Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

Bob Hanneh (39) rails his way past Marty Smith in action from the 1976 season. Hanneh beat Smith for the 125cc title to win the first of his National Championships. (Above) The three World Champions in 1975. from left to right; Harry Everts (250cc). DeCoster (50Occ) and Gaston Rahier (125cc). (Below) The 250cc Yamaha Monoshock that Ake Jonsson rode at the 1973 Troph.. des Nations. This led to more radical mounting angles, laid-down shocks, longer shocks with longer travel. Steppedup shock absorber research came up with stronger, more durable dampers. This prompted development of longer travel forks to complement the longer rear wheel travel. Leadingaxle forks, already used by Maico, began extending below the axle and above the top triple clamp. The travel breakthrough kept feedingon itself. Suspension travel which had been perhaps seven inches up front and maybe five inches at the rear rapidly accelerated to today's 12 inches. Another mi lestone for the year 1973 was the entry of Honda, the world's largest manufacturer, into the twostroke market. Their 1973 product line incl uded both 125 and 250cc twostroke motocross racers. The U.S. held its first World Championship Grand Prix on June 24th at Carlsbad, California. Willy Bauer won it, on a long-travel Maico. Gerrit Wolsink took top honors for the next four years. The U.S. team of Jim Pomeroy, Mike Hartwig and John DeSoto scored a fourth at the Motocross des ations in Switzerland. Gary Jones repeated as 250cc National titlist while Pierre Karsmakers, a Dutc;h rider who moved to the U.S., captured the 500cc crown. After Karsmakers' championship the AMA came up with a rule that required foreign riders to compete for two years before they could be el igible for National Championship points. Adolf Weil brought his forwardmounted Maico over and stomped through the Trans-AMA Series, winning five of the 12 races. World racing saw two new champoints in 1974. Heikki Mikkola of Finland unseated DeCoster in the 500cc class while Russian Guenady Moiseev came out on top of a very controversial 250cc tussle. Mosieev officially beat Czech rider Jaroslav Falta in a points race that went to the final moto. Many observors at the race charged the Soviet team with foul play - intentionally ramming into Falla. The Czech was crashed into in both motos. In the final race he picked up his bike and charged back to win the race and apparently the championship. Then a protest that he had jumped the gate was raised by Russia. The FlM jury penalized Falta one minute for the alleged infraction, dropping his finish enough to give the title to Moiseev. Andre Malherbe again won the 125cc European Champion hip as a series of races were used as a test bed for granting world statu . In America the AMA sanctioned the first I25cc National Series. Marty Smith wa the easy winner. The first sanctioned stadi urn series, then known as the uperseries of Motocross, also appeared. Pierre Karsmakers took top honors. In the Trans-AMA Series, Roger DeCoster, out to take some of the suing out of his championship loss, was a runaway winner. Gary Jones added his fourth straight 250cc title while Jimmy Weinert took 500cc honors. The 1974 Motocross de Nationsin Sweden saw the U.S. team of Brad Lackey, Jim Pomeroy, Tony DiStefanoand Jimmy Weinert finish second to Sweden. ineteen seventy-five introduced the first FlM sanctioned I25cc World Championship Series. This move enabled Belgium to win three rather than two titles. Gaston Rahier was the 125ccCharopion, while DeCoster regained his SOOcc crown. Harry Evens won the 250cc title. America saw two more firsts in 1975 GP competition. Brad Lackey scored the first 500cc moto win by an American. Marty Smith won the L25cc USGP at Lexington, Ohio. This was the first American overall in 125cc world racing. Smith roosted through the 125cc National Series, winning the last six races of the seven-round card. The' U.S. entered the 250cc Trophee des Nations event as well as the Motocross de Nations in 1975. The team of Jim Pomeroy, Brad Lackey, Kent Howerton and Tony DiStefano finished third in Italy and ninth at the 500cc race in Czechoslovakia. Highlight of the team racing effort was Jim Pomeroy's moto win in Italy. That win plus a ixth in the oth.er moto gave him the second best individual performance at the Trophee des Nations. National 250cc racing saw the beginning of a new reign as Tony DiStefano won the first of three traight championship. Jimmy Weinert repeated as 500cc Champion. The Superseries highlighted Jimmy Ellis, winner of all four starts. DeCoster repeated as 500cc Champion in 1976. The rider who had beaten him in 1974, Heikki Mikkola, transferred to 250cc ra ing. Mikkola took that crown to become the only rider to win official world titles in two different classes. Rahier repeated as I25cc champ. It was a good year for Americans overseas. Lackey finished fifth in the 500cc class, Pomeroy was fourth in the 250cc class and Marty Srrtith was fourth in the I25cc class, adding the first 125cc Grand Prix win by an American overseas to his credi I. Smith aIso won the I25cc USGP for a second straight year. The AMA adopted its current scoring system in 1976. The first 200 finishers in each moto received points (25-22-20-18-16-15-14-13-12-11-10-9-87-5-4-3-2-1). •

• Cover