by Davey Coombs
40 Day Countdown To AMA Motocross Opener: 1981
Thursday, April 21, 2011 | 12:30 PM
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PrintToday we turn to 1981 in our forty-day/forty-year countdown to the 2011 American motocross tour. The series begins on May 21 at the Hangtown Classic in Sacramento, then it's on to Freestone in Wortham, Texas, as the 40th Annual AMA Motocross tour rolls on.
(Click here to view previous years)
Of the tracks on the outdoor tour in 1981, Hangtown, RedBud, Washougal, High Point, and Southwick are all still on the schedule for the 2011 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship.
The Hurricane returned from his leg injury after a year on the sidelines.
The big news that started 1981 was the fact that Bob Hannah was coming back after missing all of the previous season with the severely broken leg. Hannah started slowly (for him anyway) in AMA Supercross on his #100 Yamaha, but he did manage to get a win at the Pontiac Silverdome in Michigan, one of his favorite venues.
But the runaway winner for the '81 AMA Supercross title was Mark Barnett on his Suzuki, outpacing defending champ Mike Bell and his own Suzuki teammate Kent Howerton for the title.
Kent Howerton took one on the chin at Saddleback, but he won the title over Hannah nonetheless.
Barnett also laid waste to the 125 class outdoors—marking the only time a rider would win both the AMA Supercross title in the premier class (the 125/Lites SX class did not even exist until 1985) and the 125 AMA Motocross title. Barnett swept all seven of the first eight races but missed his shot at a perfect season when he broke his collarbone and could not ride the last round at Carlsbad. That opened the door for Team Honda's Johnny O'Mara to get his first AMA National win. And a Yamaha-supported teenager named Ricky Johnson won his first moto that day on the #212 YZ125.
The real fireworks in '81 came in the 250 class outdoors between Howerton, the #1 rider, and Hannah, the dominant class leader before breaking his leg. Their battles that summer are the stuff of legend, particularly Saddleback, which turned into a ramfest. There's even a documentary out about that epic day from Todd Huffman and the Motocross Files called The Saddleback Massacre. Here's a preview clip:
The Hannah-Howerton battle was the big storyline for the summer of '81.
You can order the film right here.
Hannah won that battle and two others but Howerton won the war, earning his second straight class title (and third AMA championship) in what was shaping up as an excellent career. Finishing seventh in the class that year was a future star riding for Team Green named David Bailey.
Johnny O'Mara won his first AMA National in 1981, then also joined Team USA with his Honda teammates.
And speaking of epic careers, Yamaha's Broc Glover overcame his defeat the year before to Barnett in the 125 class to take the 500cc title outdoors, winning all but two nationals in the series. Mike Bell, runner-up in AMA Supercross, would finish as runner-up here too.
But the biggest news for American motocross in 1981 came in Europe, after the AMA Motocross season had ended. That's where four American Honda riders—Donnie Hansen, Danny LaPorte, Johnny O'Mara, and Chuck Sun—showed up at the Trophee and Motocross des Nations after most of America's best riders passed on the event (again). They were inspired by Motocross Action editor Dick Miller, Bel-Ray's JJ Hanfield, and Hi-Point Racing Products' Larry Maiers to take on the Europeans. With newly retired five-time 500cc world champ Roger DeCoster helping manage the young Americans at Team Honda, they went to Belgium and West Germany and absolutely crushed the rest of the world in one of the most shocking upsets in the sport's history.
These four young Americans helped changed the balance of global motocross power at the '81 Motocross and Trophee des Nations.
Photo: Jack Burnicle
With those MXoN and Trophee wins—and twelve more consecutive years of wins at the world team championships—the balance of power in global motocross moved from right to left across the Atlantic Ocean. More on that tomorrow when Racer X Online revisits 1982!
