{{short description|American motorcycle racer}} {{about|the motocross rider|the baseball coach|Bob Hannah (baseball)}} {{Infobox Motocross rider | name = Bob Hannah | image = Bob Hannah.png | caption = | nationality = {{flagicon|USA}} American | birth_date = {{birth-date and age|September 26, 1956}} | birth_place = Lancaster, California, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | years = 1976 - 1989 | teams = Yamaha, Honda, Suzuki | races = | championships = AMA National 125cc - 1976{{-}}AMA National 250cc - 1978-1979{{-}}AMA 250cc Supercross - 1977-1979{{-}}Trans-AMA 500cc - 1978 | wins = 70 }}
'''Robert William Hannah''' (born September 26, 1956) is an American former professional motocross racer.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame">{{cite web |url=http://hof.motorcyclemuseum.org/halloffame/detail.aspx?RacerID=65 |title=Bob Hannah at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame |publisher=motorcyclemuseum.org |accessdate=23 November 2018 }}</ref> 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 race victories and seven championships.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/><ref name="Bob Hannah career statistics">{{cite web |url=https://vault.racerxonline.com/rider/bob-hannah/points |title=Bob Hannah career statistics |publisher=racerxonline.com |accessdate=10 December 2018 }}</ref>
Hannah was a brash and outspoken personality whose wild riding style, seemingly on the verge of losing control and often with his feet off the foot pegs, earned him the nickname, "Hurricane Hannah".<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorsports Hall of Fame">{{cite web |url=http://www.mshf.com/hall-of-fame/inductees/bob-hannah.html |title=Bob Hannah at the Motorsports Hall of Fame |publisher=mshf.com |accessdate=10 December 2018 }}</ref><ref name="30 Greatest American Motocrossers">{{cite web |url=https://racerxonline.com/2018/05/18/30-greatest-ama-motocrossers-2-bob-hannah |title=30 Greatest American Motocrossers |publisher=racerxonline.com |accessdate=10 December 2018 }}</ref> His physical fitness, fierce determination on the race track and a hatred of losing, reshaped American motocross by boosting the speed and competition to higher levels.<ref name="30 Greatest American Motocrossers"/> He was at the forefront of a surge in American motocross competition in the late 1970s and early 1980s that saw American racers overtake and surpass the previously dominant European motocross racers.<ref name="30 Greatest American Motocrossers"/> Hannah was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 2000.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/><ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorsports Hall of Fame"/>
==Early motocross career== Hannah was born in Lancaster, California on the edge of the Mojave Desert.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/> He grew up riding in the rugged Southern California deserts with his father, but because his father thought motocross was too dangerous, he didn't begin to compete in motocross racing until he was 18 years old and living on his own.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/> A few weeks after his high school graduation, Hannah borrowed a friend’s 250cc CZ motorcycle on a challenge and won his first and only amateur motocross race on July 7, 1974, at Indian Dunes near Valencia, California, after which race officials told him he would have to move up to the expert class.<ref name="Unraveling the Bob Hannah Riddle">{{cite journal |last1=Scalzo |first1=Joe |title=Unraveling the Bob Hannah Riddle |journal=Motorcyclist |date=October 1978 |pages=57–64}}</ref> In his next race, Hannah finished fourth.<ref name="The Man Who Fell to Earth">{{cite journal |last1=Johnson |first1=Eric |title=The Man Who Fell to Earth |journal=Upshift Magazine |date=October 24, 2016 |url=https://www.upshiftonline.com/adventure-blog/2016-bob-hannah-utah |access-date=14 May 2022 |archive-date=31 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331082506/https://www.upshiftonline.com/adventure-blog/2016-bob-hannah-utah |url-status=dead }}</ref> It would take several months before he won another event.<ref name="Unraveling the Bob Hannah Riddle" />
Mick McKee, whom Hannah credited for starting his professional career, took the young rider as a student and put him through a system of daily muscle and stamina-building workouts along with weekend trips to area motocross tracks to analyze, evaluate and improve Hannah’s evolving technique.<ref name="Unraveling the Bob Hannah Riddle" /> McKee also introduced Hannah to Steve Hurd, a local motorcycle dealer, who sold him a new Husqvarna motocross bike and became a sponsor and parts supplier.<ref name="Unraveling the Bob Hannah Riddle" /><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Corley |first1=Tom |title=Saturday Saddleback Motocross Racing |journal=The South California Motocross Newspaper |date=March 12, 1975 |volume=3 |issue=9 |page=2}}</ref> Hannah worked as a welder, saving his money for six months before he could afford to purchase the Husqvarna.<ref name="Bound For Europe?">[https://books.google.com/books?id=XfgDAAAAMBAJ&dq=1978+trans-ama+motocross+points+standings&pg=PA22 Bound For Europe?], ''American Motorcyclist'', September 1978, Vol. 32, No. 9, {{ISSN|0277-9358}}</ref>
