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/1483620
on hold while it considered its options. It would later enter the series with Joel Robert leading the way. The night before the series opener in LaRue, there was a press conference held at the Holiday Inn in nearby Marion. AMA Press Officer Ed Young- blood and Executive Director Russ March gave speeches and BSA racing boss Pete Cole- man introduced the factory BSA squad. Cool and cloudy weather greeted the crowd at LaRue on Sunday. Brad Lackey beat CZ teammate Ron Stockman in the support race main event. The start of the Trans-Am's first moto began with a first-turn pileup, in which Husqvarna ace Gun- nar Lindstrom was caught up. The crowd was thrilled when American rider Sonny DeFeo briefly led the first moto before breaking a wheel on his ma- chine. Then BSA factory rider Keith Hickman took over and led much of the moto before his bike broke a chain. After Hickman's problems, BSA's Jeff Smith emerged as the leader and held it. But Husky's Lindstrom recovered from the first turn melee and was flying through the field and quickly making his way up to the lead- ers. In the closing laps, Lind- strom made it all the way back to pass Smith and apparently won the moto. Not so fast! Afterwards, Lindstrom was told he jumped the start, so he was penalized one position, giving the moto victory to Smith. Read into that penalty what you will. Whether or not the decision to penalize Lindstrom had any- thing to do with BSA being so instrumental in making the series even possible is certainly open to speculation. Smith led the entire way in the second moto, using his efficient riding style to the max. Some would say Smith's style was old fashioned, free of cross-ups and wheelies. This time Lindstrom could not make up for another poor start. DeFeo and another American, Bob Thompson, were also leading riders in the second moto, although Cycle News cov- erage did not list moto finishes but simply the overall. Smith scored a perfect 1-1 and goes down in history as the first rider to win an AMA-sanctioned professional motocross event. On the podium, Smith was typically understated only saying that he was "Quite tired, but happy to have won the event." Lindstrom took second over- all, while fellow BSA factory rider Dave Nicoll rounded out the podium finishers. BSA's John Banks was fourth, giving BSA three out of the top-five finish- ers. The top American was Bob Thompson who took fifth overall riding an Ossa. Jimmy Weinert was sixth on a CZ. Americans Brian Kenny (Husqvarna), Dick Burleson (Husqvarna), David Aldana (BSA) and Wyman Priddy (Bultaco) rounded out the top 10. When Joel Robert showed up on the Suzuki by round three it was all over. He'd go on to close out the season with six straight wins, but Dave Nicoll played it smart and piled up good fin- ishes and points and ended the season as the first Trans-AMA Champion. Two other BSA rid- ers John Banks and Jeff Smith made it a British sweep of the top three in the final standings. Dick Burleson, better known for his vast AMA National Enduro accomplishments, finished fourth in the championship and was the top-placing American, so he is credited as the first AMA Motocross Champion. Today, the LaRue motocross track sits quiet under a layer of overgrown weeds. On a color- ful fall day, my buddy Denny Thrush and I rode out to the track, plowed through the chest- high weeds and tried to find any signs of the historic course, but we came away with nothing but clothes covered in cockleburs. You could drive by the site today and notice the neighbor- ing drag strip, yet never know that at one time, this little, long overgrown track in a little town in the middle of Ohio, once hosted one of the most significant moto- cross races in America. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives CN III ARCHIVES P120