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/126349
.. " S" I. Was Bob Hannah the only rider really trying? o ..... By Jim Gianatsis R esults from the 1978 AMA / Mr. PiBB 125/250 /500cc National Championship Series are in , and they were predictable to say the least. Indications of what might happen during the '78 racing season began showing up two years ago in the 1976 Florida W inter·AMA MX Series . That was th e year Bob Hannah and Rick Burgett made their first official appearances ' as members of Yamaha's all -rooki e team . ' I . remem be r covering the Florida Series that yea r and couldn't believe how blindingly fast and unbelievably wild th e two wer e. They spe nt th e entire four -race series crashing and careening into ea ch othe r in the Open class , with Bob even tually spe ndi ng a little less time in th e sand between get offs to take the Florida Series Cham pionship over his team ma te . It was there that I gave them their nicknames, Hurricane and Lumberjack. Both riders had exhibited a desire to win that see me d ra re a mo ng th e wellpaid factory st ar s th ey were competing against. On this one cou nt alone I pegged Hannah in part icul ar as having the potential to be the best rider in America . At the time, unfortunately , no one believed me or Bob , who after having won th e Florida Series crashed his brains out in the Supercross Series which followed , trying to do more than was expected of him by anyone but himself. Then came the 125cc National and the dramatic confrontation between Hannah and .m o tor ock's superhero Marty Smith. It was also the yea r of Yamaha's controversial OW·27 watercooled works bike. Most people thought Smith couldn't be beaten , but when Bob went on to take away Marty's crown that year , the reaction was that Bob had a much better bike than Marty's Honda. No one believed -that his Yamaha was actuall y a worse bike than Marty'S Honda in that the Yamaha was heavier, handled like a truck, and probably wasn 't any faster at all. . The 1976 season finally concluded on an up note for Hannah when he won the final Trans·AMA race of the year in Phoenix, Arizona . Until that time a first -year rookie had never beaten the likes of DeCoster, Lackey and DiStefano in the Trans-AMA MX Series. . 1977 would be the year the critics of otocross tried to deflate the Hur'ca ne's wind , since the kid seemed ore concerned about winning races han playing up to anyone else's ego . e became the first factory rider on a apanese team to race a literally box tock production bike, using a yz· 50D to win the Florida Series . aytona and the remainder of th e upercross Series with an unpreced en ed winning streak. I When th e ou tdoo r Nationals began; idannah was th e onl y rid e r who op ted o race all three classes despite the coni"cting dates for som e event ' which • 15