Hard to believe there are people who call Bob an asshole. He is a legend and a great winner. He gave it up to O'Mara when most would have just screamed "I won!"
ron con he was kind of a a$$hole even admitted it himself but I always Liked him because he rode with heart and never (to my knowledge anyways) made excuses. Pretty classy guy I thought and this video shows that
So John Penton hired Bob Hannah in the 70's to promote Hi-Point products. It took awhile for Donna, John's late wife, to take a liking to him. I believe Ms. Donna was a pretty good judge of character. Bob's great, but he was very arrogant in his prime. It was good to see him become humble as the sport started catching up to him.
I remember these days very well and I was part of it,I remember looking forward to the USGP from Carlsbad, California every year and watching it on The Wild World Of Sports.
Talking about memories. I was a rider from the 70s. All this brings back what a time in history. Bob Hannah was a great legend. He was a hero and an inspiration to the sport.
Thanks a million for posting .. I was there that afternoon and could not believe what happened.... My Hero Bob Hanna finally winning the USGP on ah RM250 of all things .. That NY track is the greatest MC-X track of all time.......
Bob started on a production Suzuki and ended on one. It's ashame the the FIM and AMA waited until the European brands were gone to enforce the "No Works Bikes" rule. Maico riders couldn't even change the factory shocks off their bikes ( see Danny Magoo Chandlers end of contract with Maico in 1980 ). Euro Riders ran production bikes and Honda was build $50,000 a piece racers, about $200,000 in 2018 dollars. Do the research, it's true.
@@ericmiller9132 Suzuki was not the best bike back in times, it just had lost the world championhip after 20 years of domination, Honda was unbeatable and a perfect machine but Hannah had a $$$ deal with Suzuki he rode till the end of his career, he was the image of Suzuki in the world.
Man, where does the time go? Seems like only yesterday I was young and brash myself. I was at this race, one of many epic Unadilla events and was standing next to Hannah when some clown snatched his helmet off the ground and was beating feet for the exit. Seems the dope forgot the announcer could notify the entire track, "Someone just stole Bob Hannah' helmet." After a mild ass whooping by irate fans, the helmet was given back to Hannah. And thats the way it was in the bad ole Dilla daze.
LMAO, I WAS 1 OF THOSE IRATE HANNAH FAN'S, ME AND 3 OTHER GUY'S CAUGHT THE FOOL ABOUT 150 YARDS AWAY FROM BOB, AND COMMENCED TO TOEJAMMING HIS ASS, SNATCHED THE HELMET BACK AND TOOK IT BACK TO BOB, HE HAD A GRIN FROM EAR TO EAR AS WE TOLD HIM THE SHIT KICKING WE GAVE THAT FOOL, WAS A MOMENT IN LIFE I SHALL NEVER FORGET.
I forgot Hannah ever road a Suzuki! Those Full floaters handled GREAT!! I had a '81 and loved it! Billy Liles was from my area(So was Mark Barnett),what a great ride for him!! I can't believe he apologized for winning! LOL
This is when my love of motocross started i was just a kid,Now i get to share that love with my own boys. Thanks for sharing .What I love is all you have to is love motocross and be a fan to be part of the A.M Family. Greatest sport on Earth! Ride On!!!
That was a stand up gracious thing Hannah said and did! Bailey and the guys with microphones next to the track with their backs turned!, I almost had to close my eyes!
Great race and Hannah was Hannah after he won the 2nd moto. He didn't like winning by default and knew Johnny O was the netter rider that day. That's why I was always a Hannah fan. He was brutally honest no matter the result. When he first came up he would ride just ahead or behind the leaders for 2/3 of a race but Bob Hannah owned the last 1/3 for several years. It was evident he was in better condition than everyonelse. If you beat Hannah you did something of note back then. Hannah was at the end of his racing career at this race since he was on a Suzuki. He bookended his riding career with Suzukis but became famous on the YZ Yamaha. Yamaha was smart enough to see his potential and stole him from Suzuki. I always laugh about that because almost up to that point Suzuki was the name in Japanese motocross bikes. Marty Smith started getting Honda some recondition but Hannah became dominate with the YZ. Those were great days !
So much more braking/acceleration bumps back then compared to today. The 4 strokes now cause the tracks to form rollers/waves rather than the constant chop and stutter bumps you got in the 2 stroke era.
I still have a poster of Hannah on a YZ 250 wearing Scott hard plastic MX boots flying through the air off a downhill jump.Still one of my Favorite Riders.There were soo many Great Riders in the 70's and 80's.The Outdoor Nationals were awesome back then.
Bob Hannah a class act, maybe the greatest competitor or all time, if you beat him you just preformed an amazing task, he won this one by guts and heart, because if he hadn't pushed Omara so hard the O show wouldn't have run out of fuel. Bob left nothing on the table, he never did..
