VOLUME ISSUE OCTOBER , P135
In America, the 1978 AMA
motocross season could be
summed up in one frightening
word: Hurricane. That nickname
belonged to Bob Hannah, the
Yamaha rider who had ravaged
the MX scene that year without
mercy. He had won the 250cc
National Championship and
the Supercross Championship
in dominating fashion. Hannah
and his works Yamahas were
America's best. The Trans-AMA
title was the last championship
for Hannah to nab.
The series kicked off at the
Mid-Ohio raceway near Lexington
and DeCoster was one of just
three non-American riders listed
in the field that day, the other two
were Honda rider Graham Noyce
and Montesa pilot Torao Suzuki.
Team Honda's Tommy Croft led
the pack into the first turn, but
Hannah wasn't far behind, and the
Hurricane whooshed his way past
Croft a few laps later. A bevy of
Americans, including Gary Semics,
Gaylon Mosier, Denny Swartz
and Marty Smith were in the mix,
though none appeared capable of
competing with Hannah.
Like a chess player, DeCoster
was making his moves, work
-
ing his way past his less-skilled
opponents. The Man was as
poised as ever, with Cycle News
calling him "smooth, steady and
in control, as always." But they
added that something seemed
amiss with the former champ,
stating that "the blinding charge
he had exhibited in past years
wasn't there. Whether Roger had
mellowed out and didn't want
to push himself with risk, or
whether the competition had just
gotten better can only be judged
as the series continues."
Hannah would cruise to the
moto victory and Croft would fin
-
ish in a strong second. In third was
DeCoster. Third isn't first, but R.D.
had many thirds over his career,
and he had magically turned them
into firsts. Motocross is a smart
rider's game, and DeCoster's con
-
sistent finishes had played well for
him. He had once combined moto
scores of 5-3 for an overall win.
This game wasn't over.
In moto two, it was another
Honda rider, Marty Smith, nailing
the holeshot, with both DeCoster
and Hannah near the bottom
of the top 10. Local rider Denny
Swartz brought the crowd to
its feet when he took the lead
from Smith and held it for nearly
the distance. Hannah, however,
would not be denied, and he
worked his way past the field,
including DeCoster, and hunted
down Swartz like a hound after a
hare. He took the lead and held
it to the end. Swartz was a solid
second place and second overall
on the day, ahead of Marty
Smith, who was wrapping up a
frustrating year on his Honda.
Roger DeCoster finished
eighth in the moto, with Cycle
News offering no explanation
for the drop-off. His combined
scores still netted him fourth
overall on the day, good enough
to say he still had a chance to
compete for the series title.
"An era," said Cycle News,
"apparently came to a close"
that day, and it was a prediction
that would ultimately be proven
accurate. Hannah became the
first American to win the Trans-
AMA title. DeCoster would have
to settle for sixth, not even good
enough to claim "First European"
in the standings. It was autumn.
The season had changed. The
torch had been passed.
CN
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Mid-Ohio hosted the opening round
of the Trans-AMA Series in 1978,
which Hannah won. You could say
that day marked the beginning of a
new era of motocross.
