Jay Sallstrom’s Perfect Rides Gives Him Unlimited Class Win at Freemansburg, Pa.
OutdoorHub 06.13.14
Round two of the AMA Pro Hillclimb Series looked as if the winners would be a repeat of round one until Jay Sallstrom unleashed a perfect ride in the second half to take the Unlimited Class win by nearly a half-second. John Koester and Nick Drummer each chalked up repeat wins in Xtreme Class and Pro Sport Class, respectively.
First half Unlimited Class competition was dominated by Vinny Nuzzolilli with a 9.116 second E.T. Scott Wentz, Jr. was the closest rival at 9.757 seconds. Everyone else was 10 seconds or above. It all changed in the second half when Sallstrom crested in just 8.671 seconds for the win. With worsening hill conditions, Nuzzolilli settled for second and Wentz, third.
In Xtreme Hillclimb, Sallstrom set an early pace at 9.187 seconds. Koester bested him by nearly two-tenths at 9.007 seconds. Phil Libhart wedged into third in his first run with a 9.449 E.T. The order of the top three didn’t change after the half.
In Pro Sport, rookies, Matthew Walker and Charles Holmes set the pace in the first half with ride in the 15-second range, with Walker in the lead. Nick Drummer rode last in order and topped the hill, and all other riders, with a 14.429-second ride. The Pro Sport order stuck for the second half, giving Drummer back-to-back wins on the series.
In exhibition hill-cross, side-by-side hillclimb action, Sallstrom took the win there, too. With an Unlimited win, an Xtreme second and the hill-cross win, Sallstrom said he had “an almost perfect day.”
Results
U/L: 1. Jay Sallstrom (Yam); 2. Vinny Nuzzolilli (Hon); 3. Scott Wentz, Jr (Yam); 4. John Koester (Hon); 5. Phil Libhart (Tri).
Xtreme: 1. John Koester (Hon); 2. Jay Sallstrom (Yam); 3. Phil Libhart (Tri); 4. Vinny Nuzzolilli (Hon); 5. Robby DeBusk (Yam).
Pro Sport: 1. Nick Drummer (Hon); 2. Matthew Walker (Suz); 3. Charles Holmes (Hon); 4. Ryan Preece (Hon); 5. Nicholas Bleau (KTM).
