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2009 Annual Big Nasty Hillclimb
 Proves
Nasty (as always)
By Ron Dillon & David L. Patton Jr.
The only professional motorcycle hillclimb in the Northwest, the
7th annual Project Filter Big Nasty, fired up again on September
18-20, 2009, and brought together its usual eclectic mix of
interesting hillclimbers, machines and fans. The event was the fifth
and final round of the 2009 Racer X/Malcolm Smith Racing North
American Hillclimb Association (NAHA) Championship Series. The Big
Nasty once again, it lived up to its name as less than half of the
Sunday, main event pros were able to climb the 570-foot pro hill
and all four of the hills challenged the record 539 entrants from
across the West all weekend.
Known as “Idaho’s largest motorcycle event,” the Big Nasty did
not set an attendance record for the first time in its history, but
it still drew a massive crowd, setting attendance records on Friday
and Saturday, before stalling a bit on Sunday, perhaps due to some
early morning wind and cool temperatures that may have scared off
some spectators. Nevertheless, attendance remained impressive, with
over 10,000 spectators coming out for a weekend of sunny, 80° weather and the typical Big Nasty, Woodstock/Burning Man feel
continued. Children played in an inflatable toy area, the Metal Mulisha SCS Freestyle team (accompanied by Mike Metzger) performed
motorcycle aerial tricks, local bands played on Friday and Saturday
nights on the impressive Jagermeister Stage, pumpkins were shot at
the hill and 500-horsepower air boat rides were added for the first
time, along with the usual helicopter and mechanical bull rides.
Above: Snohomish's Garrett Hopkins makes his way
up the hillclimb to place 4th in Saturdays Altered Stock 251cc+
competition.
In addition, the Bad Ass Bikes street bike poker run was held on
Saturday and each day opened with a live singing of the National
Anthem and flag presentation ceremony, courtesy of the Idaho Air
National Guard Color Guard, (who also provided a cool, A-10 flyover
on Sunday). Food vendors served up everything from pizza to burgers
and assorted clothing, vehicle and other products also dotted the
venue. “We once again sold out of sponsor and vendor space,” said
event director, Ron Dillon. “For the second year in a row, we had to
start turning sponsors away and interest in the event was higher
than ever. Even though we didn’t set an attendance record this year,
we pulled people from a wider geographical area and we had over 100
more rider entries than last year.”
For the second year, the 225-foot trophy hill was lighted and
half of the trophy riders climbed under the stars on Friday night.
Right away the hill started to develop some ledges, making it
tougher than last year, yet Oregon City, Oregon’s Shane Donaca
became the first and only rider to scale it on a 250, 4-stroke.
April Zastrow almost took her 250 4-stroke over the top as well,
getting to an impressive 201 feet and winning the women’s trophy
class.
Saturday’s action began in the morning, with a pro qualifying run
on a brand-new 200-foot, very steep, twisting hill, that gave many
riders fits because simply yanking the throttle open didn’t cut it
on this hill. All eyes were on Damon Bradshaw, the legendary former
Team Yamaha pro rider, who decided to try his first-ever hillclimb,
and tried to qualify in all three of the top-tier pro classes on
borrowed bikes. Bradshaw didn’t win, but he learned quickly, and
rode well enough to qualify for Sunday’s mains in all three classes.
Utah’s Austin Taylor turned some heads by topping the Open Pro class
qualifying, with California’s Bret Peterson edging Billings,
Montana’s Pete Loomis in the 700 class qualifying, and perennial
favorite Jason Smith topping the 450 class qualifying. With several
NAHA class championships on the line, the pro qualifiers were
extremely competitive.
