1976 Unadilla Trans Am Pt 1

[@moneyontrees6]

October 9th 1976 It snowed at night. Pop up camper. I had no idea how cold 5 hours from home Unadilla gets in early October. We were cold and unprepared. Still the best race even by today's riders. They hauled ass !!

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

The best of motocross ever: Unadilla, Type 2 works Hondas, Gravity Cavity, the Screw-You, Roger D, Pierre Karsmakers, Rocket Rex.....

[@pursang833]

The best motocross series ever, the TRANS-AMA was the classic battle between the European GP riders and the upstart Americans. If we had something like this today maybe it would stop this war of words between the fans of the two series, let the racers settle it on the track as to who's best. What I love about these old vids lfoxracer is posting is trying to remember some of the riders based on their numbers. The stars are easy of course but some of the others are pretty tough.

[@charlesharper6421]

I can help you..#39 was Hannah,104 decoster,106..wolsink..#143.. 125cc world 125cc champ ..Akita watanabe..#109..adolf Weil on the German “works” maico..#153..Belgian gp star sylvain geboers on a works German maico..#110 not in vid graham noyce..German works maico..#6 ..tony distefano..#26 terry Clark on kaw..#46 Rex staten..h/d(aermacchi)..#15.,Gary semics..kaw..#23..Gaylord mosier ..#2..mart smith..#24..brad lackey..#255..don kudalski..#8..Pepe’ candlemaker (Pierre karsmakers)..#31..John Ayer’s..#7..Steve stackable..#3 ..Kent howerton..#15..Gary semics..let me know if I missed any.there were a few..

[@wg1980hr]

Such a classic video! After 42 years I don't remember for sure if it was this race but it sure looks like the year that dark clouds rolled in between motos and dumped a thin layer of snow. Who else remembers that?

[@moneyontrees6]

I do. I'm 58 now.

[@jamesadams2334]

Either 76 or 77. same year that DeCoster ran over Hannah and smashed his pipe shut. Happened right in front of me. Hannah tried a block pass and DeCoster had none of it. Pulled up the front wheel and just wheelied over him.

[@moneyontrees6]

@@jamesadams2334 78 for the Decoster Hannah duel of death !!

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

@@moneyontrees6 Absolutley. Second moto. Hannah talks about it in his Whiskey Throttle interview. He says they never contacted but he was about to T bone RD so he jumped off. I got to see his red Scott boots flying through the air. I probably saw him and his bike land but I dont remember anything but his boots flying Through the air and him upside down.

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

1976. #8 is Pierre Karsmakers who was back on Yamaha in 1977.

[@pursang833]

@lfoxracer The TRANS-AMA was always in October and it was usually cold and rainy. That made the track perfect, no dust and rough as heck. Practice was always cool seeing them out there in shin to knee high grass ripping around. There were rocks back then but it got really bad when they started to rip the track. Still a great track but with the new jumps it's lost a little but all in all it's our Namur.

[@lfoxracer]

Back in the day, all the Robinsons did to prep for a race weekend, was cut the grass and drive some stakes in the ground. Unadilla was a 100% natural track. These days, obviously they have added some jumps and groomed the track more because of all the rocks. It is still however mostly natural terrain. I just miss the old 150 yard start straight, it was cool!!

[@davidstevens29]

THIS is what I think of when I think about Unadilla!

[@SpeedosnGloves]

My very first Unadilla. Gary Semics holeshot the first moto and ended up second and Roger Decoster won both motos.

[@vintagemxer9165]

Now that they groom the track, even Screw U is easier. There were big bumps 3/4 of the way up which really slowed the bikes - it was somewhat like a hill climb, even some having a hard time getting to the top! I think it's possible that through the years (50) there has also been some terrain settling. It seems Screw U is not as steep an angle as when I first started going there in '71. Great footage of MX greats and Harley Davidson with Rex Staten. Roger was and still is The Man.

[@vintagemxer9165]

Lackey on Husqvarna, Pomeroy on Bultaco, Wolsink #106 right behind Roger #104. Tommy Croft. Steve Stackable. Tony D. Pierre K. Semics. Hannah. Howerton. Who else did I miss? It was a full house of greats.

[@jamesbramblett3346]

My gosh those are some greats!!

[@jamesadams2334]

Gaylon Mosier

[@timmarks1281]

Motocross Golden Years . . . ✌

[@BIGFISHONGUIDE]

What was the year it snowed during a Trans-AM? Some of my best teenage memories are of Trans-AM's & 250 GP's in the the late 70's @ Unadilla. The parking areas were crazy at night.

