Desert Heat Hillclimb
MESQUITE, NV
It was another beautiful day at the Mesquite Motocross Park for the 700cc and Open pro main events in the Halter Motorsports Desert Heat Hillclimb.
The pro hill was more demanding than the qualifier hill – a 270-foot-long, three-stage hill with the starting-line section a nearly vertical wall. Once over the first wall, the riders encountered a very steep, low-traction section, followed by a nearly vertical final section they had to jump on to if they wanted to be fast. Once over that final section, they still had to land their machines and ride another 40 feet to the finish line.
Eric Sorenssen was the “lucky” rider who drew the number one in the riding order in the 700cc class, and he charged a narrow, washed-out spot on the first breaker on the first ride of the day. He made it through the tight gap, but without any momentum, he ground to a halt at 88 feet. Jake Berry was the second rider to attempt the slot, and he actually got through with some momentum and ground his way over the top in 12.894 seconds to be the first rider over the top. More and more riders widened the gap at the bottom, and by the end of the first round, 36 riders of the 52 in the class had successfully found the top of the hill. Travis Whitlock, the previous day’s qualifier winner, was sitting in first place with a 7.965-second run.
In second-round action, the notch developed by the 700s in their first round was closed off, so they took advantage of a new line developed by the Open-class bikes – and to great success. Some 41 riders made it to the top, some of them very quickly. Pete Loomis was the quickest, with an outstanding 6.765-second run for the win, with Brandon Whitlock claiming second with a good 6.842-second effort.
In Open-class action, Dave Johnston was the first rider, and he had to choose a new line over the rough starting-line breaker. He successfully squeezed through a very small gap and topped the hill in 8.745 seconds, but that line wore out quickly, so new ones were tried. A new route was developed, and the bikes started turning much faster times, with C.R. Eisenzimer holding down the lead with a 6.538-second run for a long time. Eisenzimer’s bubble was finally burst when Brandon Whitlock, the second-to-last rider, flew through the lower gap and blasted over the second-stage jump and flew high over the top in a breathtaking 6.384 seconds to take a very convincing win. Loomis, Travis Whitlock and Jon Smith also delivered sub-seven-second runs to fill out the top five.
This was yet another high-quality hillclimb event put on by John and Mindy Halter, which will be repeated next year. Jim Provencher, owner of the Mesquite Motocross Park, also deserves a high-five for the outstanding condition of his facility and all the support he provided the Halters.
Results
700 MAIN: 1. Pete Loomis; 2. Brandon Whitlock; 3. Jon Smith; 4. Lonnie Sparks; 5. Dustin Quast; 6. Corey Erhardt; 7. Scott Lomas; 8. Tad Chenoweth; 9. Aaron Bingham; 10. Greg Webster.
OPEN MAIN EVENT: 1. Brandon Whitlock; 2. C.R. Eisenzimer; 3. Pete Loomis; 4. Travis Whitlock; 5. Jon Smith; 6. Nick Last; 7. Rick Stauffer; 8. Chuck Dubell III; 9. Aaron Bingham; 10. Todd Stuart.