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/1516218
CNIIARCHIVES P108 BY KENT TAYLOR AND IT WAS A HOT ONE T hroughout most of the Unit- ed States, motorcyclists are in lockdown, hostages of Old Man Winter, Mother Nature, Mr. Snow Miser, and any other sa - distic, mythical beast who derives pleasure from keeping good, hardworking people from enjoy - ing their outdoor fun. Our motor- cycles sit in hibernation, tucked in for a winter's nap behind our snowblowers and shovels. Mean - while, we plod along like Ernest Shackleton and the crew of The Endurance, searching through the ice packs for a passageway to the trash dumpster or mailbox. Other than the fact that Shackle- ton's crew ate blubber and drank seals' blood to stay alive, our plights are almost identical to one another. Now would be a great time to reminisce about a warmer day, so this week's Archives column both turns back the clock and cranks up the heat! Not just once, but twice, as we look back to July 17, 1977, when two major motocross events were held in America on the same day! The AMA's 500cc National Championship (God rest your soul) kicked off the '77 season at Lake Whitney, Texas. July in Texas means hot, and Lake Whitney would not disap - point. CN reported, "The sun crept its way past the 110-degree mark, and the shade, when you can find it, wasn't much better." Hot and dry motocross almost always means dusty racing as well, and by the look of the photographs, it appears that the racers dealt with choking, heavy dust. Meanwhile, a few hundred miles to the north, many of the world's best 125cc racers were in Lexington, Ohio, for the 10th round of the 1977 125cc World Championship Series, where CN editor Charles Morey referred to record-high temps as well. A quick check of the weather alma- nac shows that Lexington's high was in the low 90s that day, al- most jacket weather for Texans. Fittingly, the Lake Whitney race became a battle between a couple of Texans. Though nei- ther was born in the state, Steve Stackable and Kent Howerton had been battling each other in Texas motocross for many years, and on this day in 1977, they took their rivalry to the front of a pack of some of the greatest names in the history of AMA motocross, with Stackable leading the way throughout both motos. Howerton, who was the reigning champion, took second in both races, while eventual champ Marty Smith was third overall on the day. "My strength was gone," said Kent that day, explaining why he dropped 15 seconds behind Stackable near the end of the moto—Stackable just played it cool." Stackable said in our report of the race, "I figured I'd just set reported, find it, wasn't much better." Hot and dry motocross almost always means dusty racing A DAY OF FIRSTS AND LASTS The opening round of the AMA 500cc National MX Series at Lake Whitney was held in temperatures over 110 degrees. Steve Stackable gave Maico its first AMA National win that day.