by Davey Coombs
30 Day Countdown to A1: #3 Bob Hannah
Wednesday, January 2, 2013 | 11:15 AM
Share
Comment
Email
PrintThe first dominant rider in supercross—the first man to truly reign over the sport—was Bob “Hurricane” Hannah. From his sophomore season as a pro in 1977 through the '79 season, he was an absolute terror inside the old stadiums that used to host supercross: the Silverdome, the Kingdome, the Astrodome, the Super Dome, Three Rivers Stadium, Fulton County... Without Hannah's reign in the late seventies we would have nothing to compare later champions like Jeremy McGrath, Ricky Carmichael or Ricky Johnson to.
Hannah, who hailed from Whittier, CA, came on like a wild man in 1976, winning the 125 National Motocross Championship, but he found supercross too restrictive at first. Once he settled down a little, he was almost unbeatable.
The period of March through June of 1978, for instance, the Hurricane was as dominant and versatile as anyone had ever seen at that point, winning 14 straight races, including six SX mains and eight 250 Nationals.
Hannah was an innovator in supercross.
Hannah was an innovator in supercross at a time when the sport itself was just starting to figure out what it was going to be. There were different promoters, which meant different track-builders, and they often competed amongst themselves to outdo one another (and the the egos of folks like Mike Goodwin were bigger than those of anyone actually racing on the track!). But no matter what they threw at the races, Hannah was first to answer...
He went on another run from February to May '79, winning 10 of 11. Back then the SX/MX series overlapped—indoors and outdoors—and even the factory men raced pretty much the exact same bike. That challenged the riders even more than today's consistently predictable (yet very challenging) race tracks. Everyone knows what to expect and prepares for it. Back then, they often didn't know what they were up against until they showed up at the stadium. Then it was a race to see who could adapt the quickest, and the winner of that sprint was almost always Bob Hannah. He is the first man ever to win three AMA Supercross Championships in a row, and the only one until Jeremy McGrath came along a generation later. As it stands Hannah, McGrath (twice) and Carmichael are the only men ever to win three straight SX titles.
Hannah didn't have the sheer number of races that we have now on the Monster Energy AMA Supercross tour to rack up the numbers later generations would have, but he still has 27 career wins to his credit. He also lost almost a full year when he was at his peak—the fall of 1979—when he broke his leg while water-skiing behind a boat pulled by one of his primary competitors, Marty Tripes.
In 1983, just when many were starting to write Hannah off, he reinvented himself by switching over to Team Honda, then appeared to have the championship in hand after five early wins before an injury slowed him down. After that the injuries began mounting on Hannah, like a broken wrist and a dislocated hip, he had no choice but to slow down. But that great era of eighties' riders—Johnson, Ward, Barnett, Bailey, O'Mara, Hansen, Lechien—all raced with and were beaten often by the old man. And they obviously learned a great deal from it.
Hannah has 27 career wins to his credit.
Racer X Archives photo
Hannah's legacy in the sport is one of aggressiveness, creativity, charisma and dominance. He was quite simply an all-time badass.
To see all of Hannah's results, check out The Vault.
The 30 Best Supercross Racers of All Time Tracker:
#5 Rick Johnson
#6 Chad Reed
#8 Jeff Stanton
#9 Jeff Ward
#10 Jean Michel Bayle
#11 Damon Bradshaw
#12 Mark Barnett
#13 Kevin Windham
#14 David Bailey
#15 Ryan Dungey
#16 Mike Bell
#17 Jeff Emig
#18 Johnny O’Mara
#19 Doug Henry
#20 Jimmy Ellis
#21 Mike LaRocco
#22 Ezra Lusk
#23 Broc Glover
#24 Ron Lechien
#25 Jimmy Weinert
#26 David Vuillemin
#27 Donnie Hansen
#28 Larry Ward
#29 Mike Kiedrowski
#30 Marty Tripes
Did you like this article?
Check out ON TOUR
in our Latest issue of Racer X available now.
The Monster Energy Supercross tour is staffed by an intensely dedicated group of sponsors and support staffers. Here’s what life is like on the SX road. Page 136.
Look for the verified symbol 
Impulse Studios
The Storm Cometh...Long Live the Storm!
Used to watch Hannah and Hicks on their factory Hondas race some local supercross races...they were flat out unreal. Jumping so much further than anyone else, and we had some pretty decent local pros then.
Those Hannah/Howerton battles were epic.
Yep, Hannah then RC and Mr.SX MC. Im sticking with Reed, 4th and counting, thanks for the tweet Reedy...
I think they got this one right, and you know the next 2 will be spot on also. If you didnt grow up watching Hanna race then you missed out on one of the sports biggest influences, Im glad I was able to be a part of it ..
He was my idol back in the day and I think this is the right spot for him.
First superstar of SX.In 1979 with it pouring down rain in a soldout Fulton Co stadium,Bob Hannah comes idling out of the tunnel heading to the starting gate and the crowd go nuts.It was amazing and I wish everyone on here could of experienced that night.Then Hannah killed everybody.The meddest SX ever.