1981 250cc AMA Motocross Championships
3/29 Sacramento, CA Kent Howerton, San Antonio, TX Suz
4/5 Irvine, CA Bob Hannah, Whittier, CA Yam
4/12 Lake Whitney, TX Kent Howerton, San Antonio, TX Suz
5/10 Atlanta, GA Kent Howerton, San Antonio, TX Suz
5/17 Southwick, MA Kent Howerton, San Antonio, TX Suz
5/24 Mt. Morris, PA Kent Howerton, San Antonio, TX Suz
6/7 St. Petersburg, FL Bob Hannah, Carson City, NV Yam
6/14 Castle Rock, CO Bob Hannah, Carson City, NV Yam
1981 250cc National Point Standings
1.) Kent Howerton, San Antonio, TX 389
2.) Bob Hannah, Whittier, CA 345
3,) Donnie Hansen, Simi Valley, CA 289
4.) Kris Bigelow, Rochester, MI 200
5.) Warren Reid, Midway City, CA 191
6.) Ron Turner, Whittier, CA 184
7.) David Bailey, Axton, VA 183
8.) Steve Martin, Palm Harbor, FL 163
9.) Gary Semics, Lisbon, CA 143
10.) Rick Burgett, Gresham, OR 131
That's a young David Bailey, riding for Team Green and Fox Racing in the 250 Nationals.
1981 500cc AMA Motocross Championship
5/24 Mt. Morris, PA Broc Glover, El Cajon, CA Yam
6/7 St. Petersburg, FL Broc Glover, El Cajon, CA Yam
6/14 Castle Rock, CO Broc Glover, El Cajon, CA Yam
6/28 Binghamton, NY Chuck Sun, Sherwood, OR Hon
7/5 Buchanan, MI Chuck Sun, Sherwood, OR Hon
8/2 Washougal, WA Broc Glover, El Cajon, CA Yam
8/16 Carlsbad, CA Broc Glover, El Cajon, CA Yam
1981 500cc AMA Motocross Point Standings
1.) Broc Glover, El Cajon, CA Yam 366
2.) Mike Bell, Lakewood, CA Yam 276
3.) Chuck Sun, Sherwood, OR Hon 253
4.) Danny LaPorte, Yucca Valley, CA Hon 227
5.) Goat Breker, Anaheim, CA Kaw 219
6.) Marty Smith, San Diego, CA Suz 205
7.) Bill Grossi, Santa Cruz, CA Husqvarna 184
8.) Alan King, Troy, MI Maico 182
9.) Arlo Englund, Denver, CO Yam 171
10.) Gary Pustelak, Girard, PA Husqvarna 142
1981 125cc AMA Motocross Championships
3/29 Sacramento, CA Mark Barnett, Bridgeview, IL Suz
4/5 Irvine, CA Mark Barnett, Bridgeview, IL Suz
4/12 Lake Whitney, TX Mark Barnett, Bridgeview, IL Suz
5/10 Atlanta, GA Mark Barnett, Bridgeview, IL Suz
6/28 Binghamton, NY Mark Barnett, Bridgeview, IL Suz
7/5 Buchanan, MI Mark Barnett, Bridgeview, IL Suz
8/2 Washougal, WA Mark Barnett, Bridgeview, IL Suz
8/16 Carlsbad, CA Johnny O’Mara, Van Nuys, CA Hon
Mike Bell finished second in both AMA Supercross and the 500 Nationals.
1981 125cc AMA Motocross Point Standings
1.) Mark Barnett, Bridgeview, IL 350
2.) Johnny O’Mara, Van Nuys, CA 284
3.) Jeff Ward, Mission Viejo, CA 280
4.) Jim Gibson, Canyon Lake, CA 251
5.) Tom Benolkin, Minneapolis, MN 225
6.) Scott Burnworth, Jamul, CA 221
7.) Rick Johnson, El Cajon, CA 209
8.) Donnie Cantaloupi, Stockton, CA 188
9.) Danny Chandler, Foresthill, CA 143
10.) Gary Denton, Chino, CA 123
2011 MX Sports Pro Racing, Inc. All rights reserved.
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Check out WHEN DAYLIGHT BREAKS
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
When the lights go off on supercross and racing hits the daylight with the launch of the Lucas Oil Pro Motocross Championship, everyone gets to start over. Page 110.
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
D.C.,
No picture of the current (1981) 125 champ who swept 7 of the 8 rounds?
Humn..., Guess you're not much of a Mark Barnett fan.