On Saturday afternoon, the over 40 and over 50 year-old pro
classes were run, along with the 90 pro, and brand-new women’s pro
class, to take a shot at the 560-foot big hill. It was made slightly
easier by routing around its two, big ledges, but it was still a
really, really ugly hill. Lodi California’s Lefty Frueh had an
incredible day, winning cash and trophies in several classes and
becoming the first rider of the weekend to go over the big hill. At
66 years of age, Lefty just seems to be getting warmed up in the hillclimbing game. Another “kid” was 70-something year-old Keno,
Oregon, resident Marcus Smith, who still rides his nitro-powered 1964
Triumph hillclimber in several classes and puts on a great show for
the fans. For the first time ever, the new women’s pro class put
women on the big hill, and Toni Williams Howard avenged her loss in
the Friday night women’s trophy class to April Zastrow, by handily
winning the women’s pro class with a jaw-dropping climb of 448 feet,
just edging out Utah’s Lexi Whitlock by two feet. If these rides
were any indication, hillclimbing fans may just see women riding
competitively in the top pro classes against the men in the near
future.
And then there was Mike Metzger. Originally hired to supplement
the Justin Homan, Keith Sayers Metal Mulisha Freestyle Show, “Metz”
launched into an impressive display of backflips and nac-nacs, but
he quickly noticed the unoccupied trophy hill, which just happened
to line up pretty well with the freestyle landing ramp. So he
quickly developed a combo routine which included a backflip,
followed by a 4th gear pinned, 60 mph charge up the trophy hill,
followed by a pivot at the top and a pinned decent, at horrifying
speed, back to the bottom to start the cycle all over again. It was
scary, innovative and crowd-pleasing and showed why Metz is still a
motorcycling legend.
Saturday’s evening trophy competition proved to be challenging
for riders and staff alike. Noisy, nitro bikes blew the PA system up
earlier in the day and that, combined with loud bands pounding away
on the Jagermeister Stage, made it very difficult for riders to get
staged. Of course, a record turnout of riders also contributed to
the scene (a record 64 riders competed in the 4-stroke, 450 stock
class for instance). Saturday night’s trophy competition didn’t
end until 1:40 a.m., a new, late-night record. Since the hill was
lighted, everything worked out, but it made for some red-eyed hill
catchers and riders the next morning. Some classes will be moved
and adjusted so that the evening does not run so late into the night
in the future.
Oregon’s Shane Donaca continued his winning ways on Saturday
night, but he graciously asked to be taken out of trophy contention
in all of his Saturday night rides (even though his rides were
legal). Nampa, Idaho, Mayor Tom Dale tried his hand at hillclimbing
for the first time, in a special celebrity class, and although he
was edged out by Channel 2 Meteorologist Brian Carrington by nine
feet, he managed to climb past the 195 foot mark, which was quite
impressive. Mike Metzger jumped in as well and topped the largest
class of the weekend, the 64-rider 450, 4-stroke stock class.
Sunday’s main event consisted of three pro classes: 450, 700 and
open. These bikes continue to be some of the most exotic machines in
motorcycling and many are stretched out and run steel, chained or
bolted paddle tires on the rear and use any type of fuel including
nitromethane, alcohol and nitrous. Some of them produce over 250
horsepower and are incredibly loud and temperamental. Former pro
hillclimbers Lamont Jensen and Lucky Madsen, now 75 and 82 years
old, respectfully, hadn’t been to a hillclimb since they retired from
competition in the early 1960s and both were stunned at how far hillclimbing has come. “We simply could not believe how small,
lightweight and powerful the new bikes are,” said Jensen. “The
modern bikes have almost nothing in common with the heavy, hardtail
bikes that we rode back in the day. Of course, the hills that we
rode were harder,” he added with a wink.