Bob earned his nick name the Hurricane and his place in motocross/supercross history with the unbeatable combination of attitude and tenacity. Hooray for Hannah!!
The Hurricane was my first true MX hero. I wanted those Scott plastic boots SO BAD when I was a little kid! I wish he could have stayed a little more healthy in the 80s as he could have achieved so much more.
Yes indeed, Hannah was fun to watch and he seemed to realy enjoy racing for a living which made me a huge fan of his....... #2 and #1 are a lock for sure and the whole countdown has been fun.... Great job Racer X!
The Hurricane...what a rider...He would just hang it out and WFO at all times. Loved the
HRP gear...still got pants and jersey from the day. And He is a great hunter...could tell
some stories of Red Bud ...about Bob.
He would just sneer at ya on the line...He hit my mechanic pushing my bike from staging
to the line with his bike..knocked him over. Grrrr
Remember when He commented a couple of years ago about the current state of riders
and He didn't hold back. What a superstar. Good Job Davey / Staff thanks for putting this SX all time list together.
hannah has a mystic ability to mesmorize anyone....if i could hang out with any former moto champ it would be hannah...what a legend.
In the past 20 years we would have seen a lot more champions if more riders would have Hannahs determination and attitude.
oh...usgp 1985 undadilla after winning the first moto he went last to 5th in moto2 he said "some stinking COMMIE hit me and knocked be down and broke my @#$% clutch lever"....can you imagine Dungey calling a GP rider a commie?...only hannah.
Bob is blazing fast on a mountain bike
he kinda looks like barcia..
too bad Hannah is such a jack ass.
The "Hurricane" part actually came from showing up basically unknown and crushing it in the Florida series.....his riding style wasn't always as wild as portrayed (just 98 % of the time) as I saw him plenty of times ride total cr*p about as smoothly and as fast as it could be ridden.... he was definitely never scared to bang bars or speak his mind...one of the best to ever line up no doubt and always a breath of fresh air to corporate MX.....I don't see how anyone can argue with this #.....but i'm sure some dumba*s will.
I remember driving with Bob, from Saddleback to Lancaster in the 'rider of the year' Toyota 4x4.....dammit i felt like a rock star, and i was nobody.
rickamatuzio
At least Bob wasn't a DUMB-ASS like you.
@Ruletheroost You mean Douch'e Bag dont you !!!!!!!!!!!!! In your dreams you were probably his beeouch on the trip !
I'm glad DC made reference to the SX season being shorter in Hannah's day compared to today. His 27 wins are every bit as impressive as the 44 and 41 wins for Stewart and Reed respectively if you adjust for series length.
What would Hannah's win total have been if he had been racing a 17 race series as we have for the past many years? I'd argue 40 wins at a minimum and something closer to 60 wins all things considered. See below (all data from the RacerX Vault).
1977 - won 6 of 10
1978 - won 6 of 11
1979 - won 6 of 12
1980 - injury year
1981 - won 1 of 12
1982 - won 1 of 12
1983 - won 5 of 16 (but only a partial year due to injury. He won 5 of the first 9 rounds, raced through round 12, and did not race the last 4 rounds)
1984 - won 1 of 17 (but only a partial year due to injury. He didn't race in rounds 5, 6, 7, 11, 12, 16.)
1985 - won 1 of 11 (but only a partial year due to injury. He didn't race in rounds 1, 7, and 11)
If you assume win percentage by year for just the first 3 full seasons he raced, Hannah would likely have 10 - 12 more wins, or 37 - 39 wins in the '77 - '79 time frame, which is a 12+ wins per season or McGrath-like winning . It took Chad and James longer to reach this same effective # of wins.
Series length in '83 and '84 was basically the same. If '85 had been a full 17 races, he likely had 1 - 2 more wins, or about 40 total.
Where the numbers get silly is in '80 & '81 where, if not for the broken leg, Bob would have been at his peak and Yamaha had a competitive bike. If you assume a conservative 50% win percentage (from '77, '78, and '79) and 17 races per year for '80 & '81, there is 17 more wins for Hannah and (2 more championships). With that level of confidence you could argue that he would have had another 5 - 6 wins in 82, but that is a tougher argument because his factory Yamaha was a POS and because of how well Donnie Hansen was riding.
You can doubt my math about potential wins in '80 & '81 and my assumed win %, but Hannah won 5 of the first 9 rounds in '83 for Honda before getting injured and missing 6 rounds of that season.
So I'm thinking if SX seasons had a consistent 17 race series (as it is today) for the seasons Hannah actually raced, I would make an argument that Hannah would have about 40 wins total, so top 5-6 all time, without much speculation. If you factor in the "what if" from just '80 and "81, then we'd looking at close to 60 wins.
rickamatuzio I'm with you. Any fool can see Hannah is a jerk. You don't have to be a dick to crush the competition and win titles. Think Ryan Dungey outdoors this year. I admire champs that are humble...at least outwardly. Hannah ass kissers are idiots.
