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/126294
; How to rrde like the Hurricane - Introduct ion II1II i UpS and dovvns of 00 ; Bob Hannah, IAmerica's fastest m By Jim Gianatsis For the second year in a row, Team Yamaha's Bob Hannah has proven himself to be the fastest motocross rider in America , earning more .'AMA National MX Series points than any other rider, to once again carry the number two plate on the front of his bike. 1977 was a good year for the "Hurricane" in many 8 respects. He became the first rider to win National races in all three classes in just one season , won the 250cc class of the Florida Winter-AMA Series and the prestigeous Supercross Series. The bikes Bob rode in Florida and the Supercross Series were nearly box stock production Yamahas , underlining Bob's ability even more , while putting to rest the controversial AMA claiming rule and , its advocates who thought privateer riders didn't have access to equipment that was competitive with factory 'rid ers and their works bikes, In other respects 1977 was a disappointi ng season for Bob Hannah . The exotic Yamaha works bikes which he rode in the Nationals and the Trans-AMA Series p roved hardly to be the best performing bikes on the track, nor the most reliable. Bob seriously campaigned all three National classes - 125cc, 250cc and Open - and quite possibly could have won all three National Championships if his works bikes hadn't broken down under him . It was a feat that no other rider could even come close to, but Bob took the problems in stride with a shrug of his shoulder. . "Sure, we could have won the Nationals , but everyone has good luck and bad luck . Weinert might have won the 250cc Nationals if he hadn't gott en hurt. There's a lot of 'ifs' involved for everybody. "Ya ma ha tries to sort out their works bikes the best they can before they send them over to the States. But it turns out a lot of development has to be carried out over here under raci ng co nditions. " Even more disappointing than his bad luck in the Nationals were the problems Bob suffered in the TransAMA Series. For the first tim e since the series began in 1970 it finally looked like an American rider would win the Trans-AMA title. And the rider he would have beaten to accomplish the feat was the best motocrosser in legend, five-time World Champion Roger DeCoster . ~, " I sho uld have won the Trans-AMA Series, but 1 broke down two times ," laments Bob. "Roger didn't break down at all, and yet he only beat me in the series by 21 points , which is a difference of less than one moto. O ne time 1 was lead ing a moto by 30 seconds when 1 broke. So even if the other moto wasn 't even considered , if 1 had