Hill Climb Road Racing PURE FUN!!!

[Epee]

What a blast, so little information about this, then no clear way to "get in" with a bike.
I bought another bike, went on a vacation for a week to my 30th class reunion, came back needing to combat the urge to feel old.

The answer, take your new Ducati and go do a Hill Climb race!

I would have never got to run if not for Jimi vouching for me, first I ever met him and we were like long lost brothers.


He has run Pikes Peak 15 times. He's a hillclimb addict and owns Hyderacing, our sport needs more guys like him!


So I attend the Newb orientation, ride up the mountain in the back of a pickup with the car guys. Mostly AWD Turbo college aged guys, but this group defines diverse. Surprisingly accepting of a Biker, color me pleasantly surprised.


I really didn't expect to get to enter and had just rode up to hang out, check it out and maybe make some friends and be able to do the "next one". Guess what, for bikes, this was the last one of the season. Time to try and get an invite

[OreoGaborio]

Nice!

I saw pics from an old friend of mine who does this in his STi. Guessing he was there as well.

[Epee]

I ride an hour back home and just decide to get up the next morning, put on my leathers, ride the hour or so back there, pop off the panniers and just do the damn thang!

I cut me out some numbers, use my old Triumph number stickers for the sides and start tweaking the Electronic suspension setting memory presets!

Sat 5am off I go, two hours later.... RACE READY!




Jimi's pit became MY PIT, what a truly nice guy. Definition of racer...


Our crew chief!

[Epee]

Nice!

I saw pics from an old friend of mine who does this in his STi. Guessing he was there as well.

Hope he wasn't one that "had an agricultural experience".

Hill climbing is Uber Unforgiving!!!!



and it makes cars UGLY



No run off, no air fence, no gravel traps, just boulders, ravines, trees, hanging limbs in your line smacking you in the face. Push the edge, THE EDGE BITES YOU BACK

[Epee]

I'm on a bone stock 3 WEEK OLD, Ducati that I'm not wanting to explain the loss of to an insurance adjuster. No support vehicle, just ride n run.

If you're gonna ride and run, use a Multistrada, straight up!

Coulda used a set of Max's tires in the rain, "Hey Max, got some 190's"???


Guys were really nice to me... aka Mr. Offbrand, non motard, big comfy bike dude.


So much better than the southern tracks that I'm used to. All 100+ degrees all summer season long. The top of the mountain was cooooool.

[Epee]

I figure if I just beat a VW or a Saab, I won't be embarrassed. I push it, then push some more. Low and behold, after Sat I'm 3rd. HMmmmm dis duc's got wings!
some random shots

fastest guy on the Mountain, 18 seconds faster in 2.7 miles! He's haulin' the mail!


Great lookin' truck.....ALL OVER THE PLAAAAACE, yup, then Boom!

[Epee]

Sunday starts off suckin'. I ride in the rain for over an hour to get there, it's misty, drizzlin' fogged in on the mountain. Familiarization (fam run) was 0 visibility and wet....wett....wetter
Not a smile in the bunch after the first run

These guys on their lil' motards and Megamoto's are 2-3seconds slower in the wet. I'm 13 SECONDS SLOWER!!! Guess who didn't want to toss his Duc' off a cliff?





You gotta hand it to Max Stratton of MAX BMW. The dude rolls in style, Mercedes freakin' luxury transports, babe on arm, lil' doggies in the kennels, I was waiting for a butler or french maid to pop out and offer crumpets and tea? Way cool guy, so lay back he actually fell asleep on the picnic table up top.


Everyone was on quick turning motards, CRF's, couple of megamoto's, some 800 Beemer. And crazy Marcus, vintage guy, he does side car racing too, what a character

[Epee]

Andrew, another real good guy, best of friends immediately.


some action at the start that my wife came up and caught Sat. afternoon.

[OreoGaborio]

I kinda wanna do that on the SV some day

[Epee]

The sun finally comes out and things start to dry out, after my two turtle slow wet runs, I get a decent shot, thank God I dialed up the Traction control for the damp, it worked flawlessly.
Who's the fast guy, with the thumbs up?


Some parade shots coming down.