@Rick--You are so wrong.. I saw Hannah way back when and he would not leave until EVERY autograph was signed.. He didnt leave or hide in a motorhome.. He cared about the sport and that was that.. He was a win balls out kinda rider.. And tells it like it is.. And deserves to be number 3.. If they just would have gotten a few other ones right..
I became a big fan of the Hurricane seeing him first race at Diamond Back in Cocoa, Florida in the 1976 Winter AM series. Bob and the Lumberjack (R Burgett) gave the other factory boys all they wanted that day!
I got to see Bob race a bunch more through his dominance in the 70's, and the comments above about SX then are spot on. It got even better for me as a fan in 1982 when my brother (Jeff Hicks) got factory support from Yamaha and became good friends with Bob. Hanging out on and off the track provided cool insights on how determined and competitve that guy was and still is today!
I was at several nationals and SX's in 1983 where Bob was out to prove a point to Yamaha on his new Honda ride. A race in particular was a 250 national at a very soft, rutty track on the Missouri River near St. Louis. The ruts made the racing very technical and Bob simply smoked everyone - lapping to 3rd place and winning by 2 minutes over 2nd place both motos! Had he not broken his wrist a few weeks later and then his hip a couple months after that, who knows how many nationals he would have won.
Jeff and Bob still hang out. Now its flying airplanes and bicycle riding.
My friend Jeff Miller crashed head on when Bob was on works Honda doing a school here in Boise. Bent up his works forks pretty good. After that Bob was always giving him crap when they would see each other. I think they are friends now. We have a very big sand hill and Bob would come down that hill and reach up and grab a tear off with the throttle wide open. I have never seen anyone come down that hill as fast as Bob and this was in the 80's.
I'm glad we finally got to the next rider on the list. That last one was getting pretty ugly.
I didn't like Hannah at first because he knocked my hero, Marty Smith, off his pedestal. I must have grown to like him because I look at my old gear and bikes and they were very influenced by him. Even had a big number 2 on my YZ, and wore Scott boots. Those things were like riding with walking casts.
He was one of the greatest. All you have to do is ask him and he'll tell you.
It was worse than I thought. Even had the jersey and modified Moto 3.
http://www.mxbob.com/jpg/79yz400_2a.jpg
Superbowl of Motocross 1978 Hannah battling Mike Bell for the win I will never forget him wide open (WFO) going up the Ramp to the Turnstile and launching in the air and Bouncing off one of the concrete Pillars knocking his feet off the pegs but somehow saving it and never letting off the Gas. His Legend is for real for anyone who got to see him ride or watch him get in the heads of the other riders. As Kenny Watson would say he was an Innovator way ahead of his Time. Long Live The Hurricane. Roger Vista, Ca
Superbowl of Motocross 1978 Hannah battling Mike Bell for the win I will never forget him wide open (WFO) going up the Ramp to the Turnstile and launching in the air and Bouncing off one of the concrete Pillars knocking his feet off the pegs but somehow saving it and never letting off the Gas. His Legend is for real for anyone who got to see him ride or watch him get in the heads of the other riders. As Kenny Watson would say he was an Innovator way ahead of his Time. Long Live The Hurricane. Roger Vista, Ca
Hannah was a BIG B- HOLE !
So is Buckey 394 or was that buck tooth beaver ! I'll be lookin at Millville any douch'e that rides around in a cart is a Bomar
I have to agree Hannah was really not a nice person to his fans. He was a complete ahole to me the one and only time I met him. Actually it was more like he was a complete arrogant dickhead that one and only time our paths crossed! Thought I was his biggest fan and he my #1 Hero but not so much after that day at Lake Sugar Tree in 1978. Every single thing I owned had something written or stuck to it relating to him. My dog's name was Hurricane
I stuck with him to his retirement but it's funny how thats still the first thing I think of after all these years!
If JS7 wins five more SX races, he should be able to move into the number two spot, if we're strictly going by results.
http://www.motorsportsetc.com/stats/st_sxwin.htm
David Bailey and Jim Holley a completely different story. They were Cool!
What was so great about BH is the way he came out and just uterlly crushed people. It wasn't enough to win, he had to punish and completely crush the other riders. It was GREAT!!
The guy talked the talk and walked the walk and not too many people can say they've done that.
He took one of the biggest crashes ever at Southwick in the old washboards section.
His name backwards is hannah bob.
@Pick6-Roger
"an Innovator way ahead of his Time"
So is Kenny the Yogi Berra of motocross? Would he say something like, "No one rides there anymore. Its too crowded"?
@corndog--You are so wrong--Stewie will still only have 2 titles.. You really think he should knock off Carmichael who has 5 titles??? NO WAY.. Titles are WAAAYYY MORE important than a single race win..
Who cares if he is a jerk. That could be said of a lot of riders on here. I bet each rider on this list has at least a few fans that think that. Hear of RV all the time ignoring fans. Some of you guys just need to stuff a rag in it because you are bleeding all over the place.
