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10/26/03 On behalf of Halter Motorsports, John and Mindy Halter would like to thank everyone for all of the great results our events produced in 2003! Thanks goes out to the riders, spectators, helpers, sponsors and friends/family for all of your support! "Mindy and I are very pleased with 2003, and we are very excited for 2004! This sport shows so much promise on a national level, we think having one of the NAHA circuit events on our property is going to be AWESOME for Northern Montana! We show full potential to have the Halter Motorsports Ranch grow to meet the national standards of this exciting Professional Motorsport! Join us in 2004 to watch it happen up close! Thank you very much, John and Mindy Halter: Halter Motorsports. P.S. Here's an article from the Fort Benton, River Press covering our "Big Iron Jam" hillclimb/outdoor concert event, that happened Oct 13th, 2003. Thanks Tim, for your accurate reporting. You're doing a great job!
1,500
spectators watch “Big Iron Jam” in Loma 10/17/03 “I rate it as a great success,” John Halter says of Saturday’s Big Iron Jam hillclimbing competition at the Halter Motorsports Ranch near Loma. This was the second event at the ranch, following the Big Time Hill Climb over Labor Day weekend. The Big Iron Jam was a different type of event than the Big Time Hill Climb. The Big Iron Jam was just one day, featuring only pro riders on big bikes. Just under 1,500 people came out to watch Saturday’s hillclimbing competition. Once again there were loads of good comments about the event from spectators and riders. Halter reported that the riders all said they’re coming back next year. The outdoor concert put on by the Jared Stewart Band Saturday night following the hillclimbing action was a lot of fun. Friday night John Halter made the prediction that the fastest rider over the hill at the Big Iron Jam would make it in about 10 seconds. Saturday, some of the people looking up at that steep hill probably make bets that nobody would make it to the top. However, when the competition started, the first rider made it up and over the hill. And the fastest rider – Dusty Beer of Columbus, Montana – made it over the top in a mere 7.13 seconds. Looking up at the hill, such a time seemed impossible. Most of the riders, however, ran into trouble partway up the hill and could not make it to the top. Just five of the 41 riders made it over the top. Two of the riders made it over the top on both of their rides, so the hill was conquered a total of seven times. There were a lot of spectacular crashes, with riders and bikes tumbling down the hill. There were only a few minor injuries, however. The $10,000 purse was divide among the top 20 riders. The top five riders were: 1st place, Dusty Beer, who received $2,500;2nd place, Pete Loomis of Billings; 3rd place, Scott Olson of Billings; 4th place, Ryan Dicks of Provo, Utah; 5th place, Travis Whitlock of Elizabeth, Colorado. Whitlock is currently #2 rider in the North American Hillclimbers Associaiton(NAHA). The next big event at the Halter Motorsports Ranch will be the Big Time Hill Climb in May of 2004. Since this will be a NAHA points event, it will attract a lot of top riders. Article written by Tim Burmiester of the Fort Benton River Press. October 2003
The 2003 "BIG TIME MOTORCYCLE HILLCLIMB" Report 9/05/03
The
2003 "BIG TIME MOTORCYCLE HILLCLIMB" Report NAHA LETTER 9/03/03 (Halter
Motorsports recieved this Official Letter from the North American
HELLO FROM THE HALTER MOTORSPORTS RANCH!
Mindy and I have been riding dirt bikes for a long time.
We both ride custom Honda CR500’s, and when it comes time to wheel out
the “Big Iron,” we are very proud to run our 89 cubic inch Harley-Davidson. The Halter Motorsports Ranch is a big project for us and has become a large part of our future goals. The recent development has created quite a stir in Northern Montana. A lot of people are excited to be a part of our events. Here is an article that was in the River Press, our local Fort Benton paper. It was written by Tim Burmeister, who attended our July 12th promotional party. I think he did a great job with the story.
“When
a daredevil on a motorcycle guns his machine straight up the side of a steep
300-foot hill at speeds up to 40 to 50 miles per hour, it looks like a crazy
thing to do, but it’s also an entertaining spectacle to watch.
This past Saturday some local people went to a special preview event at
the new Halter Motorsports Ranch motorcycle hill climbing area about a mile west
of Loma to watch some professional hill climbers from around the region break in
the hills and test their skills.
“I don’t know why you call this hill
climbing,” commented Chouteau County Commissioner Jim O’Hara, watching one
of the motorcyclists speed upwards. “Where
I come from we call that a cliff!”
