1976 Trans-Ama: Top Ten
1976 TRANS-AMA: TOP TEN
The Best Men And Machines From An Excellent Series
Mike Brown
All right motocross fans, today we're having a pop quiz! Part 1—Word Association: What is the first name that comes to mind in response to the word MOTOCROSS? Part 2—Complete this sentence: “Neither rain nor snow nor mud nor dust nor age keep_from winning, and winning, and winning. " Part 3—Who is Superman? (Hint—he isn't Clark Kent.)
If you answered Roger DeCoster to all three parts of the quiz, you not only get an “A,” but you’ve also summarized the 1976 Trans-AMA motocross series. For the third year in a row Roger was the overall winner. Having wrapped up his fifth World motocross championship, the amazing 32-year-old Belgian proceeded to make a veritable shambles of the Trans-AMA series, winning seven of the 10 events, and probably would have won eight were it not for a clogged air filter in the muddy series opener. It seems redundant to say, but Roger is an incredible rider, consistency being the key factor. He always starts carefully, paces himself to keep within striking distance of the leaders, and then as the other riders begin to tire, picks up the pace;watching, waiting, passing—winning. Like a good bottle of wine, he keeps improving with age.
Removing DeCoster from the picture, the 1976 series was one of the most hotly contested battles ever seen, with the standings shuffled weekly like a deck of cards. The top five finishers in the World 500cc championship were all present, plus a host of other foreign riders, and all of our own motocross stars. And we do have genuine stars now with Marty Smith 3rd in the World 125cc championship, Jim Pomeroy 4th in the World 250cc race, and Brad Lackey 5th in the World 500cc title quest, > not to mention our National champions, two of whom won Trans-AMA events not claimed by DeCoster; 500cc champ Kent Howerton taking the series opener, and 125cc champ Bob Hannah winning the finale.
Ma Nature added spice to the series, giving it her full spectrum of weather, with the first six events run in rain, mud, cold, even snow'. Then a hot California event, tw'o autumn beauties, and one desert rock bruiser. One of the most beautiful races was the one held at Sears Point Racew'ay, near the heart of California’s w'ine country in the rolling hills northeast of San Francisco. Everyone was in for a real treat as a crisp, misty, autumn morning revealed a rarity in American motocross, a totally virgin course marked out through the grassy hills and ravines adjacent to the road racing course. The sun broke through just as the race began, and as the second moto drew to a close, w ith DeCoster and Britain's Graham Noyce battling handlebar to handlebar for the wfin, the sun setting behind the hilltops, and the cool evening mist starting to close in, it felt as though you had been transported into the heart of Switzerland, watching motocross at its beautiful, natural best—the way it was meant to be.
As the Trans-AMA series concluded with Bob Hannah’s victory in Phoenix, the final standings are proof that the Americans are a force to be reckoned with in motocross, with only three Europeans finishing in the top 10, and U.S. riders finishing 2-3-4 behind DeCoster.
Rather than summarize the races of this year's series, we have decided to take a look at the top 10 finishers—who they are and what they ride.
Note: Since all of the works machines are prototypes, wfith many experimental features in various stages of development, and the factories are quite secretive about their own technical innovations, it is often quite difficult to get accurate, if any, information. It is conceivable that even though we attempt to cross-check our information the actual specifications may differ very slightly from those we have obtained.
Roger De Coster
Roger campaigned this year on a JHL Suzuki as he has for all five of his World titles. For the Trans-AMA series he rode the same machine he had been on throughout the GP season. This w'orks RN is reportedly very close to the production RM370 as far as frame geometry, basic engine, etc. The biggest difference from stock is the weight, the stock bikes being somewhat beefier to sustain the long time usage of the consumer. Roger uses the normal seat, handlebar, and footpeg positions. and even uses stock RM370 handlebars.
The front suspension units are air forks, and Roger's bike had Barum fork tubes. Suspension travel was claimed to be classified. but is estimated to be 240-250mm front and rear. These forks are slated for production soon, first on the RM 125. Note the leading axle on these units. Everyone has gone to the use of leading axles, primarily to allow for the longer suspension travel and at the same time retain handling characteristics.
The rear shocks are sealed nitrogen type with frame-mounted remote reservoir. Roger employs a cylindrical cannistertype reservoir of larger capacity than previous models. Rumor has it these shocks will soon be a production item also.
The engine is reputed to be similar to the RM370. but wdth experimental changes that the Suzuki people will not reveal at this time. Displacement is 370cc. The bike weighs 213-214 lb.