#2- Bubba (from Crusty fame)
#1- Steven Seagal
Obviously I was talking about race wins, as was evident by the link. But, yes, I realize 5 > 2.
@ caseypons People WHO have Hyper text links associated with there name that go nowhere are the same people who make no sense with there post .
@ bd200 go get a ride ! BOY !!
Probably the most determined rider/racer/human beings EVER!. He came from poor up-bringings, and worked and clawed his way to get everything he got. He started as a pipe welder at the DG performance shop. He said he hated everyone on the starting line ... and that winning was what he was paid to do, not finish second. He had work ethic to work hard for his team/employers. I believe he said he negotiated all of his own contracts too, often taking smaller amounts of yearly money but spreading it years down the road (smart). I remember in the late 70"s he was killing everyone on his factory YZ so he did the Florida series on a bone stock and heavy YZ 250 (just cut down bars run his usual strait up way). He killed everyone at the Florida series and then ran the same bike at the Daytona Super-Cross .... he won it ... and they gave the bike away to a winning ticket holder after the race.
I also remember him having run-ins with Heiki Mikkola at an MXDN and slamming Roger Decoster silly the Unadilla Trans Am round. These legends knew this kid had balls and was at war on any race track. They had great respect for him. A "once in a life time" racer. A warrior. Those of us who got to see him race in his prime are very lucky.
Srcub
Does your yeast infected hole have a problem today ?!?!
rickamatuzio said in an earlier thread that he was too young to see Hannah; now he's a big critic. Get a life! It's true that Hannah was c0cky in his early days, but eventually - as some have said here - he became far and away the most popular rider in the pits (back when you didn't have to pay a ton extra to get in) and would stay and talk with the fans after most of the others had packed up and left.
The Honda photo above looks to be from the '83 Daytona SX. I've still got that one on VHS! (Got to convert to digital.) He went so fast that day I always marveled that he could stay on! Bailey was so far back in second that he needed binoculars to see Bob!
If you don't know why Hannah is #3 here, you just don't get it.
if RacerX does a who dont u wanna get in a fight with countdown Hannah WINS!! all u cyberturds calling him names, SAY IT TO HIS FACE!! he flys a P-51 Mustang and will kill you.....
Yeah, the pits used to be open right after the race. I remember Bob and JoJo putting on a show to a throng of fans after a Southwick National. Standing right in the back of the box van. Even Pastrana wasn't that popular. They did some crazy crazy stuff and Bob had a great sense of humor.
Maybe Bob just didn't like dumbass'es....
As a kid growing up and even to this day, Bob Hannah was, is, and ALWAYS will be "The Man." Sorry Roger.
. while Tonewall may be correct in Hannah's tolerances
I was fortunate to meet Bob a couple times. First time, was after a Trans Am held at Lake Whitney. When most riders were done signing autographs, loaded up and pulling out, we headed to our vehicle, only to notice a small gathering of folks over by the big hill on the north side of the track. We wandered over to see what was going on, there was Hannah and Savitski trying to climb "the hill" on the YZ 250 John had raced the support class on. After a couple failed attempts Bob told John to go back to the pits and get his YZ. Few minutes later, he returned with the bike, he slid back and let Bob get on and with out further hesitation Hannah twisted the throttle and off they went together, up that big ass hill. When they returned down to the bottom, we all cheered and told him how impressive that was...to which Hannah replied "Hell, that was nothing compared to the hills I used to climb, I could climb that hill standing on the seat!" The small crowd that had gathered began to laugh a bit in disbelief...Bob then, fired the bike back up and headed back towards the base of the hill, with one small jump he had both feet on the seat and up the hill he went. The last 5 or 6 six feet of the hill was totally vertical at which point the bike launched straight up into the air. A collective gasp was heard from the crowd thinking we were going to see him crash very hard into the hill. But this was Bob Hannah, he somehow twisted the motorcycle and pointed the bike back down the hill before the wheels touched down, allowing him to simply ride back down the hill to the amazement of all of us standing there. As he approached us we all broke into simultaneous clapping, in awe of the display of talent we had just seen. A big smile was covering his face, as he slowly rode back to us and immediately Bob said "I told ya so!" I never doubted Bob Hannah again...and I never thought of him as any thing but a great racer and all round good guy!!
@ BD25 Great read ! There are a couple of select posters on here that would tell a great tale like yours.....................
Scrub this...sorry your having a bad day, generally I enjoy your posts, whether I agree or disagree with them, but your comment about Bucky was uncalled for...I met Bucky last year at Spring Creek. He was a very nice guy and gracious host who went out of his way to be friendly to a fellow motocross fan.The reason he is in the cart is from some injures, that make it very difficult to stand or walk for very long. Just the fact, that the Martins, who own the facility, think enough of him to allow him to use the cart and enjoy the races speak volumes for him. I consider myself lucky to be able to call Bucky my friend...
