I was there at Unadilla in 1979 camping with my high school girlfriend amid the mud and the dust just across the road from the track. I bought Pat Moroney's radically bored out Husky CR250 right after the 1977 race season ended. It had been ridden hard, but with a new set of piston rings, tires, swing arm bushings, and a few other too-dads the thing was a beast of incomparable ferocity. It was my introduction to the world of European bikes, which I still prefer (Husky, KTM, Maico). I don't think there is any experience today like at Unadilla in the 70's and 80's. The highly competitive mix of revered European masters and young gung-ho American up-and-comers was as awesome as the track was spectacular. Watching this footage really brings me back. When they would begin practice on Saturday morning the track had not been mowed all summer and the grass was knee to waist high. All soon turned to so much churned-up loam in a sea of rooster tails. Thanks so much for posting!!
Thanks for posting your post also. I was also in HS, and read about the race in MXA back when it was a great magazine, in Michigan. I did not get my but to a pro race until 1985. The only time I saw Hannah race, (read about him since 76), and he was not up to his famed speed unfortunately. But he was going around a double jump, (just hitting the edges and staying on the gas), because the banners were too wide. Smart. :) I hate you now. But it is a good kind of hate. Just some jealousy. :)
This footage is awesome. This is the only film I've ever been able to find of Hakan Carlqvist riding his Husqvarna (he is the # 2 plate). He won the 1979 250 World Championship; the last time a "real" Swedish Husky was ridden to a world championship. It's also the only film I've seen of Gennady Moiseev (KTM) while he was still riding the # 1 plate. Those guys back then were animals.
I was there as well. The first ever USGP in the US. That was a huge deal back then. Got some good photos of both Hannah and Howerton. In my opinion this was the best track ever. It is still on the circuit, but it is not the same.
They were better than now, by far. Because the tracks have become so redundant, (all the nationals are sand, and all the SX are equal time rhythm sections), that the talent today can't ride anything else but those few things, (and killing themselves to gain .2 seconds to go from 8th to 1st).
The big difference is, nobody had the tracks wired back then. Today, with redundant tracks, just about everybody on the line has it pretty much wired. One kid faster then Deegan at the A2 futures race, (Beaumer, I think), was running times fast enough to win a main, (.7 seconds faster than Deegan), in his qualifiers. He has a redundant SX track at home, and can match the best before he is even pro. That has not been done since James Stewart kicking off his pro days, when the tracks did separate the talent much better.
I was here this day, as a 15 yr old, who thought i was a hotshot motocrosser, dreamin of being a big name racer one day, didnt work out that way, but great memories.. i have some photos i took at this race and some Hero Cards with Roger D and a few others autographs, just looked at them the other day for the first time in probably 25 years..Where did the time go
I WAS THERE AT 19 YRS OLD , CAN'T REMEMBER WHERE I PUT MY BOOK WITH THE AUTOGRAPHS IN IT . HAD A GREAT TIME . WAS ALSO DREAMING OF BEING PRO. AND NEVER GOT PASSED BEGINNER . BUT ALL MY HERO'S WERE THERE . AND I ALMOST HAD BREAKFAST WITH THE WHEELIE KING , HE ASK ME TO JOIN HIM BUT I HAD NO MONEY ON ME. HE WAS A SUPER NICE GUY .
The Japanese works bikes definitely had more suspension travel than the Euro brands. I think, even with works bikes, this was the year MX hit 12" of travel. My stock 1979 YZ 125 had something like 8 and 9" of travel, the runt of the 125 class that year.
Been a 'dilla attendee since '71. This race was special since the Russians came - Moissiev was reigning champ. Kavinov suffered a DNF. Track was far better back then as you can see. I love seeing the grass mixing in with the dirt and of course, 2 strokes. These guys were animals back then riding for 45 minutes on poorly suspended machines.
