COLUMBUS — For over 40 years, Al Hogan called the Columbus-Absarokee area home. He had a passion for engines and motorsports, often described as someone who "never let grass grow under his feet."
The Yellowstone and Stillwater rivers border the area, and one specific motorcycle hill, thanks to Hogan.
With this year’s Nitro National Pro Hillclimb beginning Friday outside of Columbus, a key figure will be missing. Hogan passed away from pancreatic cancer almost three months to the day, on March 15.
"It came on pretty fast. Yeah … nobody was really prepared for that," said Doni Beers, co-founder of the Nitro Hillclimb and a friend of Hogan.
Watch the video below to see how Al Hogan helped develop the Columbus hillclimb:
Hogan lived life at a fast pace, racing cars, motorcycles, and desert trucks. One of his proudest achievements was winning the Baja 1000, one of the world's most grueling and prestigious off-road races on the Mexican peninsula.
At home though, he played a key role in launching the Nitro National attraction by leasing his farmland without hesitation.
"Yeah, if we didn’t have that land, this hillclimb goes away for sure," said Tyler Johnson, a promoter and friend.
"It wasn’t even a question. He was all in," Beers added.
But flipping farmland into freewheeling was dedicated work.
"Endless hours, hundreds of thousands of dollars in work on that hill to make it what it is today … infrastructure, everything," Johnson remembered.
Ultimately, Beers recalled the idea behind this hillclimb was to switch gears when it originated roughly two decades ago.
“What we wanted to do was put on a high-impact, shorter show. Did a lot of fireworks, a lot of pyrotechnics and fire and trying to get people excited about the sport,” he said.
Racing, including side-by-side sprints, is scheduled for Friday and Saturday at 310 Rapelje Road in Columbus. Ticket information and campsite details can be found here.
Johnson noted that Hogan’s wife, Jewels, his sons, Lance and Chuck, and daughter, Shelly, were all on board to keep the thrill alive. Plans are in place to honor Hogan each night, before delivering a family weekend just the way Hogan intended all those years ago.
"He said, you guys go do what you want to do, make sure you clean it up, (that) everything looks good when you leave. And make sure you’ve got good insurance," Beers said with a laugh.