When i was a teenager, i saw hannah race in his prime many times,has always been my favorite rider. One of the best covers from MXA was with Hannah and Decoster battling at Unadilla(trans ama),i think if i remember correctly Bob's pipe was dented from their battle.If anyone has that issue please post it
BD25
I think his nick-name was "Buckwheat" not Bucky. I think Bob's buddy, the Scott Goggle guy at the time Bevo Forte (is he still alive?) came up with it .... and it was in reference to the little black kid on the "Our Gang" black and white TV show way back then (or was it Eddy Murphy's Character of the same kid on Saturday Night Live?) ..... anyway ... knowing the times (these were the Archie Bunker/All in the Family days) ..... I'm not so sure the nick name was politically correct .... but if someone knows the story I'd love to hear it.
2centsCanadian.....You are correct, Hannah was given the nick name Buckwheat by Bevo and yes he is still alive, left Scott and is now representing and promoting for 100% goggles...I was referring to a post scrub made above in reference to a poster on here named Bucky394..sorry for the misunderstanding ..I can see how you got confused
BD25
Ooops you're right .... I misread and misunderstood your post. Sorry bout that. Do you know where the Buckwheat nickname came from? Bevo was really really heavy ... and he must be in his late 50's now .... I wasn't sure if he was still alive. Thanks
According to an interview with Bevo from 1979. He gave Hannah the nickname "Buckwheat" in honor of "Buckwheat Miller - A famous garbage collector in Mt. Carmel, PA..
Bevo often referred to Hannah and John Savitski as "Buckeroos" a term he picked up from an episode of comedy tv show "Welcome Back Kotter".
racer628, I was also at the 85 USGP. I was in the pits when the rolled Hannah's works CR250 out of the box truck with the seat and some of the plastics still off.That thing was a work of art ,I stared at it for a while.Bob seemed pretty cool to me.Then the race was epic,I seem to remember JoJo keller hauling that day too.
"The way rode the Yamaha... He looked like a squirrel trying to get a nut." - Keith McCarty
bmd455
Thanks ... I never knew the whole story before. A PA garbage man and TV show characters reference eh? Never would have guessed. Good stuff. Glad it wasn't anything racially incorrect : ) I remember Hannah, Bevo and Savitski were good buddies.
I think barcia was trying to look
Like Hanna last summer. I can't wait till Saturday, I haven't looked forward to supercross this much ever.
"AIN'T NO DOUBT ABOUT DAT!!!"
One of the stories about REDBUD wouldn't have anything to do with a rental car would it Larry Witmer???(remember it well)
H U R R I C A N E!!!!!! (The ol' school know what's up) Much like a Lebron fan learning about Dr. J....Pioneers come along...Hendrix, Page, Eddie Van Halen...Unitis, Montana, Brees...Hurricane was really the first SX superstar!
@Srcub-This: Why do I (not) have a doubt that my three words would be over your head? I just don't....
How bout those three!
Rick m I have read by your own admission that you did not pick up the mx habit until the mid 90s how dare you bash the hurricane when you did not even know what a dirt bike was until 8 years after his retirement ? Quit acting like you are ohhh so smart by writing long posts or drive by short ones. I met Bob in 87 or 88 when Englishtown had a Suzuki sponsored race, great guy and he whipped all the locals who had the track dialed and had been, good guys riding there for years and did it on a POS Suzuki they were junk then! Still junk now, they just work nice, no quality. Just ask him or watch his mx files.
Hannah had to be a bad ass because McCartey was his hair lip mofo
@ LarryWitmer Hannah was pushing you out of the way cause you were a bald ass privaterr back in the day , He said get that piece of shit bike moving and get out of my happy ass way .........
Bob Hannah stories are the stuff of legend.
Like at many other tracks, Bob was the King at Unadilla. Always staying well past his competitors to sign autographs. I recall him being quite adept at using a sharpie on various parts of the female form - a sight I witnessed on more than one occasion and one I will never forget. Or the time Bob picked up the trophy girl on the podium and put her on his shoulders - backwards. But I digress
After Bob's last race at Unadilla, the announcer was making a big deal about Hannah passing the torch to RJ. RJ was chasing Hannah around the edges of the track in a figurative passing of the torch but the fans were having none of it. As good as RJ was with the crowd, the crowd was sticking with Hannah, the true showman.
I met Bob on a few occasions and he was always very approachable. Not sure why others had a different experience. My last time talking to Bob was after the '87 MXdN. On the way to the track I "found" a street sign "Buckwheat Rd" that I "relocated" to Unadilla. I flashed that sign to Bob on each lap he came by and presented it to him after the race. He was stoked to get the sign and thanked me for using it during his races. He talked about putting that up in his airplane hanger. Would love to know if it made it to his hanger and if so, if it is still on the wall.
@ CR500AF YOU ARE MY IDLE MAN !!!!
The poster above is not the real 'ScrubThis'- he/she is just a lame imposter.
its S C R U B not 'Srcub'.
He has also posted as DirtyDickbreath-Drivin to witchita -FunnionAnus and now this.