I was at the dilla national this year and man have the times changed. the skyshot is absolutely insane. big air is the norm now. these older guys on the 2 strokes were animals. the bikes were harder to ride and they had no real airtime to give them a few seconds break. (villopoto once said laroccos leap at red bud gives the rider a chance to get a couple seconds "rest", by loosening the grip on the bars, catching your breath etc.)
I was there when the Hurricane won. I was watching Omara go down over a hill before the last turn and then Hannah came down the finish straight to win. I was wondering where Omara when just to see that he was pushing the bike back to the pit. That was a great day at the Dilla. Camping on the grounds for the weekend races was a great time which they stopped a couple years later. That is when I stopped going. It was a great weekend at the races. Wake up and have breakfast with my dog and then walk to the track and watch the action. Those were the days of staying right at the track the whole weekend. Now you have to drive to a hotel or a camping ground away from the track.
You must have camped out on the track side. The crowd on the other side of the road was a bit more rambunctious. One of the years I went was when Hanna won too. I think 7 cars got burned there that year?
David h This is David D. From Dade City Fl. I met Hannah. He was awesome...you can still camp.out at our track..Dade City Raceway. The owner is a legend..his name is Randy Yoho. Father of Kenny Yoho,Demon of dirt amd freestyle.
We used to campout all weekend at "WASHOUGAL"!!, , In the 80's ,,,those races were priceless,!!! 1983, WASHOUGAL nats, me and a buddy,, simply climbed a basic chain link fence ,and we're in the pits!!!factory box vans everywhere ,,you could actually stumble up on (and we did!) Pros bikes ,just leaning against a van,,you could even touch them!!!!,,we Could have stole Ricky Johnson's #17 Yamaha,,!!! Lol!!! ,,Met all the greats,,,Hannah,,ward,,Chandler,,Glover,lechien!!!,Baily won the title that year I believe !!!my buddy got Mark Barnett's rear tire after he won the,,,125$!! Good times!!!!
I was there too..It was the greatest time..Everything was open and free to roam.. no cell phones, security cameras, drones, metal detectors, wifi, and the camping was great too..I flipped a yamaha 80 and burned my leg bad but I was young and charged on..Miss those days so much.
I was there at that race. I remember all the trees right next to gravity cavity where fans used to sit in some of the trees. Looks totally different now.
Mister Lee, please, could you write here a quick text on Hannah comments after the finish line. I'm Italian and I don't understand perfectly Hannah's slang. He is too fast also with words!
I'm from McAllen TX . Hometown of Honda team racer Steve Wise. I went to some races & would root for Hannah instead. Most exciting MX racer I've ever seen.👍
That's true motocross. Todays top moto riders could never jump on one of those bikes and conform to all the technical and physical difficulties Hannah and the rest endured.
I’ve a fan of Bob Hannah since 1976. I met him in 1983 at the Millville national which was the first national I ever saw and it is the best race I’ve seen. The battle between David Bailey and Bob Hannah was incredible. Bob rode the whole track and I nearly got taken out by his handlebars along the snow fence. I met many greats that day, Chandler. O’mara, Bailey, Lechein and more. I still have there autographed posters. Great era in motocross😊!
Thanks for all these great comments.....check out the other 2 parts of the videos. They are named differently than this one. Feel free to Subscibe....I have some other great classic 80's race vids on there too Classic Clips - Unadilla GP Hannah vs Omara - Part 1.mpg
I rode in an amateur MX race in the expert class in Missoula MT and Kehoe was there as well. I could not believe how fast he was and he was nowhere near as fast as Hannah or Omara. Breathtaking and good memories.
Watching the fans mob Hannah after the second moto was a touching sight. We don't see that anymore these days. I was there that day which was also my very first time at Unadilla, but was on the far side of the track so I wasn't near the finish line straight to witness this sight. I remember thinking about this race for days after it was run. Great memories.
@DEVIN KLINE Yes they did, and it was the king of the 500 class for the non-factory riders in 83-84 with Maico dying it's painful death. Still had the REAL Full Floater rear and it's two-speed gear box, 2nd and 3rd was all you needed. Check your facts before you post.
Love the rough track! So much gnarlier than the groomed tracks of today. The uphill sections got rougher every year. They wouldn’t groom it, they just installed new ribbon and let ‘em rip!
So you see kids, this is a natural terrain track. Of course they're all gone now. The riders rode better handling, lighter bikes and the entrance fees were doable.
