AMA Hillclimb: A Hot Time in Poags Hole

Photos and story by Jeff Whitehead

The worst heat and humidity the dog-days of summer could throw at Dansville N.Y. wasn't enough to keep a large crowd of enthusiastic hillclimb fans away from the annual Poags Hole AMA Pro Hillclimb on Aug. 16.  Fans filed in by the thousands to see the wild spectacle of highly skilled riders on high-powered motorcycles attempting to scale a hill that might be more aptly called “Widow-Maker of the East.”

Indeed Poags Hole is legendary for its ability to stop short the best efforts of riders trying to join the elite ranks of those who have crested its lofty heights. This year was no different as a field of 33 riders with 47 bikes, from as far away as New Hampshire and Nebraska, turned out to test their ability and luck against hill.  Of those, 13 took in the view from the top -- at least 4 of them for the first time ever!

During each ride, the fans seemed to simultaneously hold their breath as the rider started up the hill's final and steepest ascent and then went wild in unison if he made to over the top.  But the fans also come to see another regular feature for which Poags Hole is famous -- wild, indeed very wild, crashes. This year the hill produced a bumper crop of bike-flipping crashes.

In the Xtreme Class, the winning rides were all in the first round.  First over the top was Harold “the Gasser” Waddell, from Bennington, Neb., with a stunning hang-it-all-out ride in 16.918 seconds on his Suzuki.  Next rider over the top was Matt Luna, from Muskegon, Mich., who crested the hill at 18.705 seconds, putting him in second place.  Rookie Colby McCutcheon, from Ripley, W.Va., topped the hill in 20.943 seconds on his KTM.  They stood in 1-2-3 position after the first round and remained so at the finish.  Special congrats to McCutcheon for his first podium finish in pro hillclimbing.

Shawn Farnsworth, from Rumney N.H., led off the first round in the Unlimited Class and wowed the crowd with an awesome ride in just 17.159 seconds on the Reiser's Cycles Harley XR-800.  Harold Waddell followed Shawn and stopped the clock at 14.790 seconds on his Suzuki, more than 2 seconds faster than Shawn.  Then Phil Libhart, from Elizabethtown, Pa., put in a ride of 20.696 seconds on his vintage Triumph twin for third at the end of the first round. 

Alex Benner, from Niles, Mich., came back in the second round with a ride reminiscent of last year when he screamed his Honda all the way to the top in just 15.166 seconds taking the second-place finish and bumping Farnsworth to third.  Jeff Thomas of Greenwood, Ind., gave it all he had and crested in 19.340 seconds, knocking Libhart to fifth.  In the end it was Waddell, Benner and Farnsworth on the podium.  Waddell credited his early ride with helping him win because he was able to ride before the hill got rutted up.  He also said that “two wins make the long ride back to Nebraska that much easier.”

In ProSport, John Mosko from nearby Arkport, N.Y., made his best run on his Honda in the first round- 532 feet, putting him temporarily in the lead.

Bryan Rusnak, from Portage, Pa., lengthened his bike's swingarm before coming to Poags Hole in hopes of being the first ProSport rider ever to crest this hill.  He made it to just 482 feet before his Kawasaki's engine blew, leaving him in third place behind Stephen Carlin from Arkport after the first round.

For his second run, Rusnak was able to borrow Phil Libhart's AmeriGreen Biofuels E85 powered Yamaha YZ450 and made it to 540 feet -- still short of the crest but enough to catapult him to his fourth win in a row and the first ever ProSport win on an E85 fueled machine!  After the racing was over Bryan was asked how he feels after winning four in a row.  He answered, “I feel like winning another one!”

Bryan's ride bumped Mosko to second place.  Rounding out the class was Robby DeBusk, from Brownstown, Pa., on a Yamaha. He made to 530 feet on his second ride.

The day featured the usual three classes of AMA Pro Hillclimbing plus a twist -- side-by-side drag racing up the hill in an exhibition event called “Verti-Cross” (think of Vertical motocross).  The first rider to the top or to reach the highest height wins the heat.  Eight riders ran in four heats at the half-time intermission and the winners went head-to-head after the second and final run of the pro classes. 

In the final Verti-Cross run for the win it was Harold Waddell, already with two first place pro finishes on the day, against local favorite Chris VanHyning, from Dansville, N.Y.  Waddell took an early lead and made VanHying bear the brunt of what his rear tire was kicking out.  Following Waddell's bike must have felt like following a lunatic on a rocket-powered roto-tiller.

On the upper slope VanHyning had enough and gunned past Waddell in an amazing finish, all the while giving Waddell a “face-full” of the hill.  VanHyning said after the race that Verti-Cross gives new meaning to the phrase- “eat my dirt.”

After 4 hillclimbs, the points standings for the top contenders are:

• Unlimited Class- Phil Libhart- 85 points, Shawn Farnsworth- 82 points, Alex Benner- 78 points, Scott Campbell, Sissonville WV- 69 points, and Nate Redmann, Rochester MN- 56 points.
• Xtreme Class- Nate Redmann- 82 points, Phil Libhart- 76 points, Colby McCutcheon- 74 points, Matt Luna- 72 points, and Walter “Tiger” Strank, Johnstown PA,- 64 points.
• ProSport Class- Bryan Rusnak- 100 points, Robbie DeBusk- 81 points, Amanda Campbell, Sissonville WV and Brandon Novak, Summerhill PA- 77 points each, and Scott Hoke- 71 points.

Next the AMA Pro Hillclimbers will be back at Freemansburg (Steel City), PA on Sept. 13.