1976 Saddleback Trans-AMA Motocross

Bob Hannah 39 on a Yamaha, Gaylon Mosier 23 on a Maico. Tony Distefano 6 on a Suzuki. Marty Smith 2 on a Honda, Tommy Croft 21 on a Honda. Jim Pomeroy 102 on a Bultaco. Jim Weinert 1, Gary Semics 15, Sylvain Geboers on a Maico, Graham Noyce riding a Maico, Brad Lackey 24 on a Husqvarna, Jimmy Ellis racing a Can-Am. Gerrit Wolsink on Suzuki 106. Adolf Weil 109 on a Maico. Kent Howerton 3 on a Husqvarna. And more ...

Category:

Sports

Tags:

• motocross
• mx
• supercross
• Bob Hannah
• Roger DeCoster
• racer
• Saddleback
• Brad Lackey
• Marty Smith
• Sylvain Geboers
• In The Pits

[motokev]

nothing like the VINTAGE days of MX. Just seems like thay had more style back then. Even in MX magazines, the photos aren't near as good .

[maico125]

There will never ever be anything like that time period again. Real riders and all the different brands.

[christoJihad2]

@huzzler631 In April 1975, I raced my first & only 500 pro race at Indian Dunes. They ran the track backwards, a $2000 purse, and Zahrt, O'neal, Billy Payne, and a bunch of other top So Cal pros were there. They ran two 30 min. motos and I got a 6th and 4th, for 5th overall. 2 days later, in a basketball at Cal Lutheran, my lung punctured & collapsed and I got an infection in my heart. I almost died. Zahrt and Payne came to my truck that day & told me I was really fast. FUN!!

[christoJihad2]

@stickitupyapipe I saw Adolf Weil, Hans Maisch, Hakan Andersson, Ake Jonsson, Wolsink, DeCoster, Robert, Aberg, Kring, Mikkola, you name them, I saw them. Most of the races I saw were several years of Trans-Ama's at Saddleback and Carlsbad. Those truly were the days!!!

[powellkwd40]

I grew up about 15 minutes from there but my family did not like motorcyles. I used to drool when we drove by there on our way to the dump behind the facility in a valley. SB was killed by a handful of selfish people sueing over accidents and the Irvine company who owned the land got tired of the law suits. They were business people, not motorcyle people. I stopped by there a few years ago. Its overgrown but still there. It could be reopened if the land owners would allow it.

[2stroke1971]

Love it! I race vintage class motocross these days, and it is alot of fun. Theres plenty of competition and plenty of respect. Just walking the pits is a joy. Look it up, there are several organisations out there depending on where you live, lots of chances to get out there. Even if you dont race, go to one to watch. The smell of 2 stroke exhaust in the air and I guarantee you will see bikes you thought were long gone!

[ktm3009v]

Reading about the Trans-AMA caused me to have a desire to race motocross and I raced my first moto on a 1977 Honda CR125 at age 14. My parents were just divorced and racing motocross changed everything. MX and off road riding provided freedom, fun, and purpose. My heroes are the 1976 and 1977 Trans-AMA riders.

[turboslag]

Racing MX in '79, '80 & '81 here in the UK is one of the highlights of my life. I read Dirtbike and Motocross Action mags, trying to emulate the technique and style of the US riders. Almost maimed myself trying to copy the insane, extreme cornering poses of the Dirtbike staff riders !! Funny to think we wanted all the US stuff and you wanted all the European stuff !! I still have my DG airtex race shirt ! Just wish I still had my '79 CR250 'Red Rocket' !!

[mcgoodle]

@christoJihad2 "what really killed real motocross was supercross." You are absolutely right. Supercross treats the racers like they are circus performers rather than athletes, and it was a supercross race (in Paris, of all places) that finally ruined Danny Chandler. When I was 16, in 1981, guys were still racing Maicos, and Husqvarnas, and Can-Ams, and the sound of a super hot 250 Maico was enough to send chills up your spine. Man, how cool would it be to ride a chrome tanked Husky once again?

[fukkg]

adolf weil...a german motocross legend !

[ahsure]

Older bikes are way more fun to ride than the new stuff IMO, I had a 75' TM125 should've never sold that thing

[huzzler631]

you can't knock the riders of today. their dedication and determination towards the sport is commendable. but the riders like in this video had a quality that todays riders don't possess. STYLE!! all the way around. on and off the track. just look at mosier, tripes, eirstedt, de coster, hannah, smith, zahrt. Style all the way!!!!