Hannah’s hard work and training soon began to pay dividends over the spring and summer of 1975. At one point, he won 18 straight races in ten days by competing in two classes at each event.<ref name="Bob Hannah Learns Fast, Rides Faster">{{cite news |last1=Girard |first1=Eric |title=Bob Hannah Learns Fast, Rides Faster |publisher=Florida Today (Cocoa, Florida) |date=February 29, 1976 |page=3C}}</ref> It wasn't long before Hannah caught the attention of Suzuki who brought a $700-a-month offer to test and race small displacement works-bikes.<ref name="Unraveling the Bob Hannah Riddle" /><ref name="Bound For Europe?"/> Remarkably, just 13 months removed from his amateur debut, Hannah entered his first AMA National event in San Antonio, Texas, at the 125cc Cycle-Rama on August 25, 1975, finishing in sixth place. However, at his next AMA National in New Orleans, Louisiana, he got a severe case of heat prostration and ended up in the hospital.<ref name="Hurricane!: The Bob Hannah Story">{{cite book |last1=Madigan |first1=Tom |title=Hurricane!: The Bob Hannah Story |date=November 21, 2008 |publisher=Motorbooks |isbn=978-0760333006 |page=45}}</ref>
==Team Yamaha and motocross dominance==
In late 1975, Yamaha, having lost veterans to other teams, offered Hannah a contract. Hannah took the unsigned $1,000-a-month offer to Suzuki hoping that they would match it.<ref name="Unraveling the Bob Hannah Riddle" /><ref name="Bound For Europe?"/> Suzuki declined and Yamaha, in December 1975, announced that the virtually unknown Hannah would be joining the team for the 1976 season.<ref name="Bound For Europe?"/><ref name="Yma-Hammers Sign Hannah">{{cite news |last1=Busby |first1=Floyd |title=Yma-Hammers Sign Hannah |publisher=Contra Costa Times (Walnut Creek, California |date=December 5, 1975 |page=30}}</ref>
Hannah began his rookie year by dominating the 500cc Florida Winter-AMA series, which was one of the most prestigious American motocross series of the era.<ref name="DiStefano Finishes Series in a Flurry">{{cite news |last1=Girard |first1=Eric |title=DiStefano Finishes Series in a Flurry |publisher=Florida Today (Cocoa, Florida) |date=March 1, 1976 |page=1C}}</ref> In winning all five events, he became the first rider to sweep the series, inspiring Cycle News editor and contributor Jim Gianatsis to popularize the nickname “the Hurricane” for Hannah.<ref name="DiStefano Finishes Series in a Flurry" /><ref name="WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Bob “Hurricane” Hannah">{{cite journal |last1=Bornhop |first1=Andrew |title=WHERE ARE THEY NOW? Bob "Hurricane" Hannah |journal=Cycle World |date=August 21, 2015 |url=https://www.cycleworld.com/2015/08/21/cycle-world-interview-bob-hurricane-hannah-american-motocross-racing-legend/ |access-date=14 May 2022}}</ref><ref group=note>Hannah claims that an announcer at Saddleback Motorcycle Park first gave him the nickname in 1975. A few others take credit for it. However, it was Gianatsis’ coverage of the 1976 Florida Winter-AMA series in Cycle News that brought the nickname into public view.</ref>
He had an equally impressive start to the 1976 AMA 125cc motocross season by winning the first race at Hangtown against Honda's defending National Champion, Marty Smith who had been favored to win his third consecutive National Championship.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results">{{cite web |title=The Vault. A History of American MX Results |url=https://vault.racerxonline.com/ |website=The Vault |access-date=14 May 2022}}</ref><ref name="24 Memorable Motos: Hangtown 1976">{{cite web |url=https://racerxonline.com/2017/05/14/24-memorable-motos-hangtown-1976 |title=24 Memorable Motos: Hangtown 1976 |publisher=racerxonline.com |accessdate=5 February 2026}}</ref> Hannah suffered a bad start in the first heat race, but put in an extremely impressive performance by passing almost the entire field of competitors to catch and then pass the race leader Smith.<ref name="24 Memorable Motos: Hangtown 1976"/> In the second heat race, Hannah and Smith engaged in a twenty minute duel for the race lead which ended when Smith's Honda broke down, allowing Hannah to take the overall victory.<ref name="24 Memorable Motos: Hangtown 1976"/> The result stunned many racing enthusiasts as, Smith had dominated the 125 class for two consecutive seasons while Hannah was still relatively unknown.<ref name="24 Memorable Motos: Hangtown 1976"/> Hannah won five of the eight 125cc Nationals that year enroute to his first national championship.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" />
