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50 Years of Pro Motocross: 1979
Davey Coombs

Davey Coombs

50 Years of Pro Motocross 1979

April 16, 2022 7:00pm
by: Davey Coombs
  • Home
  • 50 Years of Pro Motocross
  • Recapping Bob “Hurricane” Hannah’s Regin in AMA Motocross in 1979
Mt. Morris, PA High Point Raceway Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship

Welcome back to our MAVTV+ 50-Day Countdown to the kickoff of the 2022 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship. We are taking this one year at a time, starting with 1972—the first year of AMA Pro Motocross. We are now 43 days away, but it’s also a race-day for the 2022 Monster Energy AMA Supercross Championship in Atlanta. We won’t tell you who won that, but we will tell you that Yamaha again won almost everything in 1979! And we will make this one shorter…

Bob “Hurricane” Hannah was at the peak of his powers. His teammate Broc Glover was still ascendent. And so was Mike “Too Tall” Bell. In AMA Supercross, Hannah would again win easily, earning a third straight title in a row in the 250cc Class. And in the 250 AMA Pro Motocross Championship, Hannah would easily outpace his budding rival, the Suzuki-mounted Kent Howerton. And Hannah almost certainly would have won the Trans-USA title (they had to change the name of the old Trans-AMA Series after a lawsuit by Pontiac, the automobile makers of the iconic Trans-Am sports car) but then the strangest thing happened: While out water-skiing in early September behind a speedboat being pulled by his friend and rival Marty Tripes at Lake Havasu in Arizona, Hannah got too close to the shore and hit some rocks, shattering his leg. All of the sudden the most dominant rider in American motocross and supercross history to that point was knocked out for more than a year. More on that in our 1980 breakdown.

Marty Tripes in Cycle News following his win at RedBud in Michigan.
Marty Tripes in Cycle News following his win at RedBud in Michigan.
Danny LaPorte
Danny LaPorte

And speaking of Tripes, he was supposed to be Hannah’s closest foe in ’79, and for the most part he was, but the problem was that the AMA’s claiming rule, which allowed anyone in the race to claim the bike of another rider, suspended his team’s plans for a much-improved works bike. As a matter of fact, a privateer was able to claim his bike after one of the early rounds, setting Tripes and Team Honda back as they tried to challenge Hannah’s reign.

While Hannah remained dominant in 1979, so did his teammate Glover, who added a third-straight 125cc AMA National Championship, surpassing Marty Smith as the all-time 125 class leader to that point in series history.

The only close race of ’79 was the 500cc AMA National Championship, which Suzuki’s Danny Laporte won by just three points over Yamaha’s Mike Bell. Otherwise, it would have been yet another perfect season for Team Yamaha. Unfortunately, with Hannah out for 1980, bigger battles were ahead for Yamaha, but we will get into those more after Easter when our MAVTV+ 50-Day Countdown to the 2022 Lucas Oil AMA Pro Motocross Championship continues!

Broc Glover
Broc Glover

1979 125 Class Points Finish

Motocross

125MX Standings - 1979

PositionRider Hometown Points
1Broc Glover Broc Glover El Cajon, CA United States369
2Mark Barnett Mark Barnett Bridgeview, IL United States299
3Brian Myerscough Brian Myerscough Calimesa, CA United States269
4Warren Reid Warren Reid Westminster, CA United States244
5Donnie Cantaloupi Donnie Cantaloupi Stockton, CA United States225
Full Standings

1979 250 Class Points Finish

Motocross

250MX Standings - 1979

PositionRider Hometown Points
1Bob Hannah Bob Hannah Whittier, CA United States454
2Kent Howerton Kent Howerton San Antonio, TX United States408
3Marty Tripes Marty Tripes Santee, CA United States315
4Jim Weinert Jim Weinert Middletown, NY United States253
5Mark Gregson Mark Gregson Salem, OR United States226
Full Standings

1979 500 Class Points Finish

Motocross

500MX Standings - 1979

PositionRider Hometown Points
1Danny Laporte Danny Laporte Yucca Valley, CA United States399
2Mike Bell Mike Bell Lakewood, CA United States396
3Gary Semics Gary Semics Lisbon, OH United States233
4Arlo Englund Arlo Englund Colorado Springs, CO United States219
5Rex Staten Rex Staten Fontana, CA United States217
Full Standings
Bob Hannah, the 1979 250cc Class AMA Motocross champion.
Bob Hannah, the 1979 250cc Class AMA Motocross champion. Steve Griffin
Danny LaPorte, the 1979 500cc Class AMA Motocross champion.
Danny LaPorte, the 1979 500cc Class AMA Motocross champion.

Main image: Bob Hannah, photo by Steve Griffin

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