One other obvious feature is the use of a
cable rather than a rod for the rear brake, primarily to avoid the potential problems of bent rods.
This machine showed remarkable reliability, as Roger had only one dnf. because of a broken fender that allowed mud to clog the air filter. His mechanic promptly fitted two fenders together to prevent any further failures. In the next 19 motos Roger finished no lower than 7th. with nine firsts.
Brad Lackey
Two words can describe Brad's caMi reer in motocross to date—better and closer. In his third year with Husqvarna he was their primary entrant, and America’s only entrant, in the 500cc World GP series, finishing 5th in the final standings. This was his best finish so far, with a 10th in 1974 and 6th in 1975.
Having been plagued with mechanical problems with the Huskys for the past couple of years, they finally held together for him. as he only finished out of the top 10 in two events, once because he ran out of gas.
With time and experience. Brad keeps moving closer to his goal of winning a World Championship.
In accordance with Husqvarna's long time standard format of using the GP circuit as a testing and proving ground for their new' technology and then immediately transferring successful improvements to their production motorcycles. Brad's works 390CR will be a production model by the time you read this.
Brad’s machine has oil-spring forks with 250mm travel and leading axle. The engine displaces 390cc and its position was changed, rotated down and forward IV20 in the frame for improved cornering. The works machine used a 38mm Mikuni carburetor rather than the traditional Bing. Bike weight is 220 lb.
The exhaust system has been improved, routing the pipe around and through the frame to the left side, as opposed to the traditional knee rest Husky has had for years.
For rear suspension. Brad used dual rate Fox adjustable air shocks, giving the rear end 240mm of travel. Note also the beefy aluminum swinging arm. According to Julie Haglund, Brad’s mechanic, they ran on Hi-Point tires during this season. These are used more in Europe than here, and Julie says they are the best multi-purpose tires available for mud as well as dry surfaces. For the race at Saddleback, California where the ground hardens quickly to a consistency of cement, they chose to use a 17 in. Sun rim fitted with a 5.00x17 Trelleborg tire to get more bite on the rockhard ground. The choice was a good one, as Brad ran 2-4 and 2nd overall there.
For the production version of this machine, Husqvarna will have gas Girlings on the rear, a chrome-moly swinging arm, standard 3.00x21 and 4.50x18 Trelleborgs, and a 36mm Bing carb.
Jimmy Weinert
Kawasaki picked up 3rd and 4th positions in the Trans-AMA with the combination of Weinert, Semics, and some brand-spanking new motorcycles. It was a tough year for Jimmy, since early in the National Season he had been hampered by a broken knee which kept him from regaining the National 500cc title he held in 1974 and 1975. He did win the Supercross series of indoor motocross this year, and will carry the Number 1 plate for all those events in 1977. As the knee healed he regained the momentum he had lost, shook off’a cold early in the Trans-AMA, and finished 11th or better overall in all but two events, and won two motos. Normally very outspoken, Jim seems to have become much more serious about his approach to motocross, taking things one
step at a time rather than in leaps and bounds. Point of fact—he will concentrate on the National races in 1977, and has no immediate plan to conquer Europe.
Gary Semics
Gary seems to be on the threshhold of greatness in his own right. Just 22 years old, Gary has been a major threat in American motocross for the past few years. He won the 1974 Superseries indoor motocross title and finished 4th in the 500cc National race as a team Husqvarna rider. Moving to Kawasaki in 1975, he had a lot of mechanical failures, but still managed to finish 7th in the National 500cc series. This year was his best, as Gary just missed winning the 500cc National title, and finished 2nd to Kent Howerton in a title chase that went down to the final race. Add to that the 4th place in the Trans-AMA and all indications are to watch out for Gary in 1977.
Both Semics and Weinert rode identical Kawasaki KX400s in the Trans-AMA. This was the debut of this version, their first race being the Trans-AMA opener. The bikes were designed by Kiyotaka “Kit” Ibuki and he was present at some of the Trans-AMA events, watching over his creations. These bikes are similar to those campaigned on the National circuit, but with various modifications throughout. The front suspension units are air forks with the now ever present leading axle. They have 250mm of travel. The engine has reed valves, new smaller magnesium cases, and displaces 400cc. The rear suspension units are of the adjustable gas > type, and rear wheel travel is also 250mm. Note the extremely well made massive aluminum swinging arm. This year Kawasaki has gone to an up pipe, primarily because of ground clearance requirements presented by the long suspension travel. The motorcycle weighs 212 lb. For brand new' machines, the Kawasakis had remarkable reliability records, finishing more than 90 percent of the motos. This was the fastest machine on the circuit.
