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/126285
~ CN l-< aJ ..0 S aJ > o Z lAbove) Hanl'l8h tried in vain to pass DeCoster during the second moto. (Below) Steve Suckable took seventh overall. IAbove) This was DeCoster's view of Hannah in the first moto. It was later reversed, (Below) Burgett (8) fights off Croft (16) and Lackey, Trans-AMA MX Series - Round five The Man versus The Kid By Charles Morey ST. PET ERS , MO, OCT. 23 Roger DeCoster, Team Suzuki's number one man in the world of international motocross , reminded race watchers and contestants once again that he is "T he Man" with an overall victory in t he C ycl e W orld U. S.A . Trans-AMA, "Wore m e out!" Bob "Hurrica ne" Hann a h, winner of the 6 40 minute- plus -t wo -la p moto, exclaimed when it was over. " I'm not really out of shape, b u t I guess I' m not in as good shape as he is. I don't usually quit, but I co u ldn't han dle it ." H annah had be aten DeCoster by a fu ll 12 'seconds in moto one, a fea t that prom p ted a .m oto -journa list who's viewed all but a handful of the top level professional U .S . ' motocross events run in the last half decade to remove DeCos ter's crown and hand it ov er to Team Yamaha's yo ung Californian."1 guess that settles it: he'd said, " I' d always figured DeCoster could win when he wanted to , but I don't think there's any doubt now that Hannah can beat him ." . That prediction, however , proved to be prem a tu re . Following a change of rear shocks between motos ("The back end was co ming up too m uch, " said DeCoster) the five-time 500cc World Cha m pio n went out for the win . He wanted it, and he got it. It was that simple. H annah was left in seco nd place , 16 ·20 seconds beh ind DeC oster's Minoru Ha rada -tuned Suzuki. England's Graham Noyc e joined the Trans-Alvl A circuit, riding for T eam Honda with for mer Yamaha tuner Bill Buchka dia ling in the RC400 for him . Noyce looked quick in practi ce but a first moto crash grounded th e young Briton , perhaps for several weeks. Noyce fell and was hit by Gaylon Mosier; both went to the hospital for exams and treatment of shoulder injuries. has a dislocated " Grah am shoulder ," Team Honda manager Terry Milligan reported later that evening. "T he doctor says no riding for three weeks , but we'll see. ,. Mosier suffered a pulled shoulder a slightly less seve re injury than Noyce's - and will probably miss the Texas event. Providing a change of pace in the Trans-AMA 250cc National/Support class at Cycle World U.S .A. was Team Yamaha's Mike Bell. To date, the often muddy series seems to have favored H usqvarna's Ch uck Sun, the series points leader , and Moto-X Fox rider Mark Ba rnett . Bu t the su nny St . Peters afternoon apparently inspired the SoCa l factory stars, and Bell won both motos. Su n scored second overall with a 2·3 score earned by hounding Bell in t he first moto , then by closing on a mote -long dice between Bell and Yamaha teammate Broc Glover in round two . Glover earned a hardfought 4-2 thi rd overall. Team Honda's Warren Reid scored a 3-7 fou rth with Clark Barnett coming in a 6-6 fifth place. . Mota one: Hurricane warning It was Br a d Lackey's S t eve W hitelock-tuned RC 400 Honda that headed the 3S·rider International field through the first lap . Roger DeCoster followed Lackey at the start, but an impatient Bob Hannah overtook the RD on the first lap to begin work ing on the leader. Tony DiStefano followed them in fourth with Marty Sm ith holding off Rick Burgett and Tommy Croft for fifth . Pierre Karsmakers rode eighth with Gary Semics, Kent Howerton, Jimmy Ellis and Gerrit Wolsink on his trail. O n the second time around the H urricane took the lead. Then , at the final turn of lap two , Lackey slipped and fell. He remounted quickly , but in the few seconds taken DeC ost er. DiStefano , Smith and Burgett passed. Tony D was next to err, and Marty Smith was right on his rear when it happened. Sharing the sa m e rut, Smith smacked into DiStefano and bot h lost several pl a ces getting restarted when Smith's front wheel jammed in between DiStefano's rear wheel and fender. - By th en Hannah had built up a fa ir lead , DeCoster seemed secure in second and - when DiStefano and Smith tangled - Rick Burgett was left in third under pressure from Lackey