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Noah Shaver (520) competes in the Great American Championship Pro Motorcycle Hill Climb at the Billings Motorcycle Club on Friday. 

Noah Shaver (520) competes in the Great American Championship Pro Motorcycle Hill Climb at the Billings Motorcycle Club on Friday. 

BILLINGS — In every sport you win some and you lose some.

The sport of motorcycle hill climbing is no different.

It feels much better to win, but having a disappointing ride can come with the territory.

This year, 22-year-old rider Noah Shaver of Billings has raced to his share of good rides. He entered the two-day Great American Championship Pro Motorcycle Hill Climb among the Rockwell Pro Hill Climb Series leaders.

“I always try to stay as humble as I can,” he said during a break in the action on day one of the competition at the Billings Motorcycle Club on Friday. “It’s definitely rewarding to win. But, it’s not always about winning. It’s about being here and having fun with everybody.”

Shaver, a 2018 Billings West graduate, has the wisdom to know he won’t be perfect all the time.

“You just have to keep your head up and not get too caught up in it and focus on the next ride,” he explained. “Don’t let it get you down and stay positive.”

Before Shaver takes a run up the hill, he tries to remain calm.

“I just try to stay focused and just have a clear mindset and try not to have too high of an expectation in case it doesn’t go how you want it,” he said. “You stay focused and pick your line and try and just do the best you can.”

Entering the third and final stop of the Rockwell series, Shaver is in a battle with Ryan Gallegos of Casper, Wyoming, Bronson Foianini, of Lyman, Wyoming, and Karson Lloyd of Bancroft, Idaho, in the 450cc, 0-700cc, and 701cc plus divisions.

To come out on top, Shaver knows he’ll have to ride to the best of his abilities. He’s entered in the 450cc, 251-700cc, and 701cc open this weekend.

Shaver said coming into the Great American, he was tied for first in the Rockwell series for points in the 450cc, second in the open division and third in the 700cc.

On Saturday, the Great American will begin at 1 p.m. and conclude at 11 p.m. under the lights.

“It’s probably going to take some podium finishes and it depends where everyone else ends up,” Shaver said. “But I’ll need to be on the podium to have an opportunity to win it.”

This is Shaver’s fourth time competing in the Great American. He began riding motorcycles when he was five years old and started in the trophy hill climbs at age seven.

He was introduced to the sport by an older neighbor.

“So we moved in next door to a pro hill climber, Dusty Quast, and it started from there,” Shaver explained.

“It didn’t take long for him to get me started on a bike.”

Shaver, who is in an electrician apprenticeship program, explained he became serious about competing in hill climbing a few years ago after focusing on motocross for several years.

“I’m just finally starting to get the bike set up and figured out,” Shaver explained of why he has been riding so well this year. “Just getting your bike set up for the hill, the moisture and whatever, just getting set up for getting over faster.”

Shaver said his sister, Cassidy Shaver, also competes in the women’s pro class.

While Shaver credited the intricacies of learning his bike and fine tuning his motorcycle so it will perform the best, he’s also spent plenty of time practicing and developing his riding skills.

“Just riding since I was five, I had a lot of room to grow,” he said. “I got to a point where it started clicking and I started feeling better on a bike. I’ve spent a lot of hours riding. I’ve spent thousands of hours on a bike.”

And while Shaver would like to earn series division championships and Great American classification podium finishes at the BMC this weekend, he said the best part about the weekend was the camaraderie with his fellow riders and the people who attend the hill climb. 

“Probably just all the friends I’ve met,” he said of why he enjoys the sport. “I’ve gotten to know a lot of good people. It’s an opportunity to come out and have fun. If you ride good, it pays pretty good.”

Email Gazette Sports Editor John Letasky at john.letasky@406mtsports.com or follow him on Twitter at @GazSportsJohnL

The 104th annual hill climb is Friday and Saturday at the Billings Motorcycle Club. 

Sports Editor at the Billings Gazette

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