First Ryan Sipes, now Josh Hill... could motoclimb be the new trend?

Elevated_Action
Edited Date/Time 9/5/2019 4:23am
We helped get Ryan Sipes to our IRC Motoclimb Super Series round in Wisconsin last month, and just last weekend we helped Josh Hill race at Poags Hole in New York. Sipes won both 450 classes (not by much though), and Hill won the 450 class and got 2nd in the Open class riding Jay Sallstrom's Yamaha R6 on nitromethane. They were both super cool to work with and had nothing but good things to say about the sport, they had a ton of fun and a whole new appreciation for the discipline and athletes that regularly compete. Both athletes left with huge smiles, decent purse money, and a good amount of exposure for themselves and this century-old sport.

Since we are in a time of moto athletes going in a variety of directions and being driven by social media, do you think more moto riders will be racing extended bikes? Motoclimb needs the positive exposure from the industry, and these riders definitely help with that, but we would like to know your opinions of them participating. If you think it's good for the industry, who would you like to see climb the next hill?

Below is our Poags Hole recap with some of Josh's interviews before and after the race, and here is Ryan Sipes' 450 Main win in Wisconsin (https://www.instagram.com/p/B0llVNOBlpB/).

12
5
|
gnarwhip
Profile picture for user gnarwhip
Posts
1969
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
Los Angeles, CA, USA
gnarwhip 8/25/2019 11:23pm
8/25/2019 11:23pm
Is the Widdowmaker still there?
1
philG
Profile picture for user philG
Posts
11008
Joined
5/12/2012
Location
GB
philG 8/26/2019 12:15am
8/26/2019 12:15am
If they do what the did to Supermoto by trying to turn in into SX then the job is fucked... for me hillclimb isnt about how fast you get up a hill, its if you get up the hill. Its about skill and techinique... clearing a double at tje bottom is dumb.
9
1
level
Profile picture for user level
Posts
6184
Joined
8/27/2006
Location
Acworth, GA, USA
level 8/26/2019 5:43am
8/26/2019 5:43am
That was sweet. Congrats to hill.
Fourth_Floor
Profile picture for user Fourth_Floor
Posts
978
Joined
7/13/2016
Location
Saint Marys, PA, USA
Fourth_Floor 8/26/2019 5:44am
8/26/2019 5:44am
Josh Hill looks like a young Corey Taylor (Slipknot)
4

The Shop

See All »
Elevated_Action 8/26/2019 7:49am
8/26/2019 7:49am
philG wrote:
If they do what the did to Supermoto by trying to turn in into SX then the job is fucked... for me hillclimb isnt about how...
If they do what the did to Supermoto by trying to turn in into SX then the job is fucked... for me hillclimb isnt about how fast you get up a hill, its if you get up the hill. Its about skill and techinique... clearing a double at tje bottom is dumb.
Good point. And to answer the first response, we lost the Widowmaker in 2013. It's hard to find venues/hills that are that hard to climb. There's a lot of us who try to find them, but it's just getting harder and harder. In addition, with people's attention spans these days, they don't want to see 80% of a race where bikes are being dragged down the hill from not making it. It's a tough balance to find a good hill sometimes!
6
Ted722
Profile picture for user Ted722
Posts
4575
Joined
9/21/2011
Location
Sacramento, CA, USA
Ted722 8/26/2019 9:21pm
8/26/2019 9:21pm
Cool video. Looked like a great time out there. 👍
1
kage173
Profile picture for user kage173
Posts
3064
Joined
11/27/2015
Location
USA
kage173 8/26/2019 9:32pm
8/26/2019 9:32pm
I saw this on Hills social media. I've never done hill climb and not super interested but that r6 motor blasting to the top of the hill was sweet.

I'd like to see Hanny give it a go. Dude has unbelievable natural talent on 2 wheels.