"A full 70 feet in the air"...."..the one that got away, I tell ya that Barramundi was this big..." Dirt bike folk lore and fishing tales are right up there for expressive imagination. 😉
Hey,Bob is worth hype that's a true sportsman,but was one heck of talker,but this shows real his serious nature,not winning by default still count but not to Bob,he knew john beat him and earn it,but Bob never let up john had a little extra...I feel terrible for John...that had to leave him completely speechless,some thing out of your control,a bummer.they both road fantastic,this track is so famous for it naturally rough terrain,this was the only,and still to this day MX track that no bulldozers ever touched it surface,they used to let the grass grow till the following year,and next race,then just let the riders out in practice in grass up to the handle bars...I've been to dilla 5 or 6 times,3 times as a spectator,first time as a fan,I realized if I made a name for myself in motocross,the only win in my career that would be most important to me.would be a win at Unadilla,cause what it meant to older riders and the way they talked,about it,and Roger Decoster was the man,all that land you see was cut by mother nature giant ice glaciers cut and design the world toughest motocross track,no hand of man,I used to live about 3 hours south,on the edge North jersey,same rocky soil,glaciers also did some work there too,nothing quite like dilla thou.I remember this race cause there was trophy shape gas tank,I think Bob gave to Johnny O,on the podium,classic bob
One thing made me realize how important this race was to the true motocross racers and dirt bike riders and real fans of motocross,was how much crap,the fans used give Rick Johnson for just bein to perfect of a Californian rider,saying supercross was all he was good for,blah blah,until Rick came Unadilla and shut everyone of em up by winning some of the toughest race they ever saw, and not just once if I remember.people don't realize how rough is rough,when 40 of the fastest international riders from all over the world,usally including in each race 4 to 5 world champions.chew up track for two days,leave it all ripped up,and then snow and ice,365 days later come back and race it again,clean slate no one had an advantage because there was no hot line,and usually any smooth line just guided you into a section that ate you up and spit out,and falls at the dilla usually knocked rider out,broke bones,if not it broke the motorcycle,it was kind like the isle of man for motocross,as far as toughness,and it's lore always inspired me to ride the toughest tracks I could,and get comfy with it,cause dilla don't give an inch...
No RJ was one of the best racers, his mouth on the other hand was the real reason people didn't like him. Most interviews from RJ he was a cocky, arrogant, spoiled brat...
I watched THE HURRICANE WIN THE 1977 Seattle Supercross on a Stock YZ250D. Yes riding against all the Works bikes. He was THAT GOOD! After the race they raffled off the bike. Dad and I did NOT have winning tickets. He was My and friend Kevin Cornett's (a fellow YZ 125 Expert class rider) HERO. Kevin even road in Scott boots like Bob did. I stuck to Leather.. We had our yellow hemets all Lightning Bolted up like his. Kevin was #2 like Bob. I was #14. Bob and Marty Smith before him definitely helped America take Motocross away from the Europeans. I also remember the Ski accident and he as many do not... never road the samee again. What a TIME IN MOTOCROSS HIStory!
I remember one year late in hannahs carer at the fia winter series bob crashed in the 1st turn got up in last place and won the race. Classic hannah wfo the whole race. Afterwords signed autograph and hung with fans at his pit for an hour.classic hannah
haha.....i'm glad you like it. I was at this race back when Unadilla was the real Unafuckingdilla....lol. Feel free to share with your friends. I have other old vids i'll post soon.......check out Ricky Carmichaels final Championship vids....:-) Thanks for being on my channel.
Hannah musta grown up a bit by the time this video was shot. I was at 'dilla' in '77 and not sure if it was a national or GP but first race was in pouring rain. There was a portion of the track that went down a steep ravine in the infield then a off camber 180 and then right back up. Just a rope and flags seperated the up from the down. Don't remember who grabbed the hole shot or who was leading but most of the young guys never made it out of this hole. Only Rodger DeCoster (sp?) and some Englishman on a Honda 4 stroke! were able to consistently make it back up the hill! Rodger was sooo smooth and i think 4 stroke powerband helped the other dude. It got pretty ugly at the bottom of that hill. They all tried valantly at first to make it up that hill but it was pouring and all the adrenaline and the fact that there was like 20 of them all going which way and that, tumbling bikes and riders foiling other riders attempts. I am pretty sure Hannah took off his helmet and threw it in the mud in frustration. I kinda giggled but to be fair he was like 17 and everyone was pretty bent... Except for DeCoster sp and the 4 stroke dude. They took that section out for second moto and Hannah might have won or at least made the podium. Unidilla and Genesee Cream Ale!
wasn't the Trans AMA the battle between Roger D and Bob? In October maybe? Roger gave Bob a good spanking but I think Bob won all the other motos in the series. I remember the race when they didn't run the steep downhill but it might have been the USGP, not sure. Great races, drove from Northern Maine to see RD ride.@@stayathome2
Hurricane just arrived and talks like he just had a walk in the park instead of a ride on a wild 2 strokes on a up down torturing track filled with whoops jumps and any kind of difficulties. it takes legs of steel and a iron man cardio.
...and then someone steals his helmet and goggles!! He’s like “Hey!..who took my..(sonofa..!)...?” Hahaha. Them unadolla hill people are mighty fast with them discount fingers..
Hey guys did you see that? Yah back in the 70's and 80's you could be RIGHT ON THE TRACK ( after the race ) it was wonderful. Now it is so restrictive. I stopped going to the nationals, it is downright uptight.
