Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

C(") CN 1-0 IU ..c e IU > o Z 8 ICIockwise from upper left): Privateer Arlo Englund gave Yamaha a double victory with his Consolation win. Tony D.• Marty Tripes and Marty Smith battled just behind the leaders. Hannah s ignaled confidently to the crowd before the racing even started - he was sure of winning, Savitski (201dices with Stackable 161 and WIS8I121 in heavy mid-pack action. Feature race "I timed the gate perfect," claimed the Hurricane. It was the only sure way to win in stadium racing getting the holeshor, "I was so scared I wouldn't get a good stan. But once I did, I knew that anyone who would want to try and get 8 around me would have to kill me first!" As the 24-bike fiel d of the fastes t motocross riders in America roared over the gate for th e 20·lap feature race it was FMFs John Sa vitski on an RM 250 Su zuk i and Hannah on the YZ 250 E Yamaha hookin' handlebars through th e fifth ge ar first turn sweeper. Funneling in behind were Pomeroy, Mosier, Croft , DiStefano, .Smith, Noyce , Chandler and Chuck Su n with the top 10 spots. Side by side with Ha nnah through turn one, Savitski pulled out a slight lead on Bob as they bounced across the " C oc a -Cola C a t a p u l t" and ricocheted off "The Wall ." John obviously wasn't worried about hurting good buddy Hannah's feelings as he held his Bevo Forte prepared bike in the lead at the complerion of la p one. But then the Hurricane Kid isn 't one to let friendship get in his way either, as he roosted past Savitski on the second lap to put a stranglehold on the lead for the rest of the race. Jimmy Weinen pulled a miserable start, quickly tried to improve it and crashed , remounting in last place next to Yam ah a's Mike Bell , who had crashed over a downed rider in turn one at the sta rt. Savitski bu ckled under the pressure as well and bailed off, finding himself near the back of the pack once he got going aga in. O n lap three speedst er " Magoo" pull ed his expected ge toff, putting h im self out for the evening. T he "Most Sp ec tac u la r Ge t off Award" went to poor Dann y La Porte on lap five whe n he lost control of his works Suzuki on a series of four jumps called the "Gra nd Tetons." Danny fell off the bike just in time , as it launched itself off a banked turn a nd went cartwheeling into the darkness above the stadium. Danny had bailed off earlier in the evening during practice I when he attempted to see if a similar set of four jumps could be cleared at on ce . He wasn 't hurt in either getoff, but was shaken up enough to cruise around the track for the res t of the race in las t place. By th e 10th lap, mid-way through the race, H an na h had built up a 6-7 second lead onJim Pomeroy. who was being pressed heatedly by teammate Cro ft . Many Sm ith lost a little ground at one point whe n he stalled his Honda, while the remaining Honda contingent of Grah am Noyce looked good until he stalled after bailing off on the "G ra nd Tetons.' Br ad Lackey ha d failed to qualify for the race after bike p roblems in his q ualifier . Despi te the fac t t hat almost the entire race had been hardly more than a leisu rel y trail ride for Hannah, whe n Bob started around the track on the fin a l lap the ent ire stad ium audience. with ann oun cer Larry Huffm an directing. rose on th eir fee t to cheer the Hurricane to victory. Not taking any ch ances , Bob roll ed ea sily over th e j um ps and th en flash ed th e thumbs up sign al to th e crowd as he coas ted under the checkered flag. There was no do ubt about who the 1977 Supercross Seri es Champion was . In the IO races of the Series. the "T ro u ble" kid had racked up six firsts . one second. two thirds and one seventh place. And the new production . Yamaha? " Excellent. The best I've ever ridden," said Bob . How modified was it? "The po rts were cleaned up a little. but-not cha nged . T he forks were modified with so me different d am p e n in g. T hat's it," Keit h sweared. • Results 2O- P MAIN EVENT: 1. Bob Hannah. 25 lVam). 1. LA Jim Pomeroy. 22 IHon). 3. To mmy Croft , 20 IHan). Gayton Mo sier. 18 (Mail, 5. Marty Sm ith, 16 (Hon). 6 Broc Glover, 15 {Ya ml. 7. Marty Tripes, 14 IH-DI. Chuck Sun, 13 IHusl. 9. Ji m Weinert , 12 IKawl. 10. Tony DiStefano. 11 (Suzl. 11. Wa rren Reid, 10 (Han) 12. Rex Staten , 9 (H-D!. 13. Terry Clark, B IKaw ). 14 St eve Stackable, 7 (Mail. 15. St eve Wise. 6 (Suzl. , 6... John Savitski, 5 (Suzl. 17. Kent Howerton. 4 (Husl. 18. Graham Noyce , 3 (Han). 19. Monty M cCoy, 2 (Yam). 20. Carlos Serrano, 1 IHusl. 21. Danny laPorte (Sull. .. I S-LA P CONSOLA TION RACE: 1. Arlo Engluncl (Yam). 2. Charles Halcom b (Hus). 3. Marty Moates IHusl.4. Danny Swartz (Mai). 5. Ron Pomeroy !Yaml. 6.Glenclon J ohnson ISuzl . 7. Koji Masuda (Suzl, B. Ga

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