PORT ANGELES — Port Angeles’ Jake Anstett has been racing motorcycles most of his life and had a bit of success in motocross and supercross, but nothing that foreboded his taking the uphill climbing world by storm this season.
Anstett, 27, came close to sweeping all four classes, winning a ton of hardware, which culminated in him being named the North America Hillclimbers’ Association Rider of the Year.
Anstett has only been on the NAHA circuit for three years. He cut his teeth for several years on motocross and supercross after going pro in 2007 and did some uphill riding at the Olympic Peninsula Motorcycle Club’s Deer Park track just east of Port Angeles. He rode in the Canadian arena cross circuit for a while in Chilliwack, B.C. He said he had a little bit of success here and there in motocross, but was left frustrated.
“I would always come up short,” he said.
So, he decided to give uphill a shot, and his fortunes totally changed riding in the NAHA series. In uphill, riders must navigate up a usually very steep hill, sometimes full of soft dirt and with a few twists and turns. The NAHA holds a series of five races during its season in Sunnyside, Columbus, Mont.; New Plymouth, Idaho; and outside of Tracy, Calif. More than 100 racers compete in each of four classes.
Here’s what he has accomplished in three years. He won the 450 cc class in 2016 and was named the NAHA Rookie of the Year. In 2017, he won the 451-700 cc class and came close to winning the 450.
That was just the beginning of Anstett’s success. In 2018, he dominated, winning the 450 cc, the 451-700 cc, the X-climb championship and finishing second in the 701-open cc class — by one point. He came within that single point of sweeping all four classes. He won the NAHA overall points championship, beating out last year’s champion Logan Mead of Concord, Calif., by 38 points. At a ceremony on Sept. 23 in Las Vegas, he was named the NAHA Rider of the Year.
The X-climb is especially prestigious is that this is a by-invite class of the best of the best uphill riders. It’s also a little different in that two riders go up the hill side-by-side … and they can bang into each other up the hill as riders try to position themselves for the best lines.
“It was almost a perfect year,” he said. Anstett said he had a chance to win the 701-open class, but said a little timid on one of his runs and on another, “my bike got stuck on soft dirt and I went over the bars.” He definitely wants a crack at winning all four classes next year, he said.
On top of that, he also won the championship in another series, called the Rockwell Pro Hill, held in Montana and Utah.
“I transitioned better than I thought. I hoped I could do this well, but it was never a for sure thing,” he said.
Anstett, who races for Team Peterson based out of Brea, Calif., said his years of motocross racing has helped him in the uphill. First of all, the uphill is physically easier.
“In the night shows [of motocross], I’d pretty much be leaving in an ambulance,” he said.
“Uphill is a lot easier on my body. It’s much less taxing on my body than what I used to be doing,” he said. During the offseason now, he still has to work on keeping in shape, which much of his energy keeping his weight down. Losing weight means less weight his bike has to carry uphill.
Some of the skills from motocross helped in the uphill, as well.
“Some of the line choices I would make, I learned from motocross. It helped me get through some of the stuff [on the uphill tracks].”
With all of his success in NAHA and Rockwell, Anstett said he will still keep showing up at the Deer Park hill climb races. He lives just a few minutes away.
“When I’m home, it’s always nice to head up there and have a stress-free race,” he said.
Jake Anstett racing at the Olympic Peninsula Motorcycle Club’s Deer Park uphill track in June. (Tom Hines)
