After takeoff, the pilot made a right turn into a hollow between rising terrain. He realized that the airplane could not attain a climb rate needed to clear the terrain, so he made a steep turn. During the turn, the airplane's engine lost partial power. During a forced landing, the airplane impacted a creek bank and was damaged. The pilot stated that there was about 6 gallons of fuel on board for the five mile flight. The fuel capacity of the airplane was 23 gallons. Post accident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies. The fuel tank was ruptured and empty. The fuel line from the fuel pump to the injection servo contained three to four drops of fuel. The fuel line from the servo to the flow divider contained enough fuel to fill half of the line. The pilot stated that the aircraft was modeled very closely after a 2 seat Pitts Special, which was placarded to restrict takeoffs with less than 1/4 tank of fuel due to possible fuel starvation induced by attitude.