The 1974 Trans-AMA motocross series was the fifth annual international series established by the American Motorcyclist Association as a pilot event to help establish motocross in the United States. The motocross series was an invitational based on a 500cc engine displacement formula, run on American tracks featuring the top riders from the F.I.M. world championship against the top American riders.
Suzuki factory rider Roger De Coster claimed the championship with four overall victories. His Suzuki teammate, Dutchman Gerrit Wolsink took second place along with one overall victory. Maico factory rider Adolf Weil claimed third place, while the top American rider was Bultaco's Jim Pomeroy in fourth place.
Place | Rider | Country | Team | Points | Wins |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Roger De Coster | Belgium | Suzuki | 900 | 4 |
2 | Gerrit Wolsink | Netherlands | Suzuki | 530 | 1 |
3 | Adolf Weil | Germany | Maico | 415 | 0 |
4 | Jim Pomeroy | United States | Bultaco | 399 | 0 |
5 | Harry Everts | Belgium | Puch | 344 | 1 |
6 | Willy Bauer | Germany | Maico | 333 | 0 |
7 | Yukio Sugio | Japan | Yamaha | 288 | 0 |
8 | Brad Lackey | United States | Husqvarna | 285 | 0 |
9 | Arne Kring | Sweden | Husqvarna | 270 | 0 |
10 | Pierre Karsmakers | Netherlands | Yamaha | 233 | 1 |
Oct. 6, 1974, Unadilla, New York
Place | Rider | Country | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Roger De Coster | Belgium | Suzuki |
Oct. 13, 1974, Linnville, Ohio
Place | Rider | Country | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Heikki Mikkola | Finland | Husqvarna |
Oct. 20, 1974, Gainesville, Georgia
Place | Rider | Country | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Roger De Coster | Belgium | Suzuki |
2 | Adolf Weil | Germany | Maico |
3 | Jim Pomeroy | United States | Bultaco |
4 | Willy Bauer | Germany | Maico |
5 | Bengt Åberg | Sweden | Husqvarna |
6 | Hans Maisch | Germany | Maico |
7 | Brad Lackey | United States | Husqvarna |
8 | Tony DiStefano | United States | ČZ |
9 | Harry Everts | Belgium | Puch |
10 | Jimmy Weinert | United States | Kawasaki |
Oct. 27, 1974, Orlando, Florida
Place | Rider | Country | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Gerrit Wolsink | Netherlands | Suzuki |
2 | Arne Kring | Sweden | Husqvarna |
3 | Yukio Sugio | Japan | Yamaha |
4 | Brad Lackey | United States | Husqvarna |
5 | Rich Eirstedt | United States | Honda |
6 | Harry Everts | Belgium | Puch |
7 | Håkan Andersson | Sweden | Yamaha |
8 | Adolf Weil | Germany | Maico |
9 | Willy Bauer | Germany | Maico |
10 | Mike Runyard | United States | Suzuki |
Nov. 10, 1974, Whitney, Texas
Place | Rider | Country | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Roger De Coster | Belgium | Suzuki |
2 | Harry Everts | Belgium | Puch |
3 | Steve Stackable | United States | Maico |
4 | Arne Kring | Sweden | Husqvarna |
5 | Adolf Weil | Germany | Maico |
6 | Yukio Sugio | Japan | Yamaha |
7 | Pierre Karsmakers | Netherlands | Yamaha |
8 | Rich Thorwaldson | United States | Suzuki |
9 | Håkan Andersson | Sweden | Yamaha |
10 | Brad Lackey | United States | Husqvarna |
Nov. 17, 1974, Puyallup, Washington
Place | Rider | Country | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Harry Everts | Belgium | Puch |
2 | Roger De Coster | Belgium | Suzuki |
3 | Yukio Sugio | Japan | Yamaha |
4 | Rich Thorwaldson | United States | Suzuki |
5 | Mike Hartwig | United States | Husqvarna |
6 | Vic Eastwood | United Kingdom | CCM |
7 | Mike Runyard | United States | Suzuki |
8 | Arne Kring | Sweden | Husqvarna |
9 | Gary Chapin | United States | Maico |
10 | Sonny DeFeo | United States | Maico |
Nov. 24, 1974, Livermore, California
Place | Rider | Country | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Roger De Coster | Belgium | Suzuki |
2 | Willy Bauer | Germany | Maico |
3 | Adolf Weil | Germany | Maico |
4 | Mike Runyard | United States | Suzuki |
5 | Gerrit Wolsink | Netherlands | Suzuki |
6 | Raymond Boven | Belgium | Montesa |
7 | Arne Kring | Sweden | Husqvarna |
8 | Vic Allan | Scotland | Bultaco |
9 | Rich Thorwaldson | United States | Suzuki |
10 | Rich Eirstedt | United States | Honda |
Dec. 1, 1974, Saddleback, California
Place | Rider | Country | Team |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Pierre Karsmakers | Netherlands | Yamaha |
2 | Roger De Coster | Belgium | Suzuki |
3 | Jim Pomeroy | United States | Bultaco |
4 | Gerrit Wolsink | Netherlands | Suzuki |
5 | Willy Bauer | Germany | Maico |
6 | Adolf Weil | Germany | Maico |
7 | Rich Thorwaldson | United States | Suzuki |
8 | Hans Maisch | Germany | Maico |
9 | Gary Jones | United States | Can-Am |
10 | Vic Allan | Scotland | Bultaco |
The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its mission statement is "to promote the motorcycling lifestyle and protect the future of motorcycling." The organization was founded in 1924 and as of October 2016 had more than 1,100 chartered clubs.
