Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Brandon Kittleson competes during the Great American Championship Motorcycle Hill Climb at the Billings Motorcycle Club in 2021. The 104th annual event is Friday and Saturday at the BMC.
BILLINGS — It isn’t called the Bentonite Nightmare just because it’s a cool moniker.
The famed hill riders will try to crest this weekend at the Billings Motorcycle Club during the 104th Great American Championship Pro Motorcycle Hill Climb will look familiar to observers.
But to the riders, there will be some new twists and turns to negotiate as they try to navigate the approximately 600-foot course, which includes the runway.
“We are going to change the hill up, the lines they run will be a little different than normal,” said promoter Cord Mitchell of the layout of the Nightmare. “It will be fun.”
The pro hill climb takes place Friday and Saturday from 1 p.m. until approximately 11 p.m. both days. A trophy hill climb will be held Friday beginning at 8 a.m. and conclude later that afternoon.
This year, two kids classes, the 0-70cc and 71-90cc, and a women’s class have been officially added to the professional lineup. Last year, the two kids runs were held before the official start of the hill climb and it went smoothly promoters said. So this year — it’s welcome to the show.
“They have been doing this with the other hill climbs in the series,” said Shannon Chamberlain, a three-time Great American overall champion with titles in 1993, 2006 and 2007.
The riders are the star attraction of the hill climb, but the catchers may be the unsung heroes.
The approximately 20 catchers that work the event help keep the motorcyclists and their motorcycles ranging from $10-$20K from bouncing down the hill on an unsuccessful attempt.
“We have a good crew,” said Chamberlain.
The catchers’ work also helps to keep the pace of the Great American moving as they help unsuccessful riders get their bikes back down the hill. During competition, Chamberlain said they try and have a rider attempt the course every 1.5-2 minutes.
“That’s what we really push for,” he said. “Without them, it would take a lot longer.”
The Great American is part of the Rockwell Pro Hill Climb Series and is the finale for the circuit this season. The three-event series also featured X-12 May 13-15 in Utah and the Big Sky Challenge that was held at the BMC June 4-5.
Ryan Gallegos, the 2016 Great American overall champion from Casper, Wyoming, won the 450cc pro, the 0-600cc pro, and the 700cc pro, at the X-12, which is held near the Utah/Idaho border off of Interstate 15.
Jake Anstett of Port Angeles, Washington, was the Big Sky Challenge champion this year, but will miss the Great American with an injury.
According to BMC club president Don Erhardt, Gallegos, Noah Shaver of Billings, and Bronson Foianini, of Lyman, Wyoming, are battling for the points lead in the 450cc, 0-700cc, and 701cc plus divisions in the Rockwell series.
Karson Lloyd of Bancroft, Idaho, isn’t too far behind Gallegos, Shaver or Foianini, added Erhardt.
Shaver won the 450cc and 701cc open exhibition classes at the Big Sky Challenge.
The defending Great American overall champion Austin Teyler is also entered in the field. The Billings rider has captured four overall Great American titles — in 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2021.
Teyler didn’t compete in the Big Sky Challenge as he was serving as a promoter for the hill climb. However, Teyler has traded in his gym shoes for riding boots this weekend and is entered in the Great American.
On Friday, action will begin at 1 p.m. with the 450cc, followed by the 600cc, the women’s pro, the 40-plus masters and the last chance side-by-side qualifier for Saturday’s main side-by-side competition.
On Saturday, the two new kids classes start the competition at 1 p.m., followed by the 0-700cc, the 701cc plus, the championship class and the side-by-side main.
The championship runoff will feature the top five riders out of the 450, 0-700 and 701 classifications. A rider can only qualify in one division for the runoff, so if they are in the top 5 in another class the next best rider gets the call. There will be a total of 15 different riders in the championship class.
Erhardt said the purse will be over $25,000. The overall champion will get a “nice watch, trophy and bragging rights,” he added.
All classification titlists will receive a trophy and a watch.
The Billings Motorcycle Club is located at 3630 Old Blue Creek Road. Tickets are $15 per day or $25 for the weekend. Kids 10 and under are admitted free with a paying adult.
Food and beverage vendors will also be set up on site.
Both the anticipation of the riders and preparations by the many volunteers who organize the hill climb and setup the club grounds will come to fruition this weekend.
“It has been a little bit hectic. We have been working on it,” said Mitchell. “We are getting excited for the end of the week.”
Email Gazette Sports Editor John Letasky at john.letasky@406mtsports.com or follow him on Twitter at @GazSportsJohnL
Friday and Saturday, Billings Motorcycle Club, 1-11 p.m.
Get local news delivered to your inbox!
Sports editor for The Billings Gazette.
Email notifications are only sent once a day, and only if there are new matching items.
The 104th event is set for Friday and Saturday at the Billings Motorcycle Club.
Big Sky Challenge pro and trophy hill climbs, along with flat track racing, to be held Saturday at the Billings Motorcycle Club.
Brandon Kittleson competes during the Great American Championship Motorcycle Hill Climb at the Billings Motorcycle Club in 2021. The 104th annual event is Friday and Saturday at the BMC.
Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.