Ronnie Mac on a CR500 would get you more views though.
1
1
8tensolutions
Profile picture for user 8tensolutions
Posts
3404
Joined
11/15/2009
Location
Salt Lake City, UT, USA
8tensolutions 8/26/2019 9:38pm
8/26/2019 9:38pm
gnarwhip wrote:
Is the Widdowmaker still there?
It is still there. I live right by it, but I don't think there will ever be another competition. Surrounded by residential now.
1
aeffertz
Profile picture for user aeffertz
Posts
12639
Joined
7/16/2015
Location
La Crosse, WI, USA
aeffertz 8/26/2019 9:43pm
8/26/2019 9:43pm
philG wrote:
If they do what the did to Supermoto by trying to turn in into SX then the job is fucked... for me hillclimb isnt about how...
If they do what the did to Supermoto by trying to turn in into SX then the job is fucked... for me hillclimb isnt about how fast you get up a hill, its if you get up the hill. Its about skill and techinique... clearing a double at tje bottom is dumb.
I don’t follow this sport at all so I’m not a purist by any means but the course they have set in this video is way more entertaining to me! No surprise I guess since I’m a moto guy but seeing them launch those monsters is insane! I can’t believe some guys were even throwing them sideways. That’s just insane!

Looked like a fun weekend, great video as well. Thanks for sharing!
1
Elevated_Action 8/28/2019 3:57pm
8/28/2019 3:57pm
philG wrote:
If they do what the did to Supermoto by trying to turn in into SX then the job is fucked... for me hillclimb isnt about how...
If they do what the did to Supermoto by trying to turn in into SX then the job is fucked... for me hillclimb isnt about how fast you get up a hill, its if you get up the hill. Its about skill and techinique... clearing a double at tje bottom is dumb.
aeffertz wrote:
I don’t follow this sport at all so I’m not a purist by any means but the course they have set in this video is way...
I don’t follow this sport at all so I’m not a purist by any means but the course they have set in this video is way more entertaining to me! No surprise I guess since I’m a moto guy but seeing them launch those monsters is insane! I can’t believe some guys were even throwing them sideways. That’s just insane!

Looked like a fun weekend, great video as well. Thanks for sharing!
What the promoters and series have done with the bottoms of these hills is pretty sick! The spectators love it and the riders usually need some motocross skill to get through it, which makes the competition pretty tight. Thanks for watching!
mysterion117
Profile picture for user mysterion117
Posts
60
Joined
4/27/2019
Location
La Porte, IN, USA
mysterion117 8/28/2019 4:01pm
8/28/2019 4:01pm
Hill climbers will always be goons in my eyes
3
peelout
Profile picture for user peelout
Posts
18384
Joined
1/6/2011
Location
Ogden, UT, USA
peelout 8/28/2019 4:02pm
8/28/2019 4:02pm
gnarwhip wrote:
Is the Widdowmaker still there?
8tensolutions wrote:
It is still there. I live right by it, but I don't think there will ever be another competition. Surrounded by residential now.
you're talking about the original, they moved it to Croydon for a few years. it's been down again since 2011 or so. but it was old school hill-climb, not the x-climb or moto-climb.
blockhead17
Profile picture for user blockhead17
Posts
2820
Joined
6/13/2018
Location
Tokyo, JP
blockhead17 8/28/2019 4:05pm
8/28/2019 4:05pm
mysterion117 wrote:
Hill climbers will always be goons in my eyes
Check out the bikes and courses they did, that shit is no joke!
1
Elevated_Action 8/28/2019 4:31pm
8/28/2019 4:31pm
gnarwhip wrote:
Is the Widdowmaker still there?
8tensolutions wrote:
It is still there. I live right by it, but I don't think there will ever be another competition. Surrounded by residential now.
peelout wrote:
you're talking about the original, they moved it to Croydon for a few years. it's been down again since 2011 or so. but it was old...
you're talking about the original, they moved it to Croydon for a few years. it's been down again since 2011 or so. but it was old school hill-climb, not the x-climb or moto-climb.
Yeah the original is over there by Edge Powersports, residential covers the bottom now.