John and Mindy Halter of Billings are the
owners of the 200-acre Halter Motorsports Ranch, and they predict that the hill
climbing competitions held at the ranch will attract thousands of spectators and
have big beneficial impacts on the local communities.
On Labor Day weekend, August 30th and 31st,
there will be the 2003 Big Time Hill Climb.
The Big Time Hill Climb should attract about 100 to 150 riders.
Many people have never heard of motorcycle
hill climbing, but it is actually an extremely popular spectator sport.
The Great American Championship Hill Climb in Billings, the oldest hill
climbing event in the U.S., brings in from 20,000 to 25,000 spectators a
weekend, people at Saturday’s event said.
“It’s one of the biggest spectator
events in Montana,” said Gary Reighard, a big fan of motorcycle hill climbing
and the owner of North Star Dodge and Yamaha in Havre.
“The fringe benefits here will be just
huge for local business owners,” Reighard said. “I can see Fort Benton getting a heck of a shot in the arm.
It’ll be great.”
John Halter says that judging from other
hill climbing events in rural areas, they hope to draw about 2,000 to 3,000
spectators to the Big Time Hill Climb on Saturday, August 30th, and
4,000 to 5,000 spectators on August 31st.
Dusty Beer, the current number one rider in
the North American Hillclimbing Association, was at Saturday’s preview event,
and he said that whatever happens with the events at the Halter Ranch this year,
the numbers are bound to go up in the years ahead.
He said that no one who comes out to see motorcycle hill climbing walks
away disappointed.
“They always come back, and they bring
five friends, so events like these, no matter where they start, they double and
triple each year,” Beer said. “Each year they get bigger and better, and as
they get better you see the level of competition go up.” The pro riders at Saturday’s preview were excited about the Halter Ranch, since it will mean more events for them to compete in with the hopes of winning big money. The top riders can walk away from a competition with thousands of dollars in winnings.
Saturday many of the riders who tackled the
hills at the Halter Ranch did not make it to the top.
After toppling over on their way up the cliff they then had to collect
themselves and their bike and navigate their way back down.
At a competition, some of the riders succeed
in making it over the top of the cliff, and the successful riders with the
fastest times win the purse money.
John Halter grew up southeast of Big Sandy,
near the ferry which has been replaced with the new PN Bridge.
He says that 20 to 30 years ago there used to be a lot of motorcycle hill
climbing in this area.
These days John and Mindy Halter have two
businesses in the Billings area – home and business window tinting, and
outdoor sign-making. They are also
both avid motorcycle hillclimbers. They
see the Halter Motorsports Ranch as a way to bring the excitement of motorcycle
hill climbing back to the area where John grew up. They also see this as a great location for a hill climb,
since it will draw people from around Northcentral Montana – from Great Falls,
Havre, and surrounding communities.
“When we first went in and started looking
for land,” John explains, “I gave my realtors an impossible task.
I said we need 300-foot hills, I need it less than ten miles from the
highway, and I need a few other things, and it should have nothing to do with
the Missouri Breaks, because it’s a National Monument.
And everybody said, O.K., yeah…”
Then Realtor Scottie Peters called one day
and said there was some property they should take a look at.
John and Mindy went out and took a look at the property near Loma, which
was owned by Vern and Pat Wutschke, and they found that the property fit the
bill perfectly. They closed on the property over the Memorial Day weekend.
“I don’t know if there could be a better
plot of land than what we ended up getting,” John says.
On Saturday the soil on the hills was loose
and dry and raised a lot of dust, but John says they will get the hills well
irrigated to get the ground compacted before the events coming up in the months
ahead.
RIVER PRESS JULY 16,2003
JUNE 15th, 2003
John and Mindy Halter are proud to announce the development of “The Halter Motorsports Ranch” in North Central Montana. This property will initially host professional N.A.H.A. (North American Hillclimb Association) Motorcycle Hillclimb Events. The same events that spectators travel to see in Southern California, Utah, Idaho, and Billings, Montana, will be held on our Ranch in Northern Montana! The NAHA hillclimbs that the Ranch will host are part of the NAHA points circuit. You can expect to see the best riders in the Pacific Northwest, fiercely competing for the year-end championship. Our annual “Big Time Climb” will also host local riders, ranging from 5 years old to over 50 years old, competing in the trophy classes. You will also see women competing in the Powder Puff classes! Recommended spectator gear for our events: Lawn chairs and sunscreen. You don’t have to bother with packing a cooler of food and drinks, because full concessions will be provided by local small businesses! Bring the family! This is an exciting event for all ages, and remember, kids age 10 and under get in for free!!! Kick back, relax, and enjoy the show! |
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