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VOL. 54 ISSUE 34 AUGUST 29, 2017 P119 that season he'd scored his first 250cc outdoor national victory at Hangtown, setting Smith up for the possibility of completing the Slam that summer in Missouri. And then came the Charlotte AMA 500cc National on August 7, 1977. Just a few weeks after Smith became the first rider to earn the Slam, Hannah one-upped him by winning the 500cc National at Metrolina Speedway Park in Charlotte, North Carolina, completing the single-season Slam. Before his 500cc victory at Charlotte in '77, Hannah had already won five supercross races, a 250cc national in Herman, Nebraska, and three 125cc nationals. That day in St. Peters, Hannah went 2-1 to take the overall victory over Tony DiStefano and Mickey Boone. "That does it," Hannah's Team Yamaha mechanic Keith McCarty said to reporters, beaming with pride after Hannah's St. Peters win. "Marty Smith also won one of each, but not in one season!" It seemed Hannah and Yamaha took special pleasure in breaking records and winning championships previously held by Smith and Honda, and the single-season Grand Slam was viewed at the time as a nearly impossible task before Hannah did it. Incidentally, Smith was on hand to see Hannah accomplish the feat. He finished fifth overall that day in St. Peters with a 7-7. A few elite riders went on winning the MX Grand Slam over the next 16 years. Next up after Smith and Hannah was The Golden Boy, Broc Glover. It was his victory at Saddleback Park in the 250cc national in April of 1982 that earned Glover the honor of becoming just the third Grand Slam winner. That was five years after Smith and Hannah's Slams. It was another four years on before a fourth rider would accomplish the feat. In August of 1986 Jeff Ward took the 500cc national victory at Washougal, Washington, completing his Slam. Just a year later Ron Lechien came through to become the fifth rider to score the Grand Slam with his 500cc win at Binghamton, New York. Jean-Michel Bayle accomplished the feat perhaps in the most unusual order when he completed the Slam by winning a 125cc national in Axton, Virginia, in May of 1990. The Frenchman also had the honor of completing the Grand Slam in the shortest amount of time, winning his first AMA national at Gatorback in March of 1989 and completing the Slam just a tad over a year later. Mike Kiedrowski's win at the 1993 Daytona Supercross made him the seventh Grand Slam winner. Interestingly, the "MX Kied" was the only rider to complete the slam at a supercross. Mike LaRocco was the last rider ever to earn the prestigious Motocross Grand Slam. As August of 1993 began "The Rock" was only halfway to the Slam, but then in a remarkable one-week span LaRocco won both a 250cc national (San Bernardino on August 1) and a 500cc national (Washougal on August 8) to suddenly complete the Slam. The AMA 500cc National Motocross Championship was no more after 1993 and with it went the possibility of winning nationals in four different premier classes. The Motocross Grand Slam is now relegated to the record books, but for 20-year period the record was one to be cherished by the elite few who accomplished the extraordinary feat. And Bob Hannah, above all, with his single- season Slam, gives him at least one claim to fame in the "Greatest of All-Time" sweepstakes that Ricky Carmichael never had the chance to attempt. CN Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives