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/126333
. -' ; 11II • ~ g It ~ I-< Q.) ..0 o ... u o Music may soothe the savage beast. but 'J im m y Weinert's crooning didn't slow Bob Hannah as the "Hurricane" blew away with both moto wins. Team Yamaha's Pierre Karamakers and Ed Scheidler spectate in awe. . Trans-AMA MX Series - Round one Hannah sets Mid-Ohig blazing . ' By Jim Gianatsis LEXINGTON , OH , SEPT. 24 As the Trans-AlvlA series began its ninthyear this weekend at Mid-Ohio Motocross Park, an era apparently carne to a close. Bob Hannah, Denny Swartz .and Marty Smith finished onetwo -three in the 500cc International class ahead of five-time World Champion Roger De Coster, signaling that the Ameri- 8 can stu den ts finally have risen to the top of their class and intend to pu t their European professors o ut of work , Steve W ise won his first major race for T eam Honda this season as he took top honors in the 250cc Support class . Yamaha's unstoppable Bob "Hurricane" Hannah took his Keith McCa rt y· prepared b ike , this time the 425c c ligh tweigh t OW39 rocke tsh ip , t o ba ck - to -ba ck mo t o wins . Bob 's domination of th e 500 cc International class today was certa inl y just th e beginning of America's winning stre ak in the seven races of the Trans ·AMA Championship , a championship wh ich Bob should have won .last year if his b ike hadn't broken in one of two motos , eventually le avi ng Bob in second overall position beh ind Suzuki st ar Roger DeCoster. T h at the Europe ans knew t he Americans could beat them was evidenced in the ent ry list. Only two Europeans were on hand compared to their majority st a t u s o ve r th e Americans some fi ve ye a r s ago . Besides four ·time Trans·AMA MX Series Champion DeCoster , th er e wer e Eng la n d 's Graham Noyce o n the factory H onda plus Japan's T orao Su zuki o n th e fa ctory Montesa . But without the Eu ropeans the T ra ns-Alvl A Series ca n st ill su rvive in a new era as proven by th e large crowd pa cked around th e Mid -Ohio tracksid e fencing . It will succeed as the onl y outdoor series in Am erica where all the top riders can now ' be found on the sam e track at the sa me tim e. The stars of each National class finall y get to race together at th e end of th e yea r to p ro ve just who is best. 500cc International Tommy Croft' s RC4 50 H onda had the horsepowe r ' as h e led the International class down th e long grass starting chute of Mid -Ohio's infield . Gary Semics and Gaylon Mos ier were righ t behind , then Hannah, Denny Swartz , Chuck Sun , Roger DeCoster , Suzuki test pilot Koji Masuda on the pre· product ion RM4 20D , Darrell Shultz, St eve St ackable and Marty ' Smith. W ithin three la ps Hannah had taken control of second , and then just past the l Ovminute m ark in the moto he took the lead from Croft for the rem ai nder of the ra ce . Gallantly Croft held on , though , never letting Hannah pull m ore tha n five secon ds ahead . But Hannah wasn't about to let the pressure bu ckl e him . . Mosier was looking good as he ran with Semics , Sun and Swartz in an attempt to hold off DeCoster, but then the big new 390 cc KX Kawasaki , locked up tight and "Cassin ' Gaylon" had to push his wa y back to the pits . Sun waltzed his new 1979 production 390cc Husky into th ird spot as u,a . DeCoster slowly worked his wa y pa st Swartz, then Semics. . ~ The former 500cc World Champion was smooth , steady and in control as alwa ys. But the blinding charge he had exhib ited in past years waSn't there . Whether Roger had mellowed out and d idn't want to push himsel f with risk , or wh ether the co m pe tition had just gotten better can only be . ju dge d as the seri es continues. . But even one of Roger's strongest rivals from th e Grand Prix wars, BradLackey, was having problems. The scars of battle had yet to heal. "I fell four times out there. I:Ve got to get used to these faster , tighter tracks over here , It is harder to pass . My finger is swollen. My Coot and shoulder aren't healed yet. I'll sp ra in m y foot . again if I put it down in a turn , but if I don't put it down I'll fall . It's hard to ra ce 100 percent when you're not 100 percent, " Lackey explained , 'Eu r o p e a n H onda ' t e a m m a t e Graham Noyce sai d he "., . cou ld n't get in the swing of things yet . . . th ese G fas t tracks aren 't like home .'.. The last five m inutes of the moto : saw Hannah pulling ou t a slightly larger eight second lead on Croft. Sun was finally overtaken by the steady