The one in Croydon had it's last year in 2013. It's too bad, that was such a sick hill!
1
Elevated_Action 8/28/2019 4:40pm
8/28/2019 4:40pm
mysterion117 wrote:
Hill climbers will always be goons in my eyes
Not all of them are goons, that's the perception we're trying to change by introducing the term "motoclimb" (motorcycle hillclimb). It's been well-received so far and the athletes are starting to get more positive exposure
TXDirt
Profile picture for user TXDirt
Posts
7786
Joined
7/29/2015
Location
Plano, TX, USA
TXDirt 8/28/2019 5:09pm
8/28/2019 5:09pm
mysterion117 wrote:
Hill climbers will always be goons in my eyes
Elevated_Action wrote:
Not all of them are goons, that's the perception we're trying to change by introducing the term "motoclimb" (motorcycle hillclimb). It's been well-received so far and...
Not all of them are goons, that's the perception we're trying to change by introducing the term "motoclimb" (motorcycle hillclimb). It's been well-received so far and the athletes are starting to get more positive exposure
I like that it’s sort of a “goon” sport. Moto practically been ruined by the bros with ears tucked into hats.

Hill climb is still pure in many ways. More of an on any Sunday feel. Embrace it. Don’t try and change it.
2
Caseclosed713 8/28/2019 5:31pm
8/28/2019 5:31pm Edited Date/Time 8/28/2019 5:32pm
I enjoyed it. Me and my friends usually try to make it to the Jefferson Hill Climb/White Rose in PA since were only 20 mins away. That would be sweet if Hill or Sipes showed up there.
1

Pit Row

See All »
Elevated_Action 8/29/2019 10:05am
8/29/2019 10:05am
mysterion117 wrote:
Hill climbers will always be goons in my eyes
Elevated_Action wrote:
Not all of them are goons, that's the perception we're trying to change by introducing the term "motoclimb" (motorcycle hillclimb). It's been well-received so far and...
Not all of them are goons, that's the perception we're trying to change by introducing the term "motoclimb" (motorcycle hillclimb). It's been well-received so far and the athletes are starting to get more positive exposure
TXDirt wrote:
I like that it’s sort of a “goon” sport. Moto practically been ruined by the bros with ears tucked into hats. Hill climb is still pure...
I like that it’s sort of a “goon” sport. Moto practically been ruined by the bros with ears tucked into hats.

Hill climb is still pure in many ways. More of an on any Sunday feel. Embrace it. Don’t try and change it.
Agreed! We try not to take the nostalgia or history out of it. We still prioritize having fun climbing hills! The issue is the poor stigma the industry has on "hillclimb," and that the word "hillclimb" is so much more popular in road racing, ATV's, etc. so our discipline gets lost in the mix. Look up the hashtag #hillclimb compared to #motoclimb, and let me know what you think! It's a rebranding of sorts on our end that could benefit these insane athletes in the future.
JM485
Profile picture for user JM485
Posts
5806
Joined
10/1/2013
Location
Davis, CA, USA
JM485 8/29/2019 10:13am
8/29/2019 10:13am
mysterion117 wrote:
Hill climbers will always be goons in my eyes
Yep, nothing but goons. . .


3
TeamGreen
Profile picture for user TeamGreen
Posts
37098
Joined
11/25/2008
Location
Thru-out, CA, USA
TeamGreen 8/29/2019 10:15am
8/29/2019 10:15am
Josh can do just about anything on a motorcycle.
2
Elevated_Action 8/30/2019 8:54pm
8/30/2019 8:54pm
mysterion117 wrote:
Hill climbers will always be goons in my eyes
JM485 wrote:
Yep, nothing but goons. . . [img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2019/08/29/369299/s1200_B7A9742B_1635_42AD_B72A_F9FC2A67A694.jpg[/img]
Yep, nothing but goons. . .


That is an epic shot... wish it should some more of the swingarm!
1
Francis377
Profile picture for user Francis377
Posts
445
Joined
6/13/2009
Location
Marseilles, MA, USA
Francis377 9/5/2019 4:23am
9/5/2019 4:23am
biggest problem with Hillclimb is that video does not do justice to how steep the climbs really are. I like the double at the beginning. It looks cool and its interesting to see how some guys are better than others at setting themselves up to get a strong drive upon landing and carrying their momentum .

Post a reply to: First Ryan Sipes, now Josh Hill... could motoclimb be the new trend?