DC-- I see a lot of people writing "You should do this or that". My request would be have EJ or yourself do a full-on, sit-down interview with Kent Howerton. Someone finally presenting his side of the Hannah ram-fest is WAY overdue.
(Had not noticed until watching the trailer from 'Massacre' that the film was presented by "Hannah Racing Products". .... Hmmmm!!
Keep it up!!
No photo of the Bomber? Really? So I will send you a practice pic of Mark back in the day. great stuff otherwise keep up the great work
Agree with the Howerton interview. He seems to faded completely out of the picture. How about a "What's he doing now, interview?"
Eating this stuff up.
Spiwak # 36.. Makes sense to hear Howerton's side of the story.. Set aside that the film was presented by Hannah racing products.. Is just part of the deal to have Hannah on board.
I remember reading in some magasines who reviewd this film.. Howerton was unavailable for comment.. And Hannah, who at times (An understatement.. Ha,ha) can be a big mouth.. He says how it is.. love him or hate him... I reckon Hannah is not the type to lie or anything...
Good film.. even though Hannah was way before my time.. He is a character.. And who also happens to be a great champ!!!
Look at Ward's factory Kawasaki #9 and those massive radiator shrouds with the vented front plate. All hand built...sick. Did the AMA have a rule about having billboard sized number plates that year?! This era was a turning point with bike technology and clothing, for sure. Water cooling, single shock set ups, upside down forks, and disc brakes would be the norm within a year or so for most of the Big 4. Full-face helmets and nylon "leathers" too. Who's #24 on the Honda? Warren Reid?
Missing the 250cc RedBud result. I was there so I'm pretty sure there were 2 250cc motos, I have the pics from my Dad's old Leica rangefinder...
I "think" #24 is Rich Coon. #9 is not Ward. I believe it's Goat Breker. And "yes", the AMA instituted a rule that front number plates had to be 12"x12". In previous years, everyone was getting very creative with their numbers and the score keepers complained that they couldn't read half of them. They looked silly then and certainly more-so today!
Guys, there is no way DC can mention (or get everyone's) picture in these short, yet great, articles. Picture a stcked SX class and 3 stacked National classes. He would need 10 pages/year to do it justice!
Now on to the top picture (left to right) #50 - Gary Pustelak, #24 - Richard Coon (perhaps the least known Honda Factory rider ever, out of Ghent, NY!), #26 - ?, #9 - Warren Reid, #54 - Kris Bigelow (AMA rookie of the year and OG Mich Mafia), #28 - Goat Breker or Tom Benoklin (I think). That pic must be a heat at Daytona. Check out "The Great History of Supercross" as it has a spectacular photo of the first turn in the '81 main with some major carnage.
Having been racing since 1974 and seeing the bikes evolve every year I remember how cool I thought the 1981 bikes looked with the giant front number plates on them. As I look at those same pictures now I think they look goofy. How times have changed
Didn't Coon win Southwick one year? Was it just a moto? My memory's a little foggy on that one. Anyone? I remember seeing Benolkin at the Florida Winter Series the previous year doing really well. In a year or two the Dogger joined Barnett, O'Mara and Wardy to make for one of the most stacked 125 fields ever!
'81 rocked. Except I had to ride a YZ125 as my brother was supported by Yamaha, and I really wanted an RM125. Although it got worse in '82 when he was supported by Honda ('82 CR125 -haha). How cool were those Team Suzukis? And the Bell Motos painted with the blue around the bottom and yellow (or white for the Kawasaki guys) on top. And JT gear. I'm getting misty...
KIWImxer - I had the YZ125 in '81 also, with the radiator behind the front numberplate. My buddy had the RM125. I would beat him in a straight, flat drag race, but throw in some bumps, and the RM just walked away from me. I had been riding since '76, '81 was the first year I raced. Love those days.....
Does anybody remember Goodyear MX tires? I bought one, it was 1/2 the price of a Metzler, no wonder, the bike was pretty much unridable as thing always felt flat!
@ Scott Fisher
Goodyear was still using Gary Baily as their spokesman, with full-page ads, 10 years after he had stopped racing. Sure you bought a Goodyear! Why wouldn't ya!!
sef154. yes Coon won Southwick in '80, collapsed at the finishline at Gunnar Lindstroms feet. Came back from a first turn crash. Word was that he rode the whole moto with both collar bones broken from that crash.
