Member of the Week: Logan Cipala
Written by: Jackie Riess
With his parents having met at a hillclimb race, Logan Cipala was destined to become a hillclimb racer. He received his first dirt bike when he was three years old, and began racing in District 23 the following year. Hillclimb became a natural fit for him, but he did dabble in motocross when he was on 50’s. He admits he wasn’t very good on 50’s and 65’s, but as he progressed through his amateur career he found his stride and 11 Amateur National Hillclimb Championships along the way. These championships helped him to earn three Amateur Hill Climber of the Year awards consecutively, and was his sign that he was ready to compete in the professional ranks.
Logan’s first professional championship was earned in 2017, after an intense, series-long points battle. At the time, this was his biggest goal in racing, and this accomplishment was a huge relief. However, the story behind his 6th, and most recent, professional championship is the story of a true champion.
While cross training at Cedar Lake Arena last spring, Logan had a seemingly menial fall coming into a corner. But as he got up, he noticed a lump under his jersey. Lifting his jersey, he realized that lump was his intestines, as the foot peg had ripped open his abdomen. With help from friends, he was able to load up and get to the hospital. Later, doctors performed an exploratory surgery where they cut Logan’s abdominal muscles down the center of his body. He recounts this as the most painful experience of his life. He then spent the spring and summer recovering from this injury, with hopes of being able to compete in the AMA National Hillclimb series. The delays and cancellations of events because of the COVID-19 pandemic worked in his favor, and he was able to return to racing at the first round of the series in September 2020. With just two weekends of racing consisting of 6 rounds, Logan was able to secure the 450 and Premier class championships.
Though hillclimb was his focus through his mid-teens, Logan competes in many disciplines of dirt bike racing. From off-road to motocross to snow biking and even snow hill climb, he is a well versed rider and believes this only makes him a better overall motorcyclist. In 2018 he was invited to compete in snow hill climb at Winter X Games. Racing on a bike familiar to him, he felt this was an advantage and helped him race to his silver medal finish.
In 2021, Logan again plans to compete in the AMA Pro Hill Climb series, as well as compete in District 23 hare scramble and hillclimb races to support our local clubs. He will be working with Valley Springs Motorcycle Club for the AMA professional and amateur nationals, and encourages people to spectate the events. The tight knit community and wide array of bikes provide exciting racing to any motorcycle fan. Logan encourages young racers to focus on their passion for racing and the fun that comes with it, rather than results. “If it’s not fun, it’s not worth doing!”
Visit armca.org/schedule to find a race near you.