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/126314
(Left) Team Suzuki's Danny laPorte won the opening round of the 500cc season on his Pat Alexander-tuned RN-400-78 works bike. IAbove) Bob Hannah leads Jim Pomeroy (10)in the 250cc portion of the Memorial Day weekend round of t he AMAlM ~. PiBB National Championship MX Series. AMAlMr.-PiBB 250/500cc National Championship MX Series -RoundO/1 Tripes beats Hannah and still loses; LaPorte scores 500cc win By Jim Gianatsis WACO, T X , MAY 28 Bob Hannah's winning streak ended as he was beaten by Marty T ripes in the opening m oto of the 250cc class at Lake Whitn ey on Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, Yam aha's "H urricane" Hannah came ba ck in th e second moto to win an d sco re the d ay's overall victory as H onda 's "Typ hoon" T ripes re ti re d with rear brake problems. A surprisingly q uick Danny La Por te beat ba ck strong opposition in th e 500cc class of t he doub le header A MA I Mr. PiBB Nation al program to win th e ope ni ng ro u nd of th e series aboa rd h is Pat Alexander -wren ched Suzuki RN -400 -78 works bike . T he d ay's co m h ined 250 /5 00cc Nation a ls provid ed th e best racing see n th us fa r on t he AM A circu it this season . The m idpoint in the 250cc series a nd th e sta rt of the first of 10 rounds in th e 50Ucc ser ies saw numerous fa ct ory teams planning th eir a ttac ks with ren ewed vigo r. Gon e was th e apath y many of the rid ers had shown earlier in the seaso n . For many it was a whol e new ball garne. 250cc National Word was out in the p its, even before the day's ope ning mo ro , t hat Bob Hannah was a t t he end of his 22 co nsec utive moto winning rampage . Whether some riders knew t hey were going to try harder at beating Ha nnah , th e press ure ha d go nen to be more tha n Bob wanted , or th at he pe rha ps j ust didn't feel like going fas t could have all been part of t he reason . Wh en t he ga te drop ped , Ha nn a h was ca ught way back in t he middle of the pack and fou nd it d ifficult to work his way towa rds the front on the high speed sandy co urse. J imm y Ellis p ulled his usua l goo d sta rt on his fa ctory Honda a head of Pierre Karsm ak ers , Kent Howert on , Tripes, G regg T heiss a nd Ji mmy Weinert . Tripes began wheeling his RC Hond a towards t he fro nt in pursu it of th e leader , ban ling eac h of rhe riders blocking the co u rse in front of h im until he too k co ntrol of rh.. lead a t the ha lfwa y point fro m te-amma te- Ellis. Ellis had held a good lead . bUI lost his advantage as he unload ..d t wi rc. When T ripes too k Ihe I..ad t he ord c r be hin d h im was: Ellis, How..rt on . J im Pornerov. Chuck Sun a nd H a nna h . For th e' rem ainde r of t h.. mot o rhc cro wd 's au ent ion cen u-red o n a la p by lap ba il ie by Ha n na h . as he worke d to ge t arou nd Sun a nd Pome roy. T h.. t..mpera lure was in th e high 90 's, but t hat never phased T ripes as he cont in ue d to pull away o n h is Merl.. Anderson -wren ch ed Hond a fo r t h.. win . " I sta yed OUI here this past week to get used to the hea t. I' m oUI to W ill every m oto left in ' t hc series." sa id T ripes. .Not fee ling as pumpe-d over ra cing was H a nn ah . who said . " I do n't feel right toda y. I' m rea lly slo ppy in m y ridin g . My fee l kep t slippi ng off th e pegs an d I was having an im possi ble lim e gt' n ing th rou gh th c tu rn s." On t h.. lin e for t h.. s..cond rnoro, Mart y and ' Bob were staged besid e eac h other. .Borh wer e iri good h umor a nd cou ld n't help t rying 10 givt' t he ot her a ha rd time. " Do you realize t his is my first Nationa l "i n in five yea rs?" sa id Ma rt y. rem embering his do mination of t he 250 cc Nationals on a Husqva rn a ba ck in 1974 . "And It s you r last!" Ha n na h q u ip p r-d ba ck. W hen t h.. ga te dropp..d for t he secon d m ot o it was Jim Pomeroy's 1I0n,!.J into t he lead .a bead of Su n , Kurvm akers , Ha n na h , We inert , T ri p..s, Howert on , Ellis and Parry Klassen . . Both Hannah a nd Tripes weren 't about to wa it for th ings to happen as th ey began working rh e-ir way to the Fronr. By the fou rth la p Hann ah had • passed u -am rna re Karsrnak ers for th ird place a nd was looking for roo m to g..t by C huc k Sun as Tripe s closed in fro m beh in d . . Then H anna h m ade a mist ake. " I crashed trying to ge l aro u nd Sun . I t urnbled down thi s rav ine. When I gOI back u p I rea lly felt p ump..d for t he first time a ll day . 1 was rid ing harder a nd knew I co u ld ca tch Tripe s." sa id Han na h la ter. Tripes , mea nwhi le , had gOllen by Han na h while H urrica ne was picking him self u p from th e get -of f. Thr..e more la ps and Ma n y had p ushed his wa y pas t both Sun a nd Pom eroy to claim t he lea d for t he second t'ime d uring th e d ay. Pomero y tried to keep pace with his teamma te , but a sec tion of broken 9