Hannah participated in his first Trans-AMA series winning the final event of the series in Phoenix, Arizona.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=PPsDAAAAMBAJ&dq=1975+Trans-AMA+motocross+series&pg=PA60 Trans-AMA Motocross Records], ''American Motorcyclist'', February 1982, Vol. 36, No. 2, {{ISSN|0277-9358}}</ref> He was also a member of the American team at both the Motocross des Nations and Trophée des Nations. However, Team USA fared poorly with Hannah himself remarking later that “I don't remember a single damn thing about those two races.”<ref name="Team USA Top 25 Countdown: #19 Bob Hannah">{{cite web |title=Team USA Top 25 Countdown: #19 Bob Hannah |url=https://racerxonline.com/2013/09/10/team-usa-top-25-countdown-19-bob-hannah |website=Racer X |access-date=14 May 2022}}</ref><ref group=note>Hannah finished 10th and 20th for two motos at the Trophee des Nations and 12th and 18th at the Motocross des Nations. </ref>
While successfully chasing the 1976 125cc title, Hannah had sporadically raced in both 250cc and 500cc displacement classes, even winning his first 250cc National at Appalachian Highlands Motorsports Park.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> But, in 1977, Hannah was determined to fully compete in them all.<ref name="Bound For Europe?"/> For the Florida Winter-AMA series, Hannah rode a production Yamaha YZ250 to win eight consecutive motos in taking the 250cc title.<ref name="The Longest Season">{{cite journal |title=The Longest Season |journal=American Motorcyclist |date=January 1978 |volume=32 |issue=1 |pages=28–33}}</ref> He won the AMA Supercross Championship in impressive fashion, taking six of the 10 rounds.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> As defending 125cc national champion, he won three of the six rounds. However, mechanical issues lead to a disastrous 24th place at the opening round at Hangtown. This put him in a points hole that he couldn't overcome, and he finished third for series.<ref name="The Longest Season" /> In the 500cc class, Hannah went into the last round just six points behind Marty Smith for the championship, but his motorcycle’s throttle cable malfunctioned while leading the first moto and left him unable to finish, ending his chances for the championship.<ref name="The Longest Season" />
Hannah never really had a chance at the 1977 250cc National title. The AMA - fearing a Hannah sweep of every championship - started holding 125cc and 250cc events on the same day causing Yamaha to defer Hannah to the 125cc class when the two conflicted.<ref name="Jody's True Story of 'Let Brock Bye'">{{cite journal |last1=Weisel |first1=Jody |title=Jody's True Story of "Let Brock Bye" |journal=Motocross Action |date=January 1, 2022 |url=https://motocrossactionmag.com/jodys-true-story-of-let-brock-bye/ |access-date=14 May 2022}}</ref> The move by the AMA combined with the enormity of competing in so many races contributed to Hannah being a non-factor in the 250cc series, finishing overall in seventh place.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> However, Hannah became the first AMA competitor to win races in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes in just one season.<ref name="The Longest Season" />
Hannah capped off the year by giving Roger De Coster his strongest American challenge to date in the 1977 Trans-AMA series.<ref name="Lackey Scores Win At Sears Point">{{Citation |first1=Jim | last1=Gianatsis |year=1977 |title=Lackey Scores Win At Sears Point |work=Cycle News |publisher=Cycle News, Inc.}}</ref> Hannah won more motos than any other competitor in the series including De Coster, however, he didn't score points in two rounds due to mechanical failures allowing De Coster to win his fourth consecutive Trans-AMA title.<ref name="Lackey Scores Win At Sears Point"/> At the time, De Coster said of Hannah, "Hannah's good, but he also thinks he's good, which is something that he shouldn't do. At least not until he has more experience to go along with it."<ref name="Lackey Scores Win At Sears Point"/> Hannah finished second in the series barely holding off rival Marty Smith for the runner-up spot.<ref name="The Longest Season" />
225px|thumb|right|Hannah on a Yamaha For the 1978 season, the AMA adopted a new rule that required all professional riders declare their class for the year putting an end to multiple outdoor class racing.<ref name="New Format Announced for Series">{{cite journal |title=New Format Announced for Series |journal=American Motorcyclist |date=February 1978 |volume=32 |issue=2 |page=37}}</ref> Hannah chose to race in the 250cc class for which he would mostly compete for the remainder of his professional career. After underperforming in the first three rounds of the Supercross series, Hannah reeled off six consecutive victories and ran away with the championship.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> He continued to dominate his competition by winning eight consecutive 250cc outdoor Nationals, at that time a record. Hannah’s point lead became so insurmountable, he claimed the National title even while sitting out the last two rounds to heal an injured wrist.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" />
