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/1527609
F or Mother Earth, autumn is a season when things begin to slow down. The busyness of spring and the long, hot days of summer are over. A cold, quiet winter will be a time for hiberna - tion, but before the snow falls, Autumn lumbers in like an old dog, circling the floor for a place to lay down and call it a day. But in the 1970s, this season was all about going fast because autumn motocross meant Trans- AMA time! For many years, this series had brought several of Eu- rope's Grand Prix stars to Amer- ica for a few months in the fall to compete against, well, mostly each other. Even though strong American riders would start fast, they weren't finishing strong, and the foreigners would always walk away with the gold. In 1973, Kawasaki rider Jim Weinert became the first U.S. rider to win an overall at a Trans-AMA event, and soon, other American riders were scoring overall wins in this once-prestigious series. But when the championship points were tallied at the end, USA riders were still playing follow the leader. "Top American" was the award they would be shooting for, a par - ticipation trophy of sorts. Uncle Sam, you woulda won—if it weren't for all those other good guys! But as inevitable as the chang- ing of the seasons, so also is the changing of the guard, and moto- know-it-alls predicted that the torch would be passed in 1978. The music may have been lame (Bee Gees and Debby Boone were topping the charts), and the movies depressing (The Deer Hunter, Midnight Express, and Coming Home). Still, American race fans were getting ready to party hard, because one of ours would finally win the Trans-AMA! Who would it be? Brad Lackey? Jim Pomeroy? Anybody! No "Archives" reader needs to be introduced to Roger DeCoster, the five-time World Champion and four-time Trans-AMA series winner. R.D. was "The Man" (and still is), and he had been the best the sport had ever seen. But no one is faster than time. In 1978, a motocross racer on the other side of 30 was on the other side of the hill and DeCoster was now 32 years old. In 1977, he had his stranglehold on the 500cc World Championship loosened and swiped from him by Heikki Mikkola. But the Belgian star had still managed to secure his fourth Trans-AMA title that fall. In '78, Mikkola would success - fully defend his World Champi- onship. Did DeCoster still have enough pre-mix in the tank to maintain his hold on the Trans- AMA title? It was a series that he had owned, winning from 1974- 1977, and it usually wasn't even close, as he would often have the points race sewn up before the last race was held. CNIIARCHIVES P134 BY KENT TAYLOR THE TORCH HAD BEEN PASSED THE 1978 TRANSAMA MOTOCROSS CHAMPIONSHIP In 1978, Bob "Hurricane" Hannah became the first American to win the Trans-AMA Motocross Championship.