Great Races: 1976 Sears Point Trans-AMA
Warren Reid on his way to the '76 Trans-AMA Support class win at Sears Point photo: Dick Miller Archives
The familiar old saying goes that a picture is worth a thousand words. Well, when former Team Honda factory rider Warren Reid opened the latest issue of Racer X (September ’06), he spotted a Gate Pic from the 1976 Trans-AMA race at Sears Point Raceway (now Infineon) in Sonoma, California. It sparked memories of a great day for Warren, and he jotted down his memories to share with everyone here.
While thumbing through the new Racer X issue right after the mailman delivered it, I came upon a two-page photo of a motocross track. I always notice photos of natural-terrain MX courses. I immediately identified the course as Sears Point, then I read the caption and confirmed it.
The year was 1976. I had recently turned 18 and was a second-year AMA pro. It was the Trans-AMA Series and my first series on 250s after two years in the 125 Nationals. The Sears Point Trans-AMA was my fourth AMA race on a 250. Honda let me ride an old 1975-model works bike called the Type 1. My step-dad/spare-time mechanic, Jon R., dusted off the mothballs, rebuilt it, and got it ready for a 120-pound rider.
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The course was awesome and totally natural. It was exactly the type of course I was taught to practice on by Marty Smith: fast, hard, steep, complicated. The only thing different from Unadilla was the hard ground. It was really tacky that day, though, so there were lines everywhere. I was able to pass anywhere and at will.
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When I was 18, I looked like I was 14. When I went up to the awards-ceremony platform that afternoon, I was told by the promoters/officials, "Get the hell off the stage, kid!" I was arguing my case to no avail when the International class winner, Roger DeCoster, showed up and set them straight. I don't think I got a trophy. I certainly don't have it now if I did. Ironically, this race was part of a major AMA series, and winning a round of it or the series was a major accomplishment. The Support class was like a National and the International Class was like a World Championship and was more important than even the SX series was until about '78 or '79.
Thanks for the memories that photo brought.
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