Howerton's Take:
http://www.wsmchof.com/kent-howerton.html
Coon was my second guess. A friend growing up had one of his practice bikes, an '81 with the hangnail front number plate. At least that's what I was told as an 11 year old kid. (How would I know anyway?) I think I confused Ward as he wore #19 around this era. These articles are SO friggin' awesome!
P.S. Thanks to all you "old-timers" for sharing the knowledge.
Crap, I remember the BIG NUMBER PLATE in the spring of 1981. I think they lost some top end power because of wind resistance that year.
Of course, Warren Reid......my memory isn't what it never was...haha! These articles are great though. I'd like to see something along this line but a little more in depth each month in Racer X!
Some observations - this is just when full face helmets started coming around. But some of these guys still just wore goggles!! Thank god the Johnny'O pants outside the boots look never caught on. The front number plates were way too big, but I still like bigger numbers on the side plates. Todays side plate numbers are so small old men like myself can hardly see them. How much does Josh Hansen look like his old man in the Des Nations picture? And yes, Rich Coon did win a moto at Southwick, but I don't believe he won the overall that day. He also made the cover of MXA one issue. I can still remember him flying around old D34 tracks - Mt Cathalia, Millerton, Claverack etc. He was a small guy, but he could fly!
I believe #26 is "Radical" Ron Turner.
Google is My Friend - thx for the link to the Howerton interview. Definitely worth the read.
http://www.wsmchof.com/kent-howerton.html
What's the deal with linking your sign in name to porno web sites?
I have to chime in to moan the lack of a Bomber photo. Unless DC is saving the best for last (Barnett's 3rd straight and final 125 title in '82), and will have Bomber pics all over tomorrow's coverage. Fingers crossed...
I was lucky enough to attend the race at Lake Whitney that year, it was awesome to see Hannah and Howerton go at it . Barnett was the most impressive that day. It was a brutal track huge whoops in that sand . Coolest thing I ever saw at Whitney was the year or so before when i attend the Trans Am and after the race was over Hannah and his buddy John Saviske? were tryin to climb the killer big hill that was north east of the track both on John's 250 Yamaha. After a few unsuccessfull tries Hannah told John to go back and get his 400, Hannah piloted the big Yamaha with John on back and up that big ass hill they went all the way to the top and then back down, then Bob got on the bike alone and standing on the seat he took off up the hill, as he reached the top the bike started to loop out, but Hannah calmly turned the bike in the air and headed back down the hill to the sound of a 40 or so of us standing there jaws on the ground clapping in unison. Was any one else on here there to see it ?
Those big number plates had to be one of the ugliest adornments since pie plates. I hate to admit I have raced as a "pie plate expert." Shows my age. Remember those days? Then again, I'm proud to have raced motocross before Honda made a motocross bike, before any of the Japanese brands produced a motocross machine. It was fantastic seeing the evolution of motocross, which at times took two steps backward.
Don't tell Obama about those 12x12 inch number plates, he'll force us to ride solar-powered bikes with 24x24 inch number plates.
Yes some "urban legends" are true. I was a winning amateur trying to go expert when a new kid, Rich Coon, line up next to me at the old district 34 tracks ( New York). He won that moto and lapped us! We felt for sure that this new kid had to have cut the track to lap us "fast guys". Well, he won all the next races and turned expert in 6 races, then kicked the experts asses. Next thing we knew he had a Honda factory ride.
Some of my racing buddy's use to practice with him but last we heard he just went back to farming at his dad's place. He was about the size of RC and to us he seemed just as fast!
This is the best series of articles ever from RacerX !!!!
I know the suzuki was better in 81 but thiers onway a factory yamaha was 30 pounds heavier than the zuk!! the 81 yz production bike was12 pounds (about) over ama limit and was a decent bike. love both guys!!
Didn't the '81 factory Yamaha's have that funny linkage that added a lot of weight?
No that was the '82. Not a very good design!
