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Winner-Takes-All Showdown
By Kent Taylor
Some of today’s supercross fans still might have a little trouble wrapping their heads around the AMA’s Triple Crown format, which is employed at certain events. It deviates from the normal one final main-event program, but what many racegoers don’t know is that the triple-crown idea isn’t a new concept. Three-moto race programs go back to the days when motocross bikes were air-cooled, helmets were open-faced, and nobody knew that their post-race rubbery limp limbs meant they had something called arm pump.
One day before Yamaha rider Johnny Cecotto would score a thrilling victory in the 1976 Daytona 200 road race, Team Suzuki rider Tony DiStefano topped a talented field of factory MX stars to win the Daytona Supercross. All day long, DiStefano banged bars with his longtime rival, Kawasaki-mounted Jim Weinert. In the first of the three motos that day, “The Jammer” had worked his way up from a bad start, cutting through the pack that included stars like Gary Semics, Pierre Karsmakers and Steve Stackable. He would eventually close the gap and take the lead near the end of the moto, holding on for the win with DiStefano second.
In the second moto, everyone chased a local Florida rider named Don Kudalski into the first corner. Kudalski was a skilled MX’er who holds the distinction of riding two of the most peculiar machines ever to turn a knob on a motocross track. He was one of the last riders for Team Harley-Davidson in the late ’70s, but before that, he rode an American-built Rokon, which was powered by a 340cc engine derived from a snowmobile. Kudalski was getting a chance to ride for Team Honda, and he would lead several laps at Daytona before a hard-charging Weinert would put him back in second place.
On this day, Jim Weinert was quite likely the fastest man on the Gary Bailey-designed track. But in these days of motocross, the swiftest man didn’t always win. The exotic yet frail machinery of the day would sing a siren’s song, luring their riders into fantastical voyages of thrilling speeds, only to give up the ghost with untimely breakdowns.
Take a nostalgic trip into 1970s motocross results, and you will see a lot of strange moto-finish combinations. First-moto wins and second-moto DNFs and other crazy finishes, like 3-24, 20-1 and 2-40. Roger DeCoster once captured an overall win in the old Trans-AMA series with moto finishes of fifth and third. On many days, the name of the game was consistency; a flashy moto win, paired with a second-moto crash or breakdown, was worth nothing, especially under the old system, which paid points only for the rider’s overall finish.
Hence, it was no surprise when Weinert slowed with a cracked swingarm on his one-of-a-kind Kawasaki, allowing his Suzuki rival Tony DiStefano to take the lead and the moto win. With each rider holding a first and a second in their pockets, the third and final moto meant a winner-takes-all showdown was lurking.
Alas, it was a battle that was not to be. Seconds after the gate fell, Weinert collided with Steve Stackable (who was DiStefano’s new Suzuki teammate for 1976), and he found himself at the back of the pack. He scurried to remount and began picking off riders at a rapid rate. Out in front and clear of the pack, however, was DiStefano, on his way to his first-ever Daytona win.
Picture today’s race family: posh motorhomes and portable generators, a hired mechanic (or two) spinning wrenches and dialing in powerbands. Where is their rider? Inside the motorhome, of course, a sugary energy drink in one hand while the other is focused on honing his skills on his newest motocross video game. A bag of energy potato chips, made with natural preservatives, sits at the ready.
Got the picture? Then you can imagine Tony DiStefano, who shared absolutely nothing in common with today’s pre-pubescent de facto factory riders. Tony D., as he was known, made his own mark on the Pro MX circuit. He lied about his age so that he could race with the big boys. He drove his own van, assembled his motorcycles out of the crate, and earned his factory ride by his own mettle. He was rewarded with a factory Suzuki contract in 1975 and proceeded to capture multiple championships for the team, including one that seemed so far out of reach that his contract didn’t even mention what would happen if he won it.
A Supercross title would elude Tony D., but he would own the 1976 Daytona race on this day, which would also be the last time that Daytona would run a three-moto format. Winning a moto was a feat for a fast rider. Winning an overall event required speed, skill and savvy. Again, consistency was the name of the game 50 years ago, and smart riders knew how to play it and win. Tony D. did as well as anyone. CN
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