pro Hillclimb

By Jeff Whitehead

To kick off the action at the third round of the AMA Pro Hillclimb Championship Series in Avoca, N.Y, the promoter brought in exhibition monster trucks running over and crushing cars and custom racing snowmobiles (in July!) screaming up the hill. Still, it was no match for the main event: 42 roaring, nitro-burning, fire-belching, up-hill rocket bikes and 27 guys, and 1 gal, brave enough to try to ride them to the top.

The unique atmosphere didn’t stop with the pre-competition show. The Avoca hill had been groomed to offer something different this year. The course resembled an uphill slalom with a rapid-fire double-breaker in the first 50 feet followed by a giant "S" curve snaking from there to the finish line at 325 feet. Pairs of straw bales served as a series of gates that the riders had to clear to remain on the course. Clip a bale and you're out of bounds. Many of 28 riders had just that experience and it cost them when they got credited with distance rather than a time for their attempt.

First to run was the Xtreme Class. Phil Libhart from Elizabethtown, Pa., was the fourth rider and he showed everyone why his gleaming orange Triumph wears the No. 1 plate this year. Libhart set a blistering pace and topped the hill in only 8.003 seconds.

After all the first-round riders, no one had come within a second of Libhart’s time. But Nate Redmann from Rochester, Minn., the class points leader going into this race, was due a re-run. Although he made it across the finish line on the Dr. Bob's Racing Yamaha R6, and did a crowd-thrilling wheelie that turned into a spectacular backflip after the timing lights, the clock kept running; the lights didn't see him. Redmann's re-run was quick at 8.219 seconds but still behind Libhart. Standing in third place after the first round was Colby McCutcheon, Ripley, W.Va., on a KTM.

Next up were the ProSport riders. Only half of this group made it to the top of the hill on their first attempt, with points leader Bryan Rusnak from Portage, Pa., setting the pace on his Kawasaki at a respectable 12.322 seconds. Brandon Novak from Summerhill, Pa., was in the second spot on his KTM. 2008 Champion, Robby DeBusk from Brownstown, Pa., was in third on his Yamaha.

Then came the big bikes of the Unlimited Class: big Harleys, converted four-cylinder crotch rockets and assorted other tooth-rattling monster bikes. Libhart was the fifth rider and he let it all hang out for nearly a 7-second ride only to be DQ’ed for clipping a straw bale with his footpeg at the finish line. Shawn Farnsworth from Rumney, N.H., followed Libhart and topped the hill on the Reiser's Cycles Unlimited Class Harley in just 7.567 seconds. Scott Campbell from Sissonville W.Va., had a smokin’ fast ride too; he stopped the clock at 8.020 seconds on his GSXR-based Suzuki. Tiger Strank’s 8.624-second ride put him in third place at the end of the first half.

If a freestyle award were handed out at intermission, it would surely have gone to Redmann. He did a splendid Superman imitation on the Unlimited Class bike in addition to the backflip in Xtreme Class.

In the second half, the Xtreme Class riders were all gunning for Libhart’s time. Being the fastest in the first round gave him the option to just sit it out and see if anyone topped him. If they did, he could ride last for a chance to reclaim the lead. It never happened.

Redmann’s second ride stopped at 255 feet, keeping him in second place. Shane Green from Georgetown, Ill., turned in an 8.512-second ride on his Kawasaki to edge out Colby McCutcheon for the third spot on the podium -- his first time in AMA Pro Hillclimb.

In the Pro-Sport class, Scott Hoke from Spring Grove, Pa., whose first ride on the Action Motor Sports Suzuki ended at just 60 feet, crossed the finish line in 12.946 seconds on his second ride up the hill. Scott’s ride was nearly a second faster than Novak and he temporarily held second place.

Rusnak bettered his own time by nearly a second for an 11.405-second ride and the win. This gave Rusnak three wins in a row. DeBusk shaved more than two seconds off his first ride to finish second overall with a time of 11.962 seconds. DeBusk ride bumped Scott Hoke to the third-place finish -- his first time on the podium.

Farnsworth sat it out in the second half of the Unlimited Class competition while the other riders tried to beat his time. Only Libhart came close. Libhart put in a clean ride in just 7.661 seconds. Libhart’s ride was less than one-tenth of a second off Farnsworth’s mark but fast enough to bump Campbell and Strank down one place each. In the end it was Farnsworth in first, Libhart in second and Campbell third in the Unlimited class.

The next AMA Pro Hillclimb will be the Poags Hole Hillclimb in Dansville, N.Y., on Aug. 16.

After three races, the points standings for the top contenders are:

Unlimited Class: Phil Libhart- 67 points, Shawn Farnsworth- 62 points, Alex Benner- 56 points, Ryan Thibault and Scott Campbell- 53 points each.

Xtreme Class: Nate Redmann- 72 points, Ryan Thibault- 61 points, Phil Libhart- 58 points, Colby McCutcheon- 54 points, and Matt Luna- 50 points.

ProSport Class: Bryan Rusnak- 75 points, Robbie DeBusk and Brandon Novak- 61 points each, Amanda Campbell- 58 points and Scott Hoke- 57 points.

Jeff Whitehead is a freelance writer and photographer in Elizabethtown, Pa. His website is ProHillclimbOnline.com.