The real ScrubThis would leave you in his stead- your not even on the same level.
on to moto:
Hannah was a real crowd pleaser- his intensity on the track has been duplicated by few.
And hurricane was the coolest nickname ever- Buckwheat not so much.
And he had no respect for anyone- but was loved by many.. Go figure.
We all know that 3, 2 and 1 will be Hannah, Carmichael and MC. I am glad I am not the one to pick the top 3! Should it be Hannah because he was the first to do 3 in a row? Or should it be MC the first to do 3 in a row 2 times. Just incase you don't think that,s tough enough throw in that RC guy. Great read. Come on A1
sef154, I also have the '83 Daytona Supercross on a video tape. Wore that thing out watching Hannah destroy the field like it was child's play. In either his heat race or the main (not for sure which) he was so far out front, just riding killer wheelies down the straights like he was out play riding. And to DaveHicks, I totally remember the '83 St. Louis National. I was there. Fifteen years old. Remember it like it was yesterday. I remember asking Bob for a jersey. He said he already gave it away, but he had a dirty sock if I wanted it. I was a little offended, but at the same time I knew how arrogant he was, and that was one of the reasons he was my favorite rider. He just told it like he saw it. No B.S. with him. He backed up his talk. I was just in awe of the guy. I think whoever got his jersey that day probably saw a lot of blood on it. If I remember correctly, he went down while leading and cut his arm up pretty good. I remember he had blood on his arm when i saw him in the pits afterward. He still went 1-1 on the day for the overall. I have lots of pictures from that race and a autograph Cycle News clipping from that race I sent to HRP for him to sign. It was a Awesome day to be a Hannah fan.
Okay buckey !
I think you been in the bottle to much get your glasses and toupee>. on straight !
You people need to get a life before A-1
I did not like Hannah when he started racing. He talked a lot of smack and I thought he was just a smartass. But later he reminded me of Mohamed Ali. He wanted other riders to tick him off. It gave him a reason to ride like a man possessed. Get him mad on a track an you were a marked man. About a 50% talent rider and 200% desire. Over the years I saw how it motivated him to ride so fast . Often out of contol , half off the bike, but going way faster than anyone else. Between Boob Hannah ( Europeans couldn't pronounce Bob) and RC I am not sure who had the most desire. If they would have raced at the same time I do not know if they would have been alive today.
I remember the National at St Louis in the mud national on the works Honda. Kind of a weird crummy track at a dragstrip. I remember before they went to the gate he gassed it in front of everone kind of telling them the race was his . It was. I think Barnett took the 125 that day. If I am not mistaken Magoo rode a works 500 Honda that day. Thats a whole other story.
I was at the corner where Hannah an the Commie came together at Unadilla. It really wan't that bad and very few people saw it. I stood a few feet away in awe as they tried to get going. I think he chased down O'Mara in one of the motos. That was when Unadilla was rough. Unadilla was the love / hate track . Hannah loved it, the new riders including RC hated it and eventually modernized it. For a long time it was the only European track the U.S. had. Not sure if we have any now. Hannah was also one of the "hill people" .
Never forget the Lakewood Colorado National . After the races Hannah saw that my friends and I had a full cooler. Our beer was his beer and remember Jo Jo Keller sitting on top of a rental car and Hannah and Keller and Decoster having a cold one. Was great listening to the stories.
The pits were open after all the nationals back then. Works bikes , bring your own beer , scantily clad women, and motocross. It was a great time to be alive.
Whoops, I guess this is about Supercross. That was good too.
I wonder how many stories there are about Hannah as everyone seems to have one. Good to hear em!
If you never saw him ride you will never know.
That Team Yamaha poster(at the beginning of article) was the first piece of moto swag I ever scored,it's still on my wall today in my shop. Wouldnt it be cool too know just how many YZ's were sold thanks to Bob Hurricane Hannah.Too this day I wish I would've had the coin for some Scott boots and Griffs Yamaha leathers.First time I got to see him ride was 82' Red bud,I was bummed to see my hero struggle on the p.o.s. 82 125 for 4th.In 85' was shocked to see him and Bevo down at the night track on saturday night,Hannah with a case of Budweiser in hand,maybe thats why he got 6th next day? The thing that sticks out in my mind from the St.Louis national was the rutted berm in the corner we were standing at had a leaning wood fence post at the apex,Bailey would check up to clear it or use the next outer line,Hurricane hit the d@mn thing every lap WFO until his jersey was bloody,then he kept on hitting it whilst totally checking out on everyone!
Best interview ever=Bob Hannah after he lost any race. Told it like it was.
All hail the "hurricane"
For more insight on Hannah's legacy checkout MXA's website under "jody's true story of let brock bye and list of 25 men who split the motocross atom".
Pontiac silverbag 1978? 77? Hannah leaps down the stands, (part of the track) hits the triple wfo, lands in the middle of some redicules whoops, yamaha bucked him off, him still hanging onto the bars, takes 2 giant strides alongside his bike, hops back on, and destroys everyone....
