When I was a kid watching the old (now really, really old) 250cc United States Grand Prix from Unadilla, Bob Hannah was the story. Specifically, that story was the “Hurricane” and his luckless run at the track. Incredible speed, all the fans, and yet, somehow, he never won the race. Hannah would be the fastest guy each year but the mythical ghosts of Unadilla would rip it away. Lost his brakes a few times. Crashed at others. Roger De Coster digging into the well of his own craftiness a few times. In 1985, Hannah, who was old by the standards of the day, stormed to the first-moto win. Maybe that would snap his Unadilla jinx. No sir. An early crash in moto two left him without a clutch lever, and winless again.
By 1986 Hannah was considered too old to win, and he was no longer on a trick works Honda but a one-off Suzuki, as the brand had hired him to rebuild its fortunes. He was good but facing the younger Johnny O’Mara, who won that 1985 race and looked even better in ’86. In the second moto, with the overall on the line, O’Show and the Hurricane went at it, passing back and forth until the ultra-fit O’Mara passed Hannah and started to pull away in the latter laps. The win was his and Hannah was going to come up short again, until the final lap, when O’Mara’s bike ran out of gas. Hannah cruised by and won. The ghosts had paid him back.
“I’ve lost a lot of them here like that, breaking, but I never thought I would win one like this,” said Hannah, at that time the winningest rider in AMA motocross and supercross history. “I don’t like it. That sucker is in shape and he wore me out. I couldn’t pick the right lines, and he outsmarted me. He’s great and I’ve got to apologize to a few people. First, the spectators for promising to win, and to Suzuki for promising to win. I won, but not the way I like to do it.”
Perhaps no other track inserts itself into the drama the way Unadilla does, and this year’s heartbreak hill was the top of the infamous Screw-U section, a near-vertical down and up section with a u-turn at the bottom. Following a win in the first moto, Hunter Lawrence was on the verge of playing the clock and the math in his quest to finally lock down a 450 title. He held a 15-point lead when the gate dropped for moto two. If Hunter won the moto and pushed the lead to 18, he would only need to score second-place finishes in the final four motos of the season to clinch the title. The pressure was on his brother Jett, who really needed to win out to the end of the season to keep his title defense alive.
Hunter fell into the clutches of Jett and then a surging Jorge Prado. He didn’t look as comfortable as he did while winning moto one, but he stayed in the fight and was still close to Jett and Jorge when he got sideways at the top of Screw-U and went flying down the hill. He was luckily up and okay, but his bike was ruined, and his moto was done. Hunter Lawrence had been, by far, the most consistent rider in 450MX for the last three years. Unadilla marked the first race he’s ever finished out of the top five overall in 450MX, and the crash marked only his second moto finish ever out of the top five.
From 15 points up, Hunter is now 10 points down. His brother is the beneficiary, but, just like Bob Hannah 40 years ago, he doesn’t want it that way.
“Sadly, he went down, which is obviously not good,” said Jett. “I don't want that and I don't want to get the red plate like that. So I'm kind of bummed about it because I don't want to get it that way. You know, I want to work for it. You know, it's kind of almost gifted in a way with the red plate.”
Hunter is okay physically after the crash, posting on Sunday on Instagram: "Cheers to motorsports…
I personally hate it right now. 😅
Grateful to have a great team behind me and 4 more chances to make this happen. 🫡"
If Hunter wins the next four motos the championship is his, anyway, but that’s obviously a much taller task than managing a double-digit lead. It might not be over, but Unadilla had done all it can to be a part in this drama. As always!
