No track was as awesome as Unadilla was before they ruined it. God I miss Mx when it was the golden age of motocross. I was there in 83 when Bailey won and also in 89 for Hannah’s last ride, RJ won that day!!
The hill climb with the moguls was exceptionally tough. Everyone notice Hannah coming off the bike and back on in 2 seconds while still holding the throttle! Do you younger viewers notice that there were no "Do it or Die" jumps anywhere on that world class track - unlike today's tracks?I believe current sport is being killed with newer track designs that hurt many young up and coming kids. Lots of riders at age 12 but many are already gone at 17 due to injuries. Thanks for the post!
The only year I didn't make it. That's when I thought it was the best (x2) natural terrain track in this country people. Now it's an overgrown indoor track that's imposed on us to cater to the four strokes of this era.
WOW Great video .. My aunt ran the bed + breakfast for the preferred manor in New Berlin NY , Roger Decoster and Gerrit Wolsink had rooms and i had breakfast with these guys in 1975 and we talked motocross, i was only 11 years old at the time but boy did i have a blast . Thanks for posting the video
It was my Great Aunt that ran the B&B and she would get mad at the ones who came back to the Inn drunk, Roger and Gerrit never came back drunk but some of the other guys did ...
First time Bob Hannah came to Unadilla, in the back hill section, spread eagle, legs fully extended to either side, WFO!!! He saved it! At the 50th anniversary running of Unadilla, the trophies depicted exactly what I saw that day. The artist who designed those trophies must have been standing next to me that day!!!
What I can't believe is how the country's best natural terrain track had been transformed into another overgrown indoor type brought outdoors, cater to the four strokes bikes mess. Rodecz
Red Bud is still pretty much the same as the 2-stroke days, (had a change from clay to sand over the years, but not 4-stroke related IMO), but if you think about SX today, the 4-stroke tracks are too fast, and too boring IMO. I could design today's SX tracks with the 17 year old Motocross Madness 2's track editor.
I gotta comment again. In 81, all my friends wanted to go to mid-ohio. Well, it got pretty muddy towards the end of the race day. I rember seeing Wise on a honda riding the support (250) that really revved but don't remember how well he did that day. This was the final 125 GP held in the U.S.
You search you-tube long enough, and at the right time, you can find great races you have never seen before. Thank you SWM,-------------------- and God bless freedom.
I think i was my young exzuberence dad gave me a 35mm nikon with a telephoto zoom..i ran around the track shot 110 photos 3 rolls before dad checked the speed all at 1third of a secind everyone was out of focus butvone of my photos was good enuf to be the box photo for EK chain i think...i was so excited to be there for the second time...natural ice glacier cut the landscape not tractors or work was done just left it to the weather an came back next year untouched...kinda like the blackwater of MX GPs...it wasnt even a national it was only the USGP track once a year..as nasty as it was ...was the way they road it pray it didnt rain because that thinned the field by 10 riders...at least...
When I think back on that day it could've been a winner for Hannah if he would have been allowed to ride the 79 machine. Not taking anything from Wise, he was 'on' that day.
Bob was riding so wild the cheering ofcthe fans the only thing keeping him on the bike they cheered so loud if he got close to a pass....he was so motivated....dang those bike were ugly fenders sticking up all floppy an stuff
Cruddy shame the contents so blurry.any way to clean it up.would love to see this race.I was in New Orleans when pastor wise won the sx there.he won some big races
Wow !! What a video, good job Steve, beating Hannah means you hung it all out. Thank you for this video, takes me back to a much better time in Motocross !!!
What was so exciting about the races back then is there was 10 to 12 guys on the line who could win the race. It wasn't a one man show like now a days.
Yes I loved this what as great video,but as a racer I'm just looking at that track I didn't even see the riders in just looking at the grass and course what track,UNAFREAKING DILLA MY friends used to call it,awsum good stuff Thanks Wise....me Road race and race motocross two...and supercross never did any dirt traking but I have had the back of the bike in front of gas tank in the snow and in the sand pit gravel,paved pit...THANKS
Yeah I agree the track should go back to the old lay out it would be good lay out for the four stroke that are basically what Unadilla was the 500 GP Stop in America..I really don't like the National track,but I think Monster owns the track,they really should put it back to the way it was let the grass grow,hell bring in sod,as a matter of fact I buy a round of sod for everyone in this whole bar to help put dilla back together,the only way they could make UNADILLA any more difficult is if we had to ride a section thru a lake under water,just kidding,what people dontvknow about the grass being in place and in the soil is u get really good traction on the grass soil and it require more finesse and riding skill and strength and fitness anytime the rear tire is spinning loose dirt ur getting off easy when the bike is hooking u have to work it,it needs the grass back in the dirt,I was there one year when they were running the Amatuers too and there wasn't even a berm it was blue groove the dirt was so dry with the grass dead a couple year already,the track lost is legendary base....
This is when the place would pack them in. I went to every race from the mid 70's . Then they outlawed camping and 35 thousand went to maybe 10. Even when they brought back camping the numbers have never recovered. The weather has always been hit or miss rain or cold and if you are lucky some nice weather.
I remember buying the November 1981 issue of Cycle magazine. I was new to motorcycling back then and Hannah was really my idol. I loved the way Cycle covered the race and the photo of Bob's Yamaha coming out of a corner was just great. He was leaning forward getting the front to stick while the rear was obviously sliding. I kept trying to picture this race in my mind as it unfolded.