Benner Blasts Off at Freemansburg

By Jeff Whitehead

Alex Benner blasted to the first place Unlimited Class win at the fifth round of the 2009 AMA Pro Hillclimb Championship Series at Freemansburg, PA.

30 riders brought 41 bikes to the hill in three classes. The ProSport Class had 10 riders- the most ever.

Pro Hillclimbing allows no practice runs so riders must rely on experience or guesswork to pick their strategy. The hill was rut-prone from heavy rains before race day, further complicating decisions. One thing was clear- riding fast in the first half was the best path to the podium.

Paul Kops, second rider in the Xtreme Class, topped the hill at 12.075 seconds. Anthony DeHart rode fourth and put in an impressive 11.495-second ride. Next was Nate Redmann- his 10.871-second ride bumped DeHart and Kops down one place. Walter “Tiger” Strank and Phil Libhart rode to fourth and fifth positions respectively in the first half.

Redmann sat out the second Xtreme Class round to see if anyone would beat him- no go, so he topped the podium. DeHart's second attempt stopped short of the crest- keeping him in number two spot. Strank and Libhart bettered their first rides, ending up third and fourth respectively and bumping Kops to fifth.

In ProSport, Stephen Carlin rode first and crested at 14.434 seconds. John Mosko rode third- he went over the top at 14.687 seconds. Next, Bryan Rusnak- current points leader with four wins in a row- put in a 13.585-second ride to snatch the top position. 2008 ProSport Champ Robby DeBusk and rookie Brandon Novak stood in fourth and fifth positions at the half.

DeBusk came back with a vengeance after intermission posting a 13.214-second ride and knocking Rusnak to the second level of the podium. Carlin bettered his time by a half-second and claimed third place. Mosko's ride ended just 10 feet short of the finish line, leaving him in fourth. Novak rode last and claimed fifth spot with a 15.943-second ride.

The Unlimited Class gave unlimited thrills. Alex Benner, known for his quiet demeanor and his all-out riding style, rode ninth in the lineup. He blasted off like a rocket ship and gave the crowd a heart-stopping, full throttle, screaming ride to the top in 9.330 seconds- definitely the time to beat.

Several riders tried but none rode faster. Strank followed Benner with a 12.588-second ride. DeHart, Shane Green and Matt Luna were clustered around the 11-second mark at the half with Benner far out in front.

Libhart, Strank and Shawn Farnsworth each bettered their times in the second half of the Unlimited Class- moving up the standings at least two spots each.

Benner watched and waited to see if he needed to defend his position, but it was not to be. His time was almost a second faster than Libhart's 10.119-second finish.

If they gave a “Wild Ride of the Day” award it would go to Redmann. His first Unlimited Class ride included a Superman impersonation but he regained control and crested the hill. His second ride launched him off the bike and he flew through the air, reconnecting with the bike as they touched down. Fortunately he walked away from the spectacular crash.

After the race Benner simply said his bike ran good, he had a straight run and he held it wide open- seems like a good formula for victory!

Results

Unlimited Class: 1. Alex Benner (Hon); 2. Phil Libhart (Tri); 3. Walter Strank (Hon); 4. Shawn Farnsworth (H-D); 5. Anthony DeHart (Yam).

Xtreme Class: 1. Nathan Redmann (Yam); 2. Anthony DeHart (Hon); 3. Walter Strank (KTM); 4. Phil Libhart (Tri); 5. Paul Kops (H-D).

ProSport Class: 1. Robert DeBusk (Yam); 2. Bryan Rusnak (Kaw); 3. Stephen Carlin (Suz); 4. John Mosko (Hon); 5. Brandon Novak (KTM).