The Vollwerth’s Meats – Pat’s Motorsports – Wildlife Refuge Cabins Motorcycle Hillclimb took place on Saturday at Whealkate Bluff in South Range. The hillclimb was sanctioned by the Mid America Snow and Terrain Expert Racers, commonly known as the MASTERS.

The MASTERS’ No. 1 motorcycle hillclimber, Mike Kirtland of Mass City, qualified for the Vollwerth’s Meats “King of Meats” Modified King of the Hill by winning four different classes. 

Three others earned one run in the King Shootout. Those three are Brad Havela of Ishpeming, Keith Williams of Watersmeet, and Brian Pence of Rockland.

Kirtland went first and made it over the top with his Pat’s Motorsports Yamaha in 13.4 seconds. Havela went next and turned in a 16.12 second run. Williams had an amazing 12.35 seconds. With Williams setting the bar, it was up to Brian Pence and Kirtland to beat that 12.35 second run.

The first woman to compete in the MASTERS Racing Circuit Motorcycle Hillclimb was Hanna Havela of Ishpeming. Havela won the 906 and Company Queen of the Hill by going almost 100 yards up the steep Whealkate Bluff in South Range. (Provided photo)

Pence made it over the top in 14.39 seconds.

Kirtland still had earned three more shots at beating Williams. His second run was 13.10 seconds, third run was 12.83 seconds. That meant it came down to one last run to continue his Mod King of the Hill dominance over the last three years.

Kirtland’s final run was 12.70 seconds. Thus giving the Vollwerth’s Meats Mod King of the Hill crown to Keith Williams.

After beating every one of his shootout runs, Kirtland had a good feeling on his final run. 

“I flew over the wall and never jumped so far,” Kirtland stated.

His team was cautiously optimistic, that is until he heard the time of 12.70 seconds. 

“I couldn’t get my Top Gun bike to start,” he said. “On that bike I know I could have run faster than 10 seconds. I had to run a different bike, but still was confident I could win the King of the Hill.”

Pence ended with a third in the shootout. On two runs, he came within a few feet of making it over the top. On one run, the video showed his bike going over the top. The only problem was, Pence wasn’t on the motorcycle. Thus he registered a 209-yard high mark.

Havela took a fourth, but wasn’t disappointed.

“The weekend didn’t go too bad for only having about one hour on my new ride,” he said, “finishing second in Mod/Swing Arm Open 250/450cc. (I took a) third in Open stock.” 

The Ishpeming hillclimber continued, “Not bad, but was really shooting for the King of the Hill this time around.”

The Mod King of the Hill shootout was not the only one that came down to the last run. The same scenario took place in the Wildlife Refuge Cabins Stock King of the Hill. 

This time Pence had earned three runs through the two rounds of qualifying in Stock.  The only other hillclimber that qualified was Mass City’s K.J. Jolliff.  Pence agreed to run first on his Settlers Co-op/Source Heating Center/Citizens State Bank bike. He fell only a yard short of going over the top. That gave him a 209-yard mark that Joliff would have to beat. In other words, Joliff would have to take his Joliff Trucking/ Jolliff Bothers/CJ Services bike over the top.

Joliff made it over the wall, and turned in a 16-second run.

Pence had two more runs to make it over the top and beat that 16-second run. During his next run, he went 189 yards.

On the final run, Pence had it happen again. He went right to the top of the wall, and couldn’t go over the top. While registering another 209-yard run, it was Joliff that won prize money and a Diamond House International King of the Hill jacket.

Atlantic Mine’s Robert O’Connell surprised a lot of the pro and amateur hillclimbers by going as far as he did in the Willy’s Tire Shop/Bartanens Auto Body Kids King of the Hill. O’Connell qualified by going 150 yards.

“That’s farther then I went and a lot of the other riders,” said another hillclimber.

To make matters even more exciting, O’Connell went 158 yards to win the Kids King of the Hill. Mass City’s Gabe Kirtland went 100 yards. 

“That was Gabe’s second time on a motorcycle,” said Kirtland’s dad, Mike.

For the first time since the MASTERS hillclimb circuit at Whealkate Bluff began in 1991, a woman competed in the motorcycle hillclimb, Brad Havela’s daughter, Hanna. Hanna’s first run was her best run, 92 yards. Her last run, the Westwood High School/Chain Gang racer went 87 yards.

“We practiced on some smaller hills in the Ishpeming area,” Brad said. “At first, she was nervous and didn’t know if she would want to compete, then she said she wanted to try the hill (Whealkate Bluff). I am so very proud of her.”

Not long after the hillclimb ended, the Havelas’ excitement took a major shift. A hillclimber who just missed making the cut for the King of the Hill, Jesse Perry, passed away. Perry was Brad Havela’s brother, Gage’s, best friend. Gage and Perry went through Westwood High School and played football together.

Perry had two runs when he went over 470 feet. His best was a fifth place finish in the Mod 450-4 class. The class that will be the “feature” class and will be renamed the Jesse Perry Memorial Class at next year’s Jesse Perry Memorial Hillclimb, sponsored by Vollwerth’s Meats, Wildlife Refuge Cabins, and Pat’s Motorsports. The winner of the Jesse Perry Memorial Class will be awarded a plaque, sponsored by Stampede Sport N’ Feed.

“He (Jesse Perry) lived for the hillclimb,” said Marissa Corkin. “It was one of the things he loved to do.”

The Westwood Class of 2016 is going to try to raise money to give to the winner of the Jesse Perry Memorial Class. Perry was a Westwood High School 2016 graduate.

The MASTERS will now turn their attention to the Vollwerth’s Meats WINTERNATIONALS Snowmobile and Snow Bike Hillclimb at Whealkate Bluff, which will take place will be on Feb. 4 and 5, 2023.

“There is a lot more of us that have snow bikes,” said Colin Joliff. “We’re looking to compete at that hillclimb.”

“Those snow bikes are going to make it over the top,” said Mike Kirtland. “I guarantee it!”