Gerrit Wolsink
Not quite Superman, but getting close, Gerrit has been steadily closing on the 500cc World title. Fourth in 1974, 3rd in 1975, and a close 2nd in 1976, it looks inevitable that the 29-year-old Dutchman should get the elusive crown very soon.
This Trans-AMA series was not the best for Gerrit, as he was at first hampered by a broken finger on his throttle hand, and as that improved, he was followed by a small black cloud of little problems—broken mudguard, a stone thrown into his eye by another bike, clogged fuel line. Add to this the unfortunate happening at Unadilla, when he was forced w ide on a part of the course where the markers had been destroyed in a crash. It was discovered later that in doing so he had actually gone outside the course boundary, through no fault of his own. but he was penalized one lap, dropping him from 2nd to 7th overall. By the time he ceased having problems, the series title was beyond reach, and, as Gerrit put it, at that point one need not ride on the ragged edge, but rather back off that infinitesimal amount to still be fast and very competitive, but be within the realm of less risk. There is the 1977 season to consider, and risking injury when a title is beyond reach is unwise.
Bob Hannah
Rookie of the year. Instant hero. Genuine phenomenon. Pick one or more, they all apply. Bob came right out of the woodwork this year as an unknown. swept the Winter-AMA series clean in Florida, then became the giant killer, taking the National 125cc title away from Marty Smith. The Trans-AMA was Bob’s first exposure to the Europeans. He had some problems at the start of the series, was hampered by illness through several events, and also had mechanical woes—an ignition failure in Michigan and a shattered monoshock at Saddleback. In addition, the Yamaha had been having rear suspension difficulties since the 500cc Nationals. These were finally diagnosed by Bill Buchka, Bob’s mechanic, as a problem with the thermostatically controlled valving in the monoshock. Buchka fitted some simpler internal parts machined to his own specs, and cured the problem. Immediately Hannah scored two 3rd overalls and climaxed his brilliant year by wanning the final event of the series in Phoenix. Considering his unbelievable first year success, both on 125cc and big bore machines, and the fact he is only 19 years old. the future looks unlimited for Bob.
Bob rode a works Yamaha OW26 for the Trans-AMA, as he did in the 500ec Nationals. This bike incorporates oilspring forks with leading axle front suspension and 38mm fork tubes were used. Travel is 240mm.
The engine has reed valve induction and displaces 396cc. The bike weight is 211 — 212 lb.
Rear suspension is a reversed monoshock with a frame-mounted reservoir. Also used for the series was an aluminum swinging arm. The unsprung weight was reduced 3.5 lb. with this swinging arm and even further by reversing the monoshock. Rear wheel travel is 240mm. For most events, DID rims were used, but for Saddleback and Sears Point a wide WM4 Sun rim was used to give a wider profile to the tire. As with Husky. Hi-Point tires were used.
Marty Smith
Anyone who knows motocross has heard of Marty. His record speaks for itself—National 125cc champion in 1974 and 1975, finishing 2nd in 1976 to Bob Hannah. Fourth in the 1975 TransAMA. winning one event. Third in the 1976 World 125cc championships—winning three GP events including the U.S. 125cc Grand Prix for the second year in a row.
Marty just turned 20 and admits he has physically outgrown the 125cc machines. In 1977 he will campaign the 250cc and 500cc National events for Honda, probably competing in the U.S. and Canadian Grand Prix events.
Both Marty and his teammate Tommy Croft campaigned the Trans-AMA on Honda RC500 Type 2 motorcycles. The front suspension units are oil-spring forks with leading axle. Marty prefers an internal spring unit. Front suspension travel, according to the Honda people, is a remarkable 265-280mm depending on whether the forks are internal or external spring models. That is the longest travel of all the bikes on the circuit. The motor has reed-valve induction and displaces 400cc.
In 1976’s Trans-AMA series, in fact ever since the introduction of the RC500 Type 2 machines, Honda has had engine problems. They have been down on power, a universal comment, and Marty had several problems with the motor seizing on him during the series. The Honda factory has finally isolated the source of the trouble as a metallurgical problem in the cylinder castings. The use of too soft a metal for the cylinders resulted in heat expansion during racing conditions, with the result being too much clearance between piston and cylinder. Another obvious feature on the engine is the use of an upper head mount in order to cure a vibration problem. The rear suspension units are the sealed nitrogen gas type with remote reservoirs. Travel is about 250mm. The frame is chrome-moly. The Honda, like Suzuki, also uses a rear brake cable rather than a rod. The machine’s weight is 220 lb.