Some wild new machines made their debut at this year’s Big Nasty
and a stroll through the pits revealed a gorgeous, reworked
nitro-burning open class Harley from California bike builder Curt
Winter, and Shane Donaca brought back his heavily re-tooled howling,
shrieking 580cc Yamaha two-stroke twin, built from a Banshee motor,
(it pulled like a rocket, but broke the swingarm half way thought
the weekend). Bikes like these, along with the Smith’s nitro
Yamahas (more and more nitro-powered, Yamaha 650 twins, with their
21-inch rear wheels keep appearing at hillclimbs), and the Peterson’s
semi, full of to-die-for KTMs, are helping to keep hillclimbing
positioned as being the two-wheeled sport with more unusual and
eclectic machinery than any other discipline in the world of
motorcycle competition. Interest in building wild, hillclimbing
bikes continues to increase and other fascinating bikes that are
coming on line next year include a Yamaha TZ250; 2-stroke twin,
beautifully created by Curt Winter; and several new 2-stroke,
snowmobile engine-powered machines that are in the planning stages.
Rumors of a small-block Chevy based hillclimber also continue,
although no one has volunteered to ride it yet.
Sunday’s pro mains were extremely hard fought. Utah’s Jason Smith
had a good ride on his first pass in the 251-450 Class but the
timers malfunctioned and he had to take another pass and crashed on
the ledges. On his final pass though, he put it together. “The first
round was frustrating, but I was able to put together a good run on
the bottom and a decent top to get the win,” he said. The Team Action Machine
/ Fly Racing backed Yamaha rider nailed a time of 18.942 to edge
Cory Erhardt's comeback ride on the Reiter's Kawasaki / Moose racing
/ Motion Pro backed KX. Erhardt's runner-up finish sewed up his
first Championship in his first full year on the circuit. “I bounced
off the little ledge on my first ride. On the second run, I just
wanted to be smooth and hit a good line.” Trailing in the
Championship after round one, Erhardt stepped up with a 19.116 to
edge Travis Whitlock and Robie Peterson for the #1 Plate. “It's been
a great year, I am so happy to get this championship, I was just
consistent all year and it paid off today.”
Harold “The Gasser” Waddell and Jason Smith came to the Big Nasty
locked in a “winner takes all” battle for the 700 Class
Championship. Waddell, the defending 700 Champ has not had great
success at the hill. “Last year was my first win here. I just don't
have much luck here and this hill doesn't really suit my riding
style.” With the title on the line, Jason Smith had problems on his
first run and Waddell ran a 17.18 for third. Smith covered the
570-foot hill in 17.85 seconds on his final run then Waddell sealed
the deal with the fastest ride of the day, a 15.3 second blast on
the THOR / EVS / Works Connection backed Suzuki GSXR. “On the first
run I missed my line at the top and lost a lot of time. I was a lot
more aggressive on my second run and at Gate 5, I was able to cut
out of the ravine really early and that set me up for the top of the
hill. It is awesome to win this race. It is really hard to beat
Jason (Smith) at this hill. The Championship means a lot to me; I
have 5 now and I really want to catch Travis (Whitlock), but he
doesn't seem to be slowing down as he gets older,” Harold said,
laughing.
The Open Class title was also on the line and after a tough day
at Round 4 held at Sturgis in August, defending Champion Harold
Waddell was pretty much out of the chase, leaving Travis Whitlock
and Jason Smith to fight it out. The two Utah riders are very good
friends and they fought hard for the Championship. “Travis is always
hard to beat on a hill with ledges, I wish I wasn't riding first
today in this class,” said Jason Smith before he launched the
Western Powersports / Factory Backing nitro burning Yamaha twin up
the hill. “When I walked the hill, I found a line over on the left
that no one had used, but the top was so rutted that I missed my
line and lost time there. It was an okay run, but I knew it would be
beat. I just hoped Travis wouldn't beat it.” KTM/ Fox / Maxima / FMF
rider Travis Whitlock was next on the hill. “Jason put in a good
ride and I knew I would have to lay down a fast run, I had to go for
it.” Whitlock was smooth over the road section and hit the steep
part of the hill and cranked on the big KTM. “After I hit that first
big ledge, the rest of the ride was really smooth. House of
Horsepower has helped me with my suspension and “The Old Guy” got
lucky.” Jason Smith was still on the top of the hill when Whitlock's
time of 15.98 was announced and he headed back down to try to beat
the rider he has looked up to most of his life.
Jason Smith thought he had picked something up on Travis' first
run, “From the top of the hill, it looked like he kept the throttle
on when he hit the first big ledge.” Smith put the throttle to the
stops on his final ride and it ended in a huge get off as the bike
kicked him off when he hit the big ledge. “It has been a long time
since I crashed that hard,” Smith said after the race. Jason was
able to see Whitlock's ride on video after the run, “Travis did back
off a little to set the ledge up, I wish that I had seen that before
my last run, but I am happy for Travis, he is a great champion and
he was my hero when I started hillclimbing.” “When Jason put in that
first ride, it was 'Alright son, that's enough of that,'” said
Whitlock. “I just turned 40, my wife and kids are great, and to win
a thirteenth title here today is just icing on the cake; what an
awesome year.”
The weekend ended with the King of the Hill Shootout, giving the
top five Open and top five 700cc bikes one final shot at the hill.
The slightly shorter, more open 560-foot gully route was used, and
Damon Bradshaw nailed the course perfectly to edge Travis Whitlock
by one, one thousandth of a second, putting $500 in his pocket and
adding his name to the Big Nasty “King of the Hill” perpetual
trophy. Bradshaw was pleased and added that he will try hard in the
future to add some more hillclimbing to his schedule, which is quite
full with his current, successful career as a monster truck driver
for the US Air Force Team.
Next year’s Big Nasty Hillclimb will be held on September 17-19,
2010, and discussions are underway on how to make it even bigger and
better. Country and Western music are being considered for the
Jagermeister Stage, a rock krawl is being explored and numerous
tweaks and adjustments will be made to make Idaho’s largest
motorcycle event an even better show.
The organizers wish to extend a hearty "helmets off" to the
sponsors, donators and partners: the title sponsor, Project Filter,
Edge Performance, Miller Light, Coors, Treasure Valley Motorsports,
McAlvain Group of Companies, Idaho Air National Guard, amp Energy,
Buck’s 4X4, Carl’s Cycles, Parts Unlimited, Emmett Rentals, Moto
Tech, Les Schwab Tires, Stinker Stores, Sprint, Happy Trail,
Boondocker Nitrous, Rekluse, Ammerman’s Custom Exhaust, H20 Graphix,
Nationwide Insurance, Seventh Heaven RV, Purely Custom, Fly Racing,
Big Twin Cycles, Scott USA, Pro-Moto Billet, The Double Diamond
Saloon, Jaegermeister, Redline, Bad Ass Bikes, EZ Mart, HCD
Construction, Northwest Water Service, Mike McNitt, Idaho Power and
H&H Utilities, Ronnie Wehr, Pete Treadwell, LMP Sports, 208
Clothing, Polar Pak, BTR Moto, Astrata Print & Design, Ridgeline
Design & Development, Riverside Embroidery, Channel 2 and Channel 6
Television, KSRV, KWOW, KTIK, J105 and the X Radio, the Holiday Inn,
as well as our musicians from 57 Heavy, Half the World, Abrupt Edge,
Radillac, and Aces & 8’s.
A big thank you is also in order to the ranch owner, Tom Pence,
and the small army of staff and volunteers who helped, including:
the Todd and Todd announcing duo, the Caldwell Track Club, the
world’s best catchers, the Fly Racing, Owyhee Outlaws, Brent, Jo,
Kelly and Grandma Edwards and their campground staff, and the Gem
County Mosquito Abatement staff, who fought the vicious mosquitoes
to a standstill for three days at the site, and to Mid-Valley and
Donoho Construction. The event could also not have happened without
the support of the Payette County Commissioners and law enforcement
and medical personnel, as well as the Idaho State Police and nearby
landowners including George Colwell and Dan Bicandi.
The 2009 DVD will be available by Thanksgiving, and t-shirts are
still available as well. For more information visit the Big Nasty
website at:
www.bignastyhillclimb.com or call Ron Dillon at (208) 573-4255.
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