1972 Trans-AMA motocross series
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.
Swedish Maico factory rider Åke Jonsson dominated the championship, winning nine consecutive overall wins. 500cc world champion, Roger De Coster and Heikki Mikkola placed second and third overall, claiming one victory apiece to start off the series before Jonsson began his winning streak. Brad Lackey was the highest-placing American rider, finishing the series sixth overall.
1972 Trans-AMA rounds
| Round | Date | Location | Overall Winner | Top American | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 24 September | Copetown, Ontario | Roger De Coster | Brad Lackey | |||
| 2 | 1 October | Linnville, Ohio | Heikki Mikkola | Bryan Kenney | |||
| 3 | 8 October | St. Peters, Missouri | Åke Jonsson | Brad Lackey | |||
| 4 | 15 October | Atlanta, Georgia | Åke Jonsson | Jimmy Weinert | |||
| 5 | 22 October | Orlando, Florida | Åke Jonsson | Brad Lackey | |||
| 6 | 29 October | Houston, Texas | Åke Jonsson | Brad Lackey | |||
| 7 | 5 November | Carlsbad Raceway | Åke Jonsson | Brad Lackey | |||
| 8 | 12 November | Phoenix, Arizona | Åke Jonsson | Brad Lackey | |||
| 9 | 19 November | Puyallup, Washington | Åke Jonsson | Brad Lackey | |||
| 10 | 26 November | Livermore, California | Åke Jonsson | Brad Lackey | |||
| 11 | 3 December | Irvine, California | Åke Jonsson | Marty Tripes | |||
| Sources:[1][2] | |||||||
1972 Trans-AMA final standings
| Pos | Rider | Machine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pts | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Åke Jonsson | Maico | 2 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1550 | |||||||||
| 2 | Roger De Coster | Suzuki | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 912 | ||||||||||||
| 3 | Heikki Mikkola | Husqvarna | 3 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 811 | |||||||||||||
| 4 | Hans Maisch | Maico | 2 | 3 | 8 | 4 | 8 | 5 | 3 | 530 | |||||||||||||
| 5 | Arne Kring | Husqvarna | 4 | 7 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 2 | 487 | ||||||||||||||
| 6 | Brad Lackey | Kawasaki | 4 | 10 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 4 | 9 | 460 | |||||||||
| 7 | Bengt Åberg | Husqvarna | 5 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 304 | ||||||||||||||||
| 8 | Pierre Karsmakers | Husqvarna | 5 | 10 | 4 | 5 | 7 | 10 | 10 | 303 | |||||||||||||
| 9 | Christer Hammargren | Yamaha | 2 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 264 | |||||||||||||||
| 10 | Miroslav Halm | ČZ | 5 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 228 | ||||||||||||||||
| - | Jaak van Velthoven | Yamaha | 6 | 8 | 4 | 6 | - | ||||||||||||||||
| - | Serge Bacou | Bultaco | 7 | 5 | 9 | 7 | - | ||||||||||||||||
| - | Gary Jones | Yamaha | 15 | 7 | 12 | 12 | 11 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 9 | 11 | - | ||||||||||
| - | Mike Runyard | Suzuki | 5 | 12 | 23 | 8 | 11 | 20 | 12 | 17 | 12 | 12 | 13 | - | |||||||||
| - | Rich Thorwaldson | Suzuki | 8 | 20 | 8 | 4 | 19 | 19 | 14 | 16 | 11 | 13 | 15 | - | |||||||||
| - | Jim Pomeroy | Bultaco | 9 | 19 | 5 | 10 | 13 | 13 | 19 | 10 | 18 | 12 | - | ||||||||||
| - | Bryan Kenney | Maico | 6 | 25 | 6 | 13 | 12 | 11 | 18 | 16 | 14 | 16 | - | ||||||||||
| - | Mark Blackwell | Husqvarna | 13 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 10 | 17 | 14 | 14 | 15 | 14 | - | ||||||||||
| - | Jimmy Weinert | Yamaha | 11 | 16 | 3 | 7 | 14 | 22 | 11 | - | |||||||||||||
| - | Gary Chaplin | Maico | 6 | 17 | 21 | 16 | 20 | 13 | 11 | 18 | - | ||||||||||||
| - | Billy Clements | Husqvarna | 9 | 16 | 14 | 14 | 23 | 16 | 13 | - | |||||||||||||
| - | Andy Roberton | Husqvarna | 9 | 6 | 5 | - | |||||||||||||||||
| - | Wyman Priddy | ČZ | 8 | 10 | 11 | 17 | - | ||||||||||||||||
| - | Marty Tripes | Yamaha | 24 | 20 | 20 | 16 | 8 | - | |||||||||||||||
| ČZ | 6 | ||||||||||||||||||||||
| - | Jiří Churavý | ČZ | 9 | 5 | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| - | Dave Bickers | ČZ | 7 | 9 | - | ||||||||||||||||||
| - | Seppo Makinen | Husqvarna | 10 | - | |||||||||||||||||||
| - | Masaharu Takezawa | Kawasaki | 10 | - | |||||||||||||||||||
| Sources only document the points awarded to the first ten competitors. | |||||||||||||||||||||||
References
- ^ a b Trans-AMA Motocross Records, American Motorcyclist, January 1975, Vol. 29, No. 1, ISSN 0277-9358
- ^ a b "1972 Trans-AMA Series results". akejonsson.com. Archived from the original on August 7, 2015. Retrieved February 15, 2016.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "1972 AMA 500cc results". racerxonline.com. Retrieved November 4, 2025.