| February 2, 2025
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COLUMN
Who’s The Best?
By Kent Taylor
Wanna fire up a nice, heated discussion? Maybe even start a good argument? Easy peasy! Stay away from politics and religion; those are topics for bantamweights who lack real convictions. Take the phrase “who is the best” and fill in the blank with your own noun. Other than rock drummer (Neal Peart) and NFL quarterback (Dan Marino), the playing field is wide open, fertile ground for banter and braggadocio. Bring the beer and the brats. All who have opinions are welcome.
Many racers and curious spectators turned out for the first (and last) Motorcycle Olympiad at Saddleback Park in 1977.
In 1977, an event called The Motorcycle Olympiad attempted to take one such debate from the rec room to the racetrack: Who was the best motorcycle racer? Not just motocrosser, road racer, enduro rider or dirt tracker! The S&W/Monroe shocks-sponsored event wanted to see which of the AMA’s top riders could excel in a multi-discipline event, with $10,000 going to the winner. That was enough cash to pull in top racers from the different worlds of motorcycle racing. Even retired and semi-retired competitors lubed up their throttle hands for a chance to grab some of that cash.
The names on hand represented some of the top riders from every discipline. Motocross racers included Kent Howerton, Bob Hannah, Gary Semics, Mike Bell, Jimmy Ellis and others. Dirt trackers like Rick Hocking, Jim Rice and John Hateley came out to play. From the enduro world came Carl Cranke, Jack Penton, Billy Uhl and the legend himself, Malcolm Smith. Unlikely entries included the retired MX World champ Jeff Smith, MXA staffer Al Baker, all-around racer Terry Clark and speedway champ Mike Bast. Finally, the inclusive event results list female dirt track racer Diane Cox among the field of champs and former champs.
There is only a brief mention of the rules governing the event. One machine per rider; that rider would also serve as their own mechanic. Each racer was assigned a field marshal, who would monitor and enforce strict rules regarding the use of tools. Performing maintenance outside of designated “maintenance time slots” was verboten!
The drag race competition was the first event of the day. A somewhat complex handicapping system was apparently intended to make the competition level for bikes like Jim Rice’s BSA 650 and Gary Jones’ Ammex 250. Racers were required to clock in at times close to their practice runs. In the end, multi-time enduro champ Dick Burleson topped MX holeshot artist Gary Semics, with Howerton edging out Bast for third. Dirt track/road racer David Aldana became the first rider to be penalized when he used pliers to fix an oil breather line on his Yamaha TT 500 (a popular choice of steeds that day). No repairs were allowed except during specified repair time and Aldana was docked three points.
One of the participants vying for the $10,000 purse was Bob Hannah, who, of course, won the MX segment.
On to the road racing event where John Hateley jumped out to a quick lead. Smart bettors would’ve put their money on “Lil” John to win the whole shooting match. Hateley was a Grand National-winning dirt tracker, as well as an accomplished road racer. Earlier that year, he had finished just outside of the top 20 at the Hangtown 250 AMA Motocross National. There was no questioning his ability to ride any kind of motorcycle on any surface.
But gaining quickly on Hateley was none other than off-road legend Malcolm Smith, riding a Husqvarna 390CR with a front tire “so small it made it look like a chopper.” If there was any doubt about Malcolm Smith’s ability to ride any kind of motorcycle (and there wasn’t), he silenced them all, passing Hateley and pulling away for a convincing win. Diane Cox put in a fine ride to 14th despite a last-place start. Cox passed both Bob Hannah and Jeff Smith, the latter telling CN, “It’s bloody awful to be going as fast as one can and be passed by that little girl!” At the end of the first day of the event, Malcolm Smith trailed Howerton, the reigning AMA 500cc champ, by just two points in the battle to be named America’s best all-around motorcycle racer.
Day two kicked off with a short track race, which was won by Rick Hocking. John Rice, another retired veteran who dusted off his steel shoe to compete in this unique event, finished second. The riders then moved on to compete in a TT race, where Yamaha’s Mike Bell topped Gary Jones. Up next was a cross-country race, with the track winding through Saddleback Park’s “outback” territory. Bell and Maico’s Gaylon Mosier diced for the lead early on before giving way to Hannah, who took the win.
The final event was the motocross race, and Hannah came out on top again for another victory. Mike Bell and Harley-Davidson rider Marty Tripes rounded out the top three.
When the points were tallied, it was Husky’s Kent Howerton on top with 182 points, Semics in second with 162 and Mike Bell third with 158. The first non-motocross rider was Larry Roeseler in fifth place, and the first Class C competitor was Rick Hocking in eighth place. Howerton won his title without a single race victory. This championship was all about consistency, however, and the “Rhinestone Cowboy” finished in the top 10 in each of his events.
The Olympiad evolved into The Superbikers event, which lasted into the 1980s and then itself evolved into Supermoto, a race format that has never really taken hold among motorsports fans. The Olympiad was the first and last of its kind. In 2025, we might wonder: Is Josh Toth a better rider than Eli Tomac or Josh Herrin? Without the Olympiad, such a question is nothing more than good banter over beers and brats. CN