Akira Watanabe
One of Japan’s best motocross riders, Akira is primarily a 125cc contender. He was Japanese 125cc National Champion in 1974. and campaigned the World 125cc GP circuit in 1975, to become the first Japanese rider ever to win a GP event (Spanish GP). He finished 4th in the World 125cc standings that year. In 1976 he finished 2nd in both the 125cc and 250cc Japanese National championships. As the Trans-AMA began, everyone was stunned at Watanabe’s ability to muscle the big Suzuki through the mud, but he won the opening moto at the Lexington, Ohio mudbath, and finished 2nd overall to Kent Howerton. He also took 2nd in the super mudder at St. Peter, Missouri. As the weather improved and the track surfaces were harder his results were not as impressive.
Akira rides the same RN Suzuki as DeCoster and Wolsink with a couple of variations. He prefers a smaller dome-type reservoir for the rear shocks. His bike weighs 209 lb. in comparison to 213 lb. for the bikes of DeCoster, Wolsink, and Grossi. Akira’s bike does not have the Barum fork tubes used on the others, and rumor has it that they are experimental alloy models, possibly accounting for at least part of the weight differential.
Tommy Croft
Tommy has been riding for Honda in Marty Smith's shadow the past two years, in the 125cc and 250cc National classes in 1974 and the Trans-AMA support class in 1974 and 1975. His best showing was 5th in the 1975 Trans-AMA support class. For 1976 Tommy moved up to the 250cc and 500cc Nationals, and finished 11th and 8th, respectively.
Tommy admits to having been extremely conscious of the European presence at the start of the Trans-AMA. His only previous exposure to international competition had been at the 500cc U.S. GP at Carlsbad this year. As the series progressed, his confidence increased and he took a 2nd overall and two 3rd overall finishes, including individual moto wins at Puyallup and Phoenix.
During the series Tommy had five dnfs. a combination of mechanical failures and crashes. In 1977 he will again ride the 250cc and 500cc Nationals for Honda, and will contest the U.S. and Canadian World 500cc GPs.
Tommy’s Honda RC500 Type 2 is identical to Marty Smith’s, with one exception. Tommy prefers to use external spring fork units.
Billy Grossi
Billy has been a top contender in American motocross for the last several years. In 1974 he was 5th in the National 250cc race. He finished 3rd in the 250cc Nationals and 4th in the 500cc Nationals in 1975. Late in 1975 Bill suffered a broken leg, and just as he started to get in the groove in 1976, he had an attack of appendicitis and was sidelined for six weeks. The Trans-AMA series was a time to get back the momentum he lost during the long layoff. Billy showed good consistency, and finished between 3rd and 10th overall in seven of the races.
Grossi’s Suzuki is virtually the same as those of his teammates except that he, like Watanabe. prefers the smaller aluminum dome accumulator for the rear shocks.
Motocross motorcycles have reached a state of the art where it doesn’t appear there will be many extraordinary developments in the near future. Engines, geometry, and suspension systems are honing in on their practical limitations. A couple of new ideas, both related to tires and wheels, may emerge soon. In the vein of getting power to the ground, we may see more use of wider profile tires on smaller rear wheels, as with Husky’s use of a 5.00x17 tire in one race. Also, two tire companies, Inoue Rubber Company and Yokohama, are producing a 23-in. tire, and it wouldn't be in production if it wasn’t going to be used.
As can be seen by the fact that most World motocross champions have been at their sport for many years, it is obvious that it takes time and sacrifice to develop the level of expertise required to become the best. Professional motocross has been in the U.S. for little more than half a decade. In that time we have seen an enormous amount of talent emerge. Everyone wonders when we will have an American as World Champion. This year saw our best results to date, next year should be better, and more than likely by the end of the next half decade, that goal will be reality. Suffice it to say our riders are now respected throughout the sport, and that every international race, as in this year’s Trans-AMA, is a true battle of the best. [Q]
1976 TRANS-AMA OVERALL RESULTS Rider Bike Points 1 Roger DeCoster . SUZ 410.5 2 Brad Lackey HUS 279.6 3 Jim Weinert KAW 274.9 4 Gary Semics KAW 262.2 5 Gerrit Wotsink SUZ 255.9 6 Bob Hannah YAM 254.3 7 Marty Smith HON 229.3 8 Akira Watanabe SUZ 219.3 9 Tommy Croft HON 217.1 10 Bill Grossi SUZ 200.5