[@monfrig6959]

I remember the guys who had the sign saying Show us your TITS !! and the girls showed us there tits !

[@muzzmatrix]

Remember the Harley Davidson motocross effort of '76-'77?

[@maicomasherlarry6106]

i have a good picture of Marty Tripes at RedBud standing beside his DNF'd Harley . had the pleasure of lining up next to Rex on his HD at Sparland Illinois in 1976 . Rick Obrian another HD rider then Great times.

[@stellastarr69]

At 3:21 is where Chad Reed crashed passing Brayton at this years (2011) race. The screw u turn still looks the same all these years later with that same lip to jump at the top. Crazy!

[@vintagemxer9165]

And back then you could tell the riders apart very easily. Now they are walking billboards on very busy graphic jerseys. And the bikes all look the same now too. And 4 strokes - YUCK! 70s and 80s even were the best. And being part of the bikes evolution was great too.

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Wow this this great video,vintage and its so cool EVERY one is moving,as opposed to my MXA magazines I used to get I know all these guys names.but forgot because its been so long,thank u so much this is some really cool stuff and some live TONY D video,no audio,I can fix....Hannah is on Smith like a snake oil salesman in the night,ooh Hannah landed so hard off that jump he jarred Ricky Johnson's ancestors...better I thought so,no I'm good...piece awsum stuff really appreciate the post...

[@anthonyotten9024]

Great job on video, thanks

[@thebordenasylum7726]

Interesting to see "Screw-U" is incredibly close to how it is now.

[@roncon1960]

Gotta love the Harley...

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Look at that nice dirt...

[@monfrig6959]

I was here !

[@EarthSurferUSA]

Ahh yes. Back when the "shining city on the hill" was showing it's first sparks of American dominance in Motocross. For all the kids who can't afford a bike on their own, in those days, we could, or I would not be watching this vid. Great picture of the older vids here.

[@donrutter6765]

I heard that Toyota had a metal shortage that year because the Motocross bike manufacturers used up all the metal that year making their large rear sprockets. 😁

[@usarmywarcollegesaidisrael2910]

Spectators have a reputation for being drunk af. Last Supercross I went to one of the track workers was drunk. That's one reason why I quit going.

[@skorchedearth1]

True warriors.

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Mikkola too

[@roncon1960]

Harley Davidson!!

[@timobrian444]

Again, this track is rougher then then now! Thats crazy. And they are on 4 inches of travel.

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

Not quite. All these bikes had cantilevered shocks (moved up on swingarm and layed down) The factory Hondas had 10" travel most others had 8-10" wheel travel in 1976.

[@donrutter6765]

Looks like front shocks had about 6"

[@charliebaer7395]

I was there

[@joelvela4366]

Good stuff.

[@groovymusic8910]

The Unadilla track of the 70's was so much better than the Unadilla track of today, which is over-manicured and full of ruts.

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Man those big rocks u need a visor made from a chrome bumper.

[@maicomasherlarry6106]

153 was that Syilvn Geobers?

[@gregfbp]

Jim Pomeroy at 8:43

[@jhheintz450]

Simply the best. Topsoil continues to erode as they run too many events and never reseed anymore. MXSports has ruined this once great circuit. Cleaned it up nice, but….Filled in start, man made obstacles, smoothed out everything have wrecked it.

[@kurtvonfricken6829]

Totally wrecked. The track is as smooth as Rt. 8. They bulldoze it between motos.

[@mcgoodle]

Was that Kent Howerton crashing at 5:50?

[@lfoxracer]

I think it's Brad Lackey

[@mcgoodle]

Thanks. I had forgotten that Brad Lackey rode for Husqvarna in '76. I was in high school when he rode Kawasaki, and that's always how I remember him.

[@johngibaldi4472]

seen that race

[@kellienicolebrooksschettin6598]

Decoster too and Piere Kashmeres man Decoster was all over MXA when I started racing my bike had to have a 104 on it,but some kid already had it I seriously said to his dad that's ok u can change he started acting like a lawyer but he's had it for four months blah blah I said its Roger Decoster number and I'm not changing it sorry tuf luck....he was about to start getting mad again and I waited and he didn't know what to say,I said I'm just joking I will run what ever number they asked me what number I wanted and I told them,me and the kid be came good friends,he was just kinda laughing I think he new I was kidding,so when they went to get a hotdog I stole his number plates.just kidding...