@@rogeeeferrari Ever ride the 88 CR250? lol 1980 was the dawn of 12" of wheel travel, and they had a lot to learn about it. Now I am an old man of 60, and picked up a used 2019 YZ250 2-stroke with the SSS forks. Still setting up the bike, (major work), while riding a little, but I expect those forks to be the best I ever had by far for anything before 2006. :)
Awesome footage. For the nay sayers who maintain that the stars of 79 couldn't keep up today, this footage shows just how fast they were going. I went to several Trans Ams and nationals back then and was amazed. Howerton and Hannah were WFO most of the way around the track. I'd like to see Dungey or Villapoto keep up on one of those works two stroke 500 bikes of the day. They might find it pretty challenging.
@@kurtvonfricken6829 Tat is a good description IMO, but I would add, "In the middle of the straight and could be jumped from a dead stop in the corner before.". :) Since the longer pulling 4-stroke was forced on the industry by the EPA dictatorship, MX has become closer to road racing. I expect SX tracks to be pavement sections brought in soon, and painted brown.
I was 11 then….my buddy’s dad drove us up there from PA in their Trans Am. He let us walk over to gravity cavity on our own….whoa that crew was an eye opener for an 11yr old lol!! I’m not sure what smell was stronger, premix or weed lol.
I was at that race that day Howerton smoked em Pat Moroney won the support class. We were at the top of gravity cavity on scaffolding. Even got to meet Larry Myers. Thanx for the memory
This was the second 250 GP held in the U.S. The first was one year prior, again at Unadilla. Carlsbad was host to a 500 GP since 1973 if my memory is correct. It was a yearly staple on ABC's Wide World of Sports and the only time you could see motocross on TV. I was at Unadilla for this race and many others. Too many idiots who used to attend just for the "party" wound up ruining much of what was good about this place. I still go and have a good time, but in a much more civilized setting.
Ol boys got lucky that Furman broke his collar bone in the Fl. Winter AMA's that year. Sadly he walked away. As a 39 y/o now I can still remember being 5 and watching my Uncle Furman Gray ride. I sure miss him. RIP Furman, and Roll Tide to you.
I can still smell the Bel-Ray oil . Ahhh, 2 stroke bliss. BTW I was there on the back hill; you know the long back stretch. somewhere near the telephone pole.
if you look at Carlqvist bike he had the newer frame bike with no rear frame loop. Look at the other Husqvarna riders in the video and they have the rear loop frame.
Hakan Carlqvist, on the #2 Husqvarna, won the 1979 250 World Championship on what looks like a (pretty much) stock Husky. However, if Hannah would have raced for the World Championship in 1979, I don't believe anybody could have beaten him. It's a good thing for the Europeans that Hannah (and Howerton) stayed home.
The era where you went out for practice at Unadilla and the grass would be almost knee high in some places. There were rocks then but it wasn't until they started ripping the track that they go so bad. I remember seeing Moiseev and Kavinov's bikes and wondering how they went fast on them. But they did and it was cool being there during the Commies vs. Americans times though some fans went a little overboard on the hating the Commies deal.
I was there also. During one of the moto's I was in the back section with the long left handed sweeper before the whooped out hill in the back. There was a guy with an American flag and when Guenaddy Moiseev (Russian World Champ on the KTM) came around he would drop the flag right in his face like a bull fighter. Other guys were spitting in his googles they were riding so close to the fence. They didn't need to do that though, Howerton and Hannah had him covered easily.
@pvbaelen IM as patriotic as the next guy but anyone who races would never do that, knowing the risks to ones life... sadly, as a journalist for MX East, I saw the same thing being done to JM Bayle, winning a moto at Unadilla. Some idiot threw a bottle of beer at him, lucky it bounced off his boot and he prolly didnt even feel it but, thats just stupid, he beat our guys badly cos he did the work needed.
@3:50 there is a white Moiseev CCCP banner with red letters, we were the only ones openly supporting the Russians, truth be said it was DeCoster and Hannah's epic battle that stole the show in the 500's.;
Say what you want about the old boys and times. But they were smart enough to not raise their handlebars and race with a freestyle handlebar set up. Hahahahahahaha. You kids, (and through pro),--starting from scratch figuring things out, because you were taught we were old fashioned. Man, those flat corners don't feel as good as a berm huh? LOL
"The other side sucks!" "F--- the Russians!" The pond fires-the Sound Around van. we were regulars on the back straight. I probably still have the t-shirt.