Jim Pomeroy was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1972 to 1973 and in the Motocross World Championships from 1973 to 1976, before returning to compete in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1977 to 1978.
The Daytona 200 is an annual motorcycle road racing competition held in early spring at the Daytona International Speedway in Daytona Beach, Florida. The 200-mile (320 km) race was founded in 1937 when it was sanctioned by the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA). The original course used the beach itself before moving to a paved closed circuit in 1961. The Daytona 200 reached its zenith of worldwide popularity in the 1970s when the race attracted the largest crowds of any AMA race along with some of the top rated international motorcycle racers.
Roger De Coster is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory racing team where he won five FIM 500cc Motocross World Championships.
Pat Hennen is an American former Grand Prix motorcycle road racer. He is notable for being the first American to win a 500 cc World Championship race, the 1976 500cc Finnish Grand Prix. Competing as a non-factory rider, he finished third overall in the GP World Championship standings that season, only 2 points behind runner-up Tepi Länsivuori and fellow Suzuki factory rider Barry Sheene.
Robert William Hannah is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1975 to 1989, most notably as a member of the Yamaha factory racing team. He was one of the most successful motocross racers in AMA history, with 70 AMA National race victories and seven motocross National Championships.
Joël Smets is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Racing Sports Director for KTM motorcycles. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1989 to 2005. Smets is notable for being a five-time motocross world champion, six-time Belgian national champion and was Belgian Sportsman of the year in 2000. His 57 career Grand Prix victories ranks him fourth overall among motocross world championship competitors.
Marty Smith was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1974 to 1981, most prominently as a member of the Honda factory racing team with whom he won three AMA National Motocross championships. With his long hair and Southern California surfer looks, he was a popular figure among race fans.
Anthony Joseph DiStefano Jr. is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1973 to 1981. A three-time AMA 250cc motocross national champion, DiStefano was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
Yvon Duhamel was a French Canadian professional motorcycle and snowmobile racer. A six-time winner of the White Trophy, the highest award in Canadian motorcycle racing, he was one of the most accomplished motorcycle racers in Canadian motorsports history. His motorcycle racing career spanned the transition from the 60 horsepower four-stroke motorcycles of the 1960s, to the 100 horsepower two-stroke motorcycles of the 1970s. Duhamel was a versatile rider competing in numerous motorcycle racing disciplines including; trials, motocross, ice racing, drag racing, flat track racing and most prominently in road racing as a member of the Kawasaki factory racing team.
Jimmy Weinert is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1972 to 1980. Weinert won 22 AMA Nationals and three AMA national championships during his racing career. In 1973, Weinert became the first American to defeat international-level riders in the Trans-AMA motocross series. That victory marked a turning point that brought American motocross up to par with the then dominant European riders.
Gerrit Wolsink is a Dutch former professional Grand Prix motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1970 to 1981. Wolsink was one of the top competitors in the 500cc Motocross World Championships, placing as the runner-up twice along with two third-place finishes. Wolsink is notable for being a five-time winner of the 500cc United States Grand Prix of motocross.
Gene Romero was an American professional motorcycle racer. He competed in the A.M.A. Grand National Championship from 1966 to 1981 sponsored first by the Triumph factory racing team and then by the Yamaha factory racing team. Proficient on oval dirt tracks as well as paved road racing circuits, Romero won the 1970 A.M.A. Grand National Championship and was the winner of the 1975 Daytona 200. After retiring from competition, he became a successful racing team manager with Honda and, helped the sport of dirt track racing by becoming a race promoter. Romero was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.
Danny "Magoo" Chandler was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1979 to 1985. He is remembered for his hard-charging, aggressive riding style.
The 1970 Trans-AMA motocross series was an international series established by the American Motorcyclist Association as a pilot event to help establish motocross in the United States. The motocross series was an invitational based on a combined 250 and 500cc engine displacement formula, run on American tracks featuring the top riders from the F.I.M. world championship against the top American riders.
The 1971 Trans-AMA motocross series was the second annual international series established by the American Motorcyclist Association as a pilot event to help establish motocross in the United States. The motocross series was an invitational based on a 500cc engine displacement formula, run on American tracks featuring the top riders from the F.I.M. world championship against the top American riders.
Gavin Trippe was a motorcycle racing promoter, journalist, and publisher who was inducted to the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2005. He died following an automobile accident in California.
The 1972 Trans-AMA motocross series was the third annual international series established by the American Motorcyclist Association as a pilot event to help establish motocross in the United States. The motocross series was an invitational based on a 500cc engine displacement formula, run on American tracks featuring the top riders from the F.I.M. world championship against the top American riders.
Steve Stackable is an American former professional motocross racer and current hang glider instructor. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1974 to 1981. Stackable is notable for winning the 1975 AMA 500cc Supercross national championship.