AMA Pro Hillclimb - 2014

Kevin had finals on the day of the hillclimb.   I decided wait until he finished so he could go with me.  I picked him up at 10:45AM for our 80 mile drive.  I figured we would arrive shortly after noon.

When unforeseen events happen it can really mess things up.  CONSTRUCTION ON THE HIGHWAY !!!  Three lanes of traffic going to one with no way to get off the highway onto the back roads … NUTS.  We ended up arriving at 1:20PM so we pretty much missed the first run.

The AMA Hillclimb is one of the destination rides for “Laconia Motorcycle Week” in New Hampshire and it’s my 4th year attending.  There were many more motorcycles this year than in years past so it's increasing in popularity.  Nice to see the hillclimb is becoming more popular.  

I saw some very sharp spectator motorcycles parked in the lots.  I would have liked to walk around and take pics of them but we were so late to the event I didn’t get the chance.  Next year.

This year there were motorcycles parked where the pits were in years past.  I think the pit area was too small making it difficult to view the bikes.  I think the riders deserved more space to move around also.  The pit area should be bigger next year.

The track was a bit different this year also.  From the starting line, if fast enough, the rider would jump a moat to a flat section.  If not fast enough would have to ride through to the flat section.  Quick charge to a steep hill that slowed everyone down.  From there, fast acceleration up the main section to the final jump.  The riders went airborne from that jump landing on the last section crossing the finish line and over the top.

Kevin took up a position by the starting line.  Rocks and dirt would hit the backstop.  Kevin saw his shop teacher talking to some of the riders.  His teacher originally built one of these motorcycles and sold it to one of the current riders when his son retired a few years back.  It was a great experience for Kevin having him as his shop teacher. 

I decided to move around a bit and headed to the top of the hill. I liked getting pics of the riders charging up the main section of the hill.  They passed me, rocks and dirt flying.  Turn, duck, cover the camera … not necessarily in that order … 

I noticed the top of the main section tapered off a bit so the riders weren’t getting as much air as last year from the last jump to the finish line.  

At one point I moved to get a different angle of the last jump.  I was standing where I couldn’t see the riders coming but I could hear them.  

I set up about 20 feet away when James Green crested the jump.  It appeared at the last moment his bike kicked out from under him as he went airborne.  He slid off the back of the bike … off the pegs … onto the back fender, then to the ground.  

Fenders are a requirement on these motorcycles for 2 reasons.  They throw so much dirt and rocks because of the cupped tires or chains.  It helps keep the rider safe in case of an accident.  

You can see by these pics the rear fender kept James from receiving a serious back rub from his chained rear tire.  That would have hurt … 

EMT’s were there to help.  After a few minutes he was able to walk down the hill by his own power.  Could have been much worse so glad he was ok.

I moved down the hill a bit to take pictures going up the steep hill and charging up the main section.  Kevin spent most of his time near the starting line.

We had a great time and will be back again next year. 

Go to: "Search This Blog" at the top of my page and type in AMA Hillclimb to see past posts. 














R.I.P. Colin Krenzul  #170

 

 

Todd Libhart passed away following an accident during the last hillclimb event this year.  RIP Todd.

 

 

AMA Pro Hillclimb - 2013

Last year they moved the hill climb to Wednesday of Bike Week here in NH.  In 2012 there may have been 1000 people watching.  This year,

rain and all, it was more like 3000 people so the crowd is growing.  I walked around for a few minutes to check out some of the bikes that parked near where I parked.   Some were pretty sharp.   

The gates opened at 9AM and I arrived around 10:40AM.  I recognized some of the riders and their motorcycles.  I took a couple pictures around the trailers.   

The Yamaha bikes from Dr. Bob were lined up and looked good.  The Triumph bikes from Libhart Bros. Racing were lined up and looked good also.  You don't realize how tall and long some of these bikes are until you're close to them.  The crews working on the bikes were friendly and answered many questions.

The hill was a bit different than previous years.  First jump, over a bit ditch to the landing, second jump ended up almost vertical so it was more like climbing to the top, then full throttle up the hill to the third jump, landing on the final hill to the finish line.

I headed up the hill as the action was about to begin.  There are 3 classes of racing; Pro Sport 450, Unlimited, and Extreme.  The fastest time wins … turns out it was a 7.61 second run in the Unlimited class from John Koester.

It rained quite a bit the night before with passing showers much of the day.  It appeared to be difficult to keep the bikes on a straight path up the hill.  The soil on the landing of the last hill was soft.  As the dirt was pushed around rocks were uncovered which created another hazard.  What each rider uncovers the next in line has to deal with until the round is complete.   

Quite a few riders lost control on their final landing but were lucky enough to cross the finish line while cracking up.  

 
Throughout the afternoon a few riders went down hard but no one was taken away in an ambulance which was good.  #9 with the Mohawk helmet is easy to spot.  He is an aggressive rider and does well.  I have some good photos him.  

When I was near the finish line he had a good run but crashed crossing the finish line and broke a chain.  It was put back together but the chain came off on the next 2 runs.  Alignment, bent sprocket, chain tensioner or roller, not quite sure … You can see in this picture the chain is already off the rear sprocket after taking off from the first jump.  He took 3rd place in the Unlimited All Star Challenge Shootout.

I moved around a bit trying to get a better angle for pictures.  At one point I was half way up the finish line landing hill pretty close to the finish line.  I found a stable rock to stand on next to a tree I could use for protection.  I was sprayed several times by dirt and rocks.  The paddle tires or chains on the back of these bikes combined with big horsepower can really tear things up.

Some of the riders got big air.  Big air causes a big landing.  Many bikes completely bottom out so much so that a rider’s feet get knocked off the foot pegs.  Trying to regain control at that point is a challenge. 

I know the hill climb is much harder than these riders make it look.  Their skilled riding creates this deception.  Speed, big air, hard landings, acceleration, soft dirt, and rocks is a formula for a potential wild ride.  Some made it … some didn’t …

It’s definitely worth checking out.   Now which pictures do I post???

Go to: "Search This Blog" at the top of my page and type in AMA Hillclimb to see past posts.