WFO_UFO
I think you are afowl with a name like that you better check yourself at the door ..
Your drunk and should go straight to hell for those nasty words, for I'm the son of Jesus ! and you have over dosed on one to many SI -FI flicks
@joemotocross589-Hannah used to do that shit all the time- I was there at pontiac 76 thru 82 . And I even raced it the first year as an amatuer. Hannah was the king of the Pontiac Silverdome. My grandma lived a few miles away. Cant believe its shut down now- I remember when it was first built. I used to love getting sucked out those doors from the air pressure
@ WFO_UFO
ANOTHER CLASSIC CASE OF NOT KNOWING WHAT THE OTHER HAND IS DOING... A typical on your part ...The joint closed February 2006 !!
It has since been Re-opened April 17, 2010
Owner
Andreas Apostolopoulos
Triple Investment Group
Operator
Triple Sports & Entertainment
They dont have a race there just like Ford field you know the new venue ! It's not marketed to the super poser crowd............It doesnt sell now in the area. You can blame the thug mentality and Auto crappy union worker for dragging it in the shitter !
Now that we are a right to work state it will take about 7 years to get the area up and running so look at the real picture you are a want a bee !
Hannah was nothing like Mohamed Ali. Ali had no class. Ali ticked other fighters off and he cheated in a lot of his fights. When he was going to lose in Europe to a no name his corner took padding out of his gloves and the fight had to be stopped the next round because the guys face was puffing up even though he was winning. He had Smokin Joe Fraizer so mad before their fight Fraizer was tired before the fight started. He said if Fraizer beat him in the first fight he would crawl across the ring and kiss Joes feet. Then When Joe beat him, from a wheel chair, he sat there and said he didn't think Joe did a good job. Ali was a big mouth jerk draft dodger.
UPSMAN, I was at 94 minneapolis supercross I believe and Hannah was Walking in the pits with Guy Cooper. I was holding the hand of a then young Bobby LePage (pro snowcross racer). He wanted Bobs autograph, we approached and asked. Hannah LAUGHED, and walked away as if we were peasants. A true assh@ole. Guy Cooper was SO cool he walked with us over and grabbed a little poster and signed it. Guy Cooper was my hero that day watching little Bobby's face light-up.
I ended up at a Motocross school three years later riding with Guy, and spent time with him.. A true class act. Bob Hannah can go brag about how great he thinks he was, because when he was riding supercrosses, did they even have jumps?
My anger stems from him making an ass out of himself.
Don't call people out if you don't want to hear the answer.. Sorry, he may be a great guy but he wasn't that day. If he were busy its one thing, but he wasn't.. And yes, I understand some people don't like fame and I would hate it myself, but a 10 year old kid??
I never did like Hanna that much but he probably does deserve the #3 spot based on performance, I still say RV is the # 4 guy at this point based on who he has beaten the last 3 years and 2 titles in 4 years trumps 2 titles in 8 or 10 years.
I'm not knocking his performance, obviously Bob was supremely fit and fast compared to his competition. He had a strong desire to win.. I respect all of that. I just don't like people that think they walk on water.. Nice haircut by the way Bob.
(I think Barnett was tougher than Hannah based on what I have read, could be wrong). If Bob wants to buy me a beer I'll forgive him.
Good to see Hannah's on the podium. Also good is all the posts giving him his due respect. Innovator, titles, next-level speed, dogged determination and personality. Hannah easily fits the criteria to stand atop this list.
I know I'm about to piss some purists off, but the Honda / Daytona pic above is awesome. Hannah looked great on the CR's and I'll always wonder why he didn't saddle up a 500 and trade Una-F'ing-dilla for Carlsbad just to see what could have been.
Thanks Bob, it was a fun ride.
Hannah won 9 out of 12 Supercross races at the Pontiac Silverdome. For all the excitement he brought the Pontiac Silverdome they gave him a golden ticket (he has it framed in his house) to use at any event ever held at the Pontiac Silverdome. I think he used it for front row seats to the Hearns/Hagler fight. He said blood was landing on him from the boxers.
@BD25 Thanks for the kind words. Yeah, we have another one folks. Seems to really tork him when we point out that he is far from the first to come here and do this. It can be entertaining for sure.But it is pretty obvious, when you think about it a second, as all his stuff is basically of the same nature. As Wfo-Ufo pointed out, he has now taken scrub this as his name, and with out looking back, he was told that he pretty much wasn't fittin' the bill by someone on here, "not even close" was the comment, as I recall. But Hey BD, I see a post from BillC earlier, so he must be back. I will have to check it out.
@bucky394 Your a freakin idiot ! Bd also ..............I have over 40 names so play with that .. I have been on hear since 2005-2006 under al kinds of names ..
I think you are the real scrub tooth beaver
@beancanyon- It couldn't have been Hagler vs Hearns- that was at Caesars Palace in '85. All the fights I saw in Detroit were at Joe Louis or The Palace in Auburn Hills. I never heard of one being held at the Silverdome- last I heard they were only doing monster truck events there anymore. It woulda been cool to see Bob Hannah at a boxing match though! I was in a small movie theatre watching it live- it was still the best fight I ever saw. And Hannah was a cool guy for sure.
