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/126258
IAbovel Arlo Englund (22) starts off with some fancy footwork in the Omaha Support class .IBelow) Keith McCarty reworked the OW25 works Yamaha and Bob Hannah won both motos with it IBottom) Kent Howerton finished second overall. coming out ahead in a tie-breaker with Marty Smith. \ . Hurricane Hannah blows down Omaha as Captain Cobalt breaks By Jim Gianatsis HERMAN , NEB. , APR. 24 . Regaining his winning form on the AMA circuit after two weeks of problems with his works bikes, Yamaha's Bob Hannah scored two moto wins ~n a: reworked OW25 factory machine to post the overall victory at Om aha's 250cc AMA National Championship Motocro~. Kent How~rton picked u p moto fin ishes of 3-2 In the two 45minute-plus -two-lap races for second overall on his Husqvarna and Honda's Marty Smith not ch ed third with a 2·3 finishing ord er which equ aled Howerton's overall score. with second pla ce goi ng to the " Rhinesione Cowboy" because he held off. Marty in th e tie -breaking second moto. Jimmy Ellis, the previous week 's race winner at Nashville , looked like a sure winner again this week until mechanical problems retired "Ca p tain Cobalt" in both moros. . Rid ers were somewhat disappointed over conditions at the Oma ha Moto Park track whic h-included dust an d a wire cable sta rt ing gate that tangled in the bikes ' knob by tires . These were prob lems which th e track ha d in 1975 and had forced the AM A not to gr a nt OMP a National ca liber event in 1976 . • For th is year's race the track was kep t well watered , but it dried out quickly in the pla ins and covered th e some 4 ,000 spectators in choking dust. The r eli ability and handl in g problems with his wor ks bikes which had hampered Bob Hannah in the first two Na tionals of th e year at Ha ngtown and Nashville were solved for Oma ha . " Per fect . . : han dl es good now ," were the 'com ment s the Hurricane Kid had for his Keith McCarty modified OW work s Yamaha wh ich utilized stoc k forks and a reworked monoshock 'u nit off the 250cc YZ prod uction bike which · H a nnah had don e so well on in th e Florida a nd Supe rcross Series even ts. MotoOne "The last thr~ weeks my. ho leshots have been pretty good," cl ai med J im my Ellis. "M arty Sm ith to ld m e things are a whole lot easier with a good start and I found out he was right." Ellis powered h is production engi ned/ prototype framed Ca n-Am up the starting hill at Om aha to take the lea d of the first mota as Rick Burgett, Ga ry Sem ics, Ma rty Tripes, Mart y Smi th, T ony DiStefano , Danny La Porte, T om Croft , Gaylon Mosier and Mickey Kessler roped in behind. Hannah had his Yamaha buried back in 17th place, but it wasn 't long before he was lea ving a trail of dusted goggles and bruised egos in his wake as he weaved his way towards the front of the pack. Elli s, though, looked impossible to catch as he continued to increase his lead over Burgett. The mota was hardly half over when the back wheel of his Can-Am locked up and J immy fou nd himself havi ng to push his way off the tra ck. "It eit her seized , broke, or both." Bu rgert.now found himself with his first National lead,.of the yea r. but