Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126063
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(Lefti Broc Glover airborne. (Above) The
Smith/Hannah incident. (Below)Tony D.
By Jody Weisel
NEW ORLEANS, LA., A UG . 29
W
hen the ba ck slapping,
handshaking and yelling
had settled down on the
levee of the Mississippi
River, Texan Kent Howerton was
crowned th e new 500cc American
National Motocr oss Ch ampion. It
was perhaps one of the most
tension filled and drama packed days in
U.S. mo tocr oss history. All of the big
guns had filed into the long rive rside pit
row t set up their camps, said their vows
an d gone out onto the Motocross West
course to do battle. New Orleans
marked the second year in a row that a
fa teful battle would take place. Last
y ear six riders came to the muggy
alligator lined ba you track t o take a
shot at it, but this year it was only Kent
Ho werton versus Kawasaki 's Gary
Sernics.
Howert on ro de th e wh eels o ff h is
Husqvarna to actual ly sna tch the victory
away fro m mo m en tum charged Gary
Semics. The Pop eye 's Fried Ch icken
sponsored event was t he fmal round o f
th e 125 and 50 0 season an d by d ay's
end becam e a sho wp lace of old rivalries
form
of
a
classic
in
th e
Weine rt/D iStefa no
clash ,
new
prot agon ists arose in the Hannah/Smith
duel, and some startling n ew faces crept
in to the upcoming Trans-MIA scene .
125 National - a multi -shocker
Yo ung Bob Hannah had clinched the
125 National Championship the week
be fo re in Houston with a listless
screamers m o re than made their
performance and came to the starting
admission fee worth it. Again LaPone
line by the levee ready to do business.
held it on longest and hardest with
Marty Smith had lost the National
Savitski, Hannah and Wise trying to so rt
out second place three turns into t he
Ch am p ionship he held for two years t he
week before in Ho uston an d came to
race. Hannah mo ve d on LaPorte and the
two fac tory riders collided at t he
the banks of the Big Muddy to redeem
hairpin leadi ng to the fron t straight .
his honor. Danny LaPorte had won hi s,
and Suzuki's, first 125 National the
LaPorte and Hannah's feet flew off the
week before in Houston and ca me to
pegs as they wobbled onto t he
where the sewage of Chicago collects to
straightaway. Danny grabbed a b ig . '
do it again.
handful, straigh tened the Suzuki out
At the drop of the first gate it was
and regained his direction first. The
Danny LaPone, T&M sponsored Ron
next lap was almost a repeat as Hannah
Turner, DG rider Broc Glover, Bob
held a much quicker inside line. Hannah
Hannah.Marty Sm ith and FMF privateer
clutched the flying water-wagon , but
Steve Wise lumped together in the
again LaPone got away in front . The
world's fastest conga line. Hannah
third time LaPorte was not as lucky as
wasted no time in passing Glover and
Hannah took the lead. Wise quickly
Turner to start massaging LaPorte's rear
capitalized on the sinking Suzuki rider
fender. Hurricane Hannah pounced on
as Marty Smith displaced Savitski to
by over a short straight. Hannah t urned
take over fourth . Hannah got about a
the thermostat up on h is wa te rcooled
ten second lead as LaPorte passed Wise,
Yamaha and disappeared over the
then Many's new Type 2 Honda passed
undula ting te rrain.
both Wise and LaP o ne.
It was th at easy for Hannah, but fo r
Time was ru nning out, bu t Marty
Marty Smith it be came very di ffic ult.
p icked up the pace and began to n arro w
the margin between t he ye llow an d re d
With Steve Wise's front fender married
to his rear and a de fens ive Lal'orte on
m achine. With fo ur laps to go Hannah
the fro n t door Mar ty was sandwich ed
deve loped a flat fr on t tire . Luckily the
tacky sur face on the front portion of
in to a positio n he wo uld be u na ble to
brea k o ut o f. Broc Gl ov er kep t his DG
the co urse sti ll provided co ntrol, bu t o ut
racer dialed to a fift h be h ind the
back on the slick fast straights h e was
losing time. Suddenly they were side by
q uartet, wh ile John Savitski and Radical
Ro n Turner made fre q ue n t attempts to
side coming down the st raight towards
erase each other from the track. Savitski
the tunnel. Marty got a wheel in front as
got by on the ba ck straight and made it
th ey came into the tunnel turn, but
stick when some lappee's got in
Hannah couldn't keep the Yamaha on
between.
the tight inside groove. Hannah and
The fans were there to see the 500
Smith collided, collapsed and crashed.
b attle, but the second rnoto -of-the + 25 - ' •