If you look back at the "Who will win the 450SX class at Anaheim 1?
" poll article from a few days ago- you can see that the second poster, who is called "scrub-this" used to be 'DirtyDickBreath' and also 'Drivin to Witchita'.
This loser of a poster is able to magically change his name on the posts that he has already submitted- so he MUST be associated with the racerx staff. Its probably DC or one of his kids playing god or something just to be cool. Check it out for yourself.
Shame on you.
I remember Hannah saying in an interview about his never give up style "you have not crashed until your handle bars hit the ground". Later that year he slid sideways bars dragging legs sliding along the ground and his bike popped up before comming to a stop and he rag dolled his way on top and took off like nothing happened. After the race he said "I guess you haven't crashed until your head hits the ground."
I remember that someone put a bounty on Hannah during one of his streaks- cant remember who or how much though.
I grew up wishing anybody would beat Bob. Just like I felt about RC in the beginning. They both won me over as there careers went on. I've never seen anyone feed off the crowd like Hannah. You could close your eyes and know where he was on the track. If you never saw him race then you have missed one of the most talented truely awe inspiring racers ever. I never and mean ever saw him let up and settle for anything but 1st. And I never have seen anyone like him since. One of his famous statements was if 2nd payed more than 1st I'd still win. He lived that.
For those who say he was a dick. Well Bob just wanted to win and if he didn't he wasn't all smiles about it. Been to dilla 30 times and when he raced he was the last factory guy to leave. Signed every autograph to be signed
@beancayon -
Jake Lamotta fought Sugar Ray Robinson the third time at Chicago Stadium and that fight was nickname the St.Valentine Massacre. lamotta refused to go down but couldn't defend himself. People were getting hit by his blood and some people got sick at the sight of the beating he took.
If you have never seen it check out "The Ragging Bull" with De Niro as Lamotta.
I got two Hannah stories. 86 Fla winter series, Hannah first year on a Suzuki and had something to prove. His main comp, Kees Van Der Ven considered the best GP sand master at the time. Kees gets a better start and is running down the edge of the track, on the tires to find the smooth lines. Hannah is taking the fastest lines on the track if it was a smooth road race course. He's hitting the biggest bumps the deepest ruts (we're talking Florida here) and gaining on kees. I watched him go through the nastiest whoop ( I raced open pro and was jammin in 2nd gear in this section) pegged in 3rd, he got into a tank slapper. The bike kicked to one side, Bob leaned the other way, it kicked back all the way to the other side badly, just leaning to counteract it would not have saved it. Hannah englishes so much his heel is on top of the seat and his other foot is on the outside edge of his foot peg.( think when you drop your bike and your still standing over it with your heel touching the seat, now put your other foot on top the footpeg) now think of being in that position pegged in 3rd in mega deep sand whoops. He NEVER let off the gas!! He did it several times, he past Kees and won that day, was amazing!!
2nd Hannah story 89 dilla 250 GP Hannah's last race there. Was a crazy day. RJ trying to come back from his bad wrist catchs and passes the new GP kid JMB. RJ is so pumped first big win since his broken wrist. Stanton races his first 125 pro race, the support class and wins, he's 6' 185, big 125 rider, he's pumped Hannah gets 7th or so, but nobody really cares because it's Hannah's last race ever at dilla.
On the podium the trophy girl it the smokin hot tall asian girl that was at many races in that period. Shes wearin this blue sequined tight dress that has bottomless cleavage. As RJ opens his champange Hannah gets behind the girl holds her arms back slips her straps off the shoulders,arches her back and the bad boy RJ sprays her bare chest with bubbly. Stanton is slightly off stage and his eyes pop out of his head. This all on TV! but it was taped and never made it to the viewers. I was standing next to DeCoster and said " just like the good ole days eh?" He looked at me smiled and put arms up and cheered for just a second.
'SrcubThis' aka 'DirtyDickBreath' aka 'FunnionAnus' aka 'Drivin thru Witchita' aka 'DCracerxstaff' or whoever or whatever the fucckk you are today.,
You are either:
(a) brain dead
(b) drunk
(c) ten
(d) on crack and model glue alternately
(e) all of the above
(f) all of the above AND just plain stupid too
I cant wait til the real 'scrub-this' gets here- Ive had enough of this idiot.
He won 14 in a row to tie Pierre Karsmakers. They put a $2,000 bounty on who could beat him. Skeptics said the factory bike was why he was winning. He went and bought a bike off the showroom. Threw some different bars, pegs typical stuff and went on to win 3 more races. Then auctioned the bike for $5 dollars a ticket. 2 brothers put in $2.50 a piece and won and came down on the stage to claim the bike. The earlier post must of been Hearns and someone else. http://boxing.about.com/od/records/a/hearns.htm