Holy Crap! JD232 nailed it, 'Lil Hanny is the spitting image of "Holeshot" circa '81. Those # plates are ridonkulous! Even more lame was '81 YZ 125 radiator & hoses hot water melting and washing out stem bearings and rusting solid.......sooo stupid.
Is it just me or is that exhaust outlet on the silencer of Hannah's bike (1st image) microscopic?
That image of Team U.S.A. '81 is awesome. Euros had NO idea what they were in for........A Red, White & Blue ASS WHOOPIN'!!!.......and 12 more in a row for good measure! And to think they weren't even considered our best......
Sorry for the oversight on the Barnett photos, I grabbed what I could before I headed out of the office for a few days. I know there is one of Mark and Kent going up in 1982. Or at least I hope there is!
Thanks for reading these years, they have been a lot of fun.
DC
MX Sports
Looking forward to the next decade of these DC. You guys really have your finger on the soul of the sport.
Quick Coon memory, he came to local D3 (and former national sand track) Motomasters a couple times and waxed everyone, save for maybe Tom Rice. i think one time on a LOP Yamaha in '79 and on a Honda in '80 or '81. It was a big deal back then for an east coast guy to get a factory ride!
Science - Richie Coon story for you. In April 1980 Richie came to Motomasters and decided he wanted to run one tooth larger on the rear sprocket. Richie didn't have that sprocket size with him so he went to the announcer's tower to see if anyone had one to loan. At the time Tom Rice was also running a Honda 125 and he actually loaned Richie the sprocket - guess Tommy was feeling like he could beat Richie that day. It didn't turn out that way as Richie won both 125 expert motos going away.
Kent Howerton does tell his side of the "Massacre..." story in our DVD, which is called "BackTrack."
Shameless self-promotion...but somebody asked! :)
Tommy Rice didn't like getting beat in D3, that's for sure! Although, I do remember there being a sense of camaraderie among the fast guys in D3 back then. I used to catch a ride to the races with a friend named Pete Cardinale who gave those guys a pretty good run. I can remember him changing a tire for, I'm pretty sure it was Rice. The image of him tugging that old knobby off and throwing a new one on - on the ground - is one that sticks with me. These old memories are great!
CR500AF/SEF154. Thanks for the stories. I was at that race when Coon beat Rice. Hard to believe Rice would help out his main competitor, though most of the D3 guys would help you regardless of who you were. I remember Cardinale as well. Yes the D3 fast guys were a tight bunch. The races were so different then. Everybody lined the fences for the expert races. When guys like Coon, Keller, Gurga, Stacey, or Moroney showed up it made things even more interesting.
Thanks to whoever sent the link to the interview of Kent Howerton. I conducted that interview of Kent for Bench Racer magazine at a vintage race at Rio Bravo (with a follow up visit to his house in San Antonio) in the fall of '04. I raced in the Houston area in the early '70s when Howerton, Stackable and Wise were tearing up the tracks in Texas. I've always felt that Howerton has never received the full credit he was due. He was certainly one of the fastest riders in the world once he got on Suzukis (winning the 250cc USGP in '79 & '80, the Trans-USA series in '79 & '80, 6 of 7 250cc Nationals in '80, and 13 of 16 motos in the '81 National series). He won the first 500cc National in '82 and was a favorite to win that championship before a severely broken ankle sidelined him at the third race, greatly slowing his career. He could not have been more gracious and forthcoming with that interview. While he was clearly sure of his world class abilities on a motorcycle, he was also quite unassuming and humble. I'm afraid Kent's place in the history of American motocross has been overshadowed by Hannah's brash and outsized personality. I think that is a shame.
We had our supercross match race of chicken vs the beast, now how about the hurricane vs the rhinestone cowboy. More of a vet race for sure.
#26 is Marty Smith
I was just getting out of racing mx when Rich Coon turned pro. I pitted next to him a few times and we talked occassionally. I would root for him at every race that I saw him after that....fast forward to 2002, I am doing a thru hike on the Appalachian Trail and ran into Rich and his boys out for a week of backpacking in New Hampshire. We hiked together for 3 days before we realized who each other was. We have stayed good friends ever since. He owns a propane gas company now and also sells light aircraft....still lives in N.Y.