Tony D was the 250cc National Champion in '76 but with Hannah coming on strong you knew things were changing.
Semics won the last few races of the season and was fast and smooth.
Pierre Karsmakers was blazingly fast on the new Honda that day and he won the overall.
Bill Buchka was Hannahs mechanic who sat listening to a couple of the Yamaha engineers.
Howerton won the 500cc National Championship in '76 barely beating Semics to win Husqvarnas only U.S. National title.
While in the Yamaha pits I took a picture of one of the most famous works bikes of the era. This is Hannah's watercooled 125. The U.S. 125 GP race was held a weekend or two before the St. Peters race and Bill Buchka had not yet changed the plates back to the familiar #39. This is the first watercooled works bike to my knowledge.
Bob Hannah would become the 125 National Champion in '76 and was sitting there with the future of American motocross in his hands. This was the first full year of National Racing in a career that would become legendary.
