| September 4, 2024
The inaugural Four Corners MotoClimb was at the Purgatory Ski Resort in Durango, Colorado, August 31-September 1, and was the final round of the AMA CFMoto MotoClimb Super Series, presented by Hi-Tech Motorsports.
Jon Wolfson won just about everything at the Four Corners MotoClimb in Durango, Colorado, including the AMA MotoClimb Championship.
By Matt Musgrove | Photos: Ryan McCasland
This race has been one of the main attractions at the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally for several years, which is emerging as one of the more popular motorcycle rallies in the USA. A couple classes for baggers, choppers and dual sports were a crowd favorite, making it an entertaining afternoon for the thousands that flocked to Purgatory.
Jon Wolfson was going into the final round with a sizable points lead in the overall standings along with several class championships and continued his momentum in Colorado. The Pro Mod class kicked off the race day around noon, on a hill that had a lot of speed with a steep ending toward the finish line.
Tristan Alexander won the Pro Mod class on his Husqvarna FC490 with a 16.666-second ride. In the Pro Stock class, Wolfson and his Honda CRF450R beat out a couple Stark Vargs and a charging Alexander with a 15.108-second pass. In between these classes, the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally hosted the Open Hooligan and a Run What Ya Brung classes, which featured a diverse collection of bikes—including a Honda CT110, a Yamaha Tenere 700, a Kawasaki KLR200, a Harley-Davidson Sportster, and even a Honda Gold Wing—all trying to make it over the top. One racer, Cody Hartsock, tried it on his Harley-Davidson bagger for two runs, losing his seat in the first run and losing his front fairing in the second, and the crowd was going crazy.
Colorado’s Jeremy Gobeli asks for everything from his Honda CT110 while competing in the Run What Ya Brung class. He coaxed the little Honda up the ski hill to 792 feet. He didn’t win but didn’t get last, either.
In the Pro Open class, MSS athletes showed the crowd what these custom-built machines are capable of. The machines ranged from a Yamaha XS800 fueled by nitro-methane to KTM V-twins and more. Logan Mead put down a fast pass on his first run, stopping the clock at 15.684 seconds aboard his KTM 1290. This time held until Wolfson figured out the tricky turns on the course and clocked a 15.548-second pass on his Suzuki GSX-R750, winning the Open class. Payton Reimers had an impressive ride aboard his Kawasaki 1428, finishing in third.
The final class of the day was Verticross, which was the first time many of the fans saw two riders race up the hill together. There were some tight battles in the top-16 bracket, including a photo finish between Alexander and Ryan Wyatt, but it came down to Reimers on his Stark Varg and Wolfson on his CRF450R in the finals.
The AMA MotoClimb Super Series is currently the only AMA Championship that allows electric motorcycles to compete against gas-powered bikes, which has made things interesting this season. These bikes were first allowed in 2018 when Alta Motors was involved with the series, but the MSS has seen several Vargs compete in the Pro Stock and Pro Mod classes. The competition has actually been very close most of the season against some of the faster 450s, with the Vargs winning a couple races, but being bested by the gas bikes the majority of the time. It was Wolfson, though, who took the lead at the start and ended up winning the Verticross class on his gas-powered machine.
Tristan Alexander had a good weekend, which included winning the Pro Modified class.
Wolfson ended up with a perfect 40 points to win the event overall, and also walked away with the Pro Stock, Pro Open, Verticross, and Overall MSS Championships for the 2024 season. Payton Reimers won the Pro Mod MSS Championship. The 2024 AMA MotoClimb Super Series saw a lot of great racing and stopped at some awesome venues, crowning two new champions as Logan Cipala’s multi-year reign ends after a mid-season injury. The final stop at the Purgatory Ski Resort with the Four Corners Motorcycle Rally was well-received by the racers, as they hope to see it again in the future. There is no official 2025 schedule yet, but plans are being made to potentially add another round or two next season.
OVERALL
- Jon Wolfson (40)
- Payton Reimers (35)
- Logan Mead (33)
- Tristan Alexander (32)
- Ryan Wyatt (27)