With Max and his brother, sevice manager and TJ running fast as Helll, I'm hoping I didn't drop too far down the list. Then there is Mr. Pikes Peak on his vicious 450X, I'm fearing the worse, but I had two really good runs.

Well boys, I represented NESR and big bikes well. Only Max got me, and only by 1.99seconds! I took 2nd and I no longer can get my head in any of my helmets, they are XXL!

Thanks for readin', hope you enjoyed it, forgive my over the top enthusiasm...see you out on the bikes!

[Epee]

I kinda wanna do that on the SV some day

DO IT!!!

Then come with me and pay the $350 and do Pikes Peak next year! It's gonna be 100% paved for 2012!

Wanna ride out?

[Epee]

Oh, side note.

I thought because the Multistrada is so damn tall of a bike, that it's next to impossible to get a knee down. Let alone on a public domed road. I never took the center stand off as I needed it for gravel parking top and bottom of mountain.

Well, I got my knee down several times. First time it kinda shocked me and I believe I lost some time as a played it a bit to see if hard parts would touch, scrape or pogo me. They didn't and I loved it.

[Dannyf]

Where can we get info about this series? I'm very interested now.

[SRTie4k]

Okemo is very fun to "practice" on...I won't say how I know that though.

[bstnsboy]

Looks like you had a blast! Great pics too.

[Kurlon]

Looks like a blast, would love to try it on the 70... I don't know any of the Max BMW crew but I have raced with the vintage gentleman in the USCRA... Every time I see him I have to resist the urge to ask Alton Brown for his autograph...

Edit: Checked out hillclimb.org, can't find anything there discussing motorcycles.

[Epee]

Check out www.hillclimb.org

go through the registration form thing. and wait til next years 2 Okemo's, Burke is sounding sketchy for letting bikes run next year. Some gossip of Max getting more going for bikes but nothing solid.

Here's the deal, they don't like clip on bikes, don't like big bikes, this is the car guys/organizers.

Drop by one of the 3 MaxBMW shops and make sure they like you, they don't want "crash or win" guys out there holding up everything on the mountain for the meat wagon to run you to the hospital. Basically, If you don't have Max's blessing, you don't ride a bike with these groups.

The best things: No one steals your line, no one parks in the corner in front of you, you don't have to kiss anyones ass to get bumped up a group, no one is going to pull you aside and complain about the line you took, the only passing rule is THERE ISN'T ANYONE YOU HAVE TO PASS, the only cop is our starter line guy, you've got nothing but curves and straight up and your right wrist to limit your speed.

The worst thing: You got no one and nothing to blame for not being fast.

[SVRACER01]

new guy shows up and gets second? thats gotta hurt.

[OreoGaborio]

new guy shows up and gets second? thats gotta hurt.

He damn near used all the power

[Epee]

Yeah, bone stock, rode an hour each way there and back home each day, in the rain, not fun in leathers. No way did I think I'd do well against purpose built platforms for this event. Never underestimate the determination of an idiot! They forgot to tell me I was slow, so I WASN'T!

I was definitely on the the NON APPROVED BRAND!

This Ducati is rockin' my world. The week prior I had taken it down to PA for the big BMW event with my buddies from NC.
It's like a boy in the jungle being raised by wolves, it's been around Beemers so much, it doesn't know it's a Duc'!

Who's got a Ducati, and wants to ride? I need to acclimate her to her own kind!

[Epee]

He damn near used all the power

I had that 150, felt like a glutton, offered some of the beemers some of the left over! OUCH...

[Wanderer]

I thought I recognized the avatar from Ducati.ms
Fellow owner, Townsend MA

[loudog]

I kinda wanna do that on the SV some day

Nice write-up, looks like a blast!!

[MHenry600]

The "ugly" car is actually based on a neon drivetrain, and the pickup was just finished being built maybe a month ago (1-2 weeks before Okemo). Any idea what happened to it?

I run my VW Fox in rallycross with SCCA, and have been debating trying to do a hillclimb with it, but don't know if it will even climb a mountain.

[a13x]

YAAA MOOKIE!! (#98 Marcus). That's the dude that got Jen into vintage racing, they used to work together. He's awesome!

Man I'd race that in a second!!

Great stuff.