Cycle News

VOL. 50 ISSUE 37 SEPTEMBER 17, 2013 P109 brought together many of Europe's best races to face the top American motocrossers. The fall series had been on equal footing, and perhaps more anticipated at one point than the AMA Motocross Nationals, but by 1979 the series now known as Trans-USA (because the auto racing folks didn't like the AMA using the Trans Am name) was waning and not many Europeans bothered. Still there was a lot excitement associated with the series opener because it was a time of explosive technical innovations in motocross racing machinery and several new works bikes were debuting in America for the Trans-USAs, chiefly Honda's new lever-action rear shock RC-400 works bikes in the hands of Steve Wise and Warren Reid. For 1979 Trans-USA was run what you brung – no displacement regulations, so some riders were on open-class bikes while others were on 250s. The other exciting news at the opening round of the 1979 Trans-USA at Mid-Ohio was the fact that Honda factory rider Andre Malherbe showed up on a works Honda RC-450. The Belgian was coming off a season where he finished third in the 500cc World Championships and was just entering his peak and would go on to win the World Championship the very next season. So Mid-Ohio that September was a big deal any way you slice it. Sun was at a bit of a handicap because he was racing a pre-production 1980-model Husqvarna 420 against a slew of works bikes. But Sun points out that he had a secret weapon in the form of Crippa. "My Huskies were always production," Sun said. "But Eric would work tirelessly porting cylinders accompanied by hours of Öhlins suspension testing. We had the perfect set up!" The other thing working in favor of Sun that day at Mid-Ohio were the conditions. It had rained hard the night before making the track a muddy mess, complete with deep water holes. "Growing up racing in the Pacific Northwest those were just normal conditions for us," Sun said. In the first 45-minute moto Marty Moates, Broc Glover and Jeff Ward all took turns at leading. Sun was feeling things out in his first race back and was thrilled to find that his hard training to come back had paid off. He was running near the front and doing it effortlessly. About 30 minutes into the moto, Sun had knocked off all the rust from his long layoff and was ready to see what he could do. He swooped around the outside of Wardy and immediately took off to a good lead. Mid-Ohio fans went nuts, waving T-shirts in encouragement to Sun. Here was the forgotten rider coming out of nowhere on a production bike leading the moto. It was almost too good to be true. "I couldn't believe it," Sun said. "I knew I was feeling good and track conditions were in my favor, but when I saw the reaction by the fans when I took the lead it was almost overwhelming." Almost unnoticed in all the excitement of the closing laps was the amazing charge turned in by Suzuki's Darrell Shultz. On the final lap it was a full scale, mud-slinging, wheel-banging affair between Sun and Shultz, with Shultz desperately trying to stuff his works Suzuki RN-420 under Sun's Husky in every turn. In the final corner, Sun protected the inside line and Shultz tried going around the outside. It was Sun holding on by a wheellength to preserve the moto win. Malherbe came home third. That moto marked an amazing comeback story for Sun. He finished third in the next moto, won by Malherbe, to finish second overall. Ringing up Slurpees at the local 7-Eleven was averted. After his Mid-Ohio performance Honda came calling and Sun had a new lease on life as a factory motocross racer. A National Championship, an historic Motocross des Nations victory, a GP win at Carlsbad in front of a national TV audience and eventual Hall of Fame induction would await Sun, but it all was made possible by that improbable comeback at Mid-Ohio on a muddy September day in 1979. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives

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