At the end of the 1978 season, Hannah won the Trans-AMA Series over five-time world champion Roger De Coster, becoming the first American competitor to win the series in the nine-year history of the event.<ref name="1978 Trans-AMA Series">{{cite web |url=https://magazine.cycleworld.com/article/1979/2/1/1978-trans-ama-series |title=1978 Trans-AMA Series |work=Cycle World |access-date=8 July 2023 |last1=Gianatsis |first1=Jim |date=February 1, 1979 }}</ref> Hannah's victory at the Trans-AMA marked the end of the series as a confrontation between the best European and American motocross racers.<ref name="1978 Trans-AMA Series"/> Conceived as a series of match races held across the United States between the Europeans who dominated the sport and the young Americans who sought to emulate them, by the mid-1970s, American riders steadily improved their skill, and European riders found it increasingly difficult to earn enough money to make the trip to America worthwhile.<ref name="1978 Trans-AMA Series"/> Only three European riders came over to compete in the 1978 Trans-AMA Series due to the stiffening competition from American riders.<ref name="1978 Trans-AMA Series"/>
At the 1978 Motocross des Nations in Gaildorf, West Germany, Hannah had the rare opportunity to compete against reigning 500cc World Champion Heikki Mikkola, who was then near the peak of his racing career.<ref name="1978: Hannah vs Heikki Mikkola">{{cite web |url=https://racerxonline.com/2022/09/20/20-team-usa-momets-1978-hannah-vs-heikki-mikkola |title=1978: Hannah vs Heikki Mikkola |publisher=racerxonline.com |access-date=9 December 2022 }}</ref> Hannah let Mikkola know that he (Hannah) was going to win the event. Mikkola replied, “Let's see if you ride as good as you talk.”<ref name="1978: Hannah vs Heikki Mikkola"/> In the first race, Hannah grabbed an early lead however, Mikkola overtook him and pulled away for the win.<ref name="1978: Hannah vs Heikki Mikkola"/> Mikkola repeated the performance in the second race, passing Hannah en route to his second victory of the day.<ref name="1978: Hannah vs Heikki Mikkola"/><ref name="https://racerxonline.com/2013/09/10/team-usa-top-25-countdown-19-bob-hannah">{{cite web |title=Team USA Top 25 Countdown: #19 Bob Hannah |url=https://racerxonline.com/2013/09/10/team-usa-top-25-countdown-19-bob-hannah |website=Racer X |access-date=14 May 2022}}</ref>
==Water-skiing accident and troubles with Yamaha== Hannah's 1979 campaign was nothing less than a continuation of his prior year dominance. He won his third consecutive AMA Supercross series title and successfully defended his outdoor 250cc National title by earning victories in six of the 10 events.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> Hannah was the best motocross rider in the United States and arguably in the world.<ref name="Bound For Europe?"/> But at the height of his career, Hannah broke his leg in 12 places in a water-skiing accident in August that left him sidelined for a little more than a year.<ref name="Cycle drag racing at Cicero">{{cite news |last1=Grotke |first1=Ron |title=Cycle drag racing at Cicero |publisher=Press and Sun-Bulletin (Binghamton, New York) |date=August 31, 1979}}</ref> Doctors initially told Hannah he would never be able to race again. He was forced to sit out the entire 1980 Supercross and outdoor series while recuperating. During his recovery, he developed an interest in flying airplanes, and earned his pilot license.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorsports Hall of Fame" /> Hannah returned to motocross in September 1980 at Silver Sands Cycle Park in Anderson, South Carolina where he placed third and first in the two motos of a 250cc pro event, battling a young up-and-coming David Bailey.<ref name="Bob Hannah makes his comeback">{{cite news |title=Bob Hannah makes his comeback |publisher=The Daily Mail (Anderson, South Carolina) |date=September 15, 1980 |page=1B}}</ref> Hannah also raced in the Trans-USA series (formerly Trans-AMA) and finished a respectable third place despite admitting that he had poor timing with the motorcycle and was out of shape from the layoff.<ref name="Glover Captures Moto Title">{{cite news |last1=Walkden |first1=Jack |title=Glover Captures Moto Title |publisher=The Herald-Palladium (St. Joseph, Michigan) |date=September 29, 1980 |page=21}}</ref> The year 1981 would not be the comeback for which Hannah would have hoped. Although he took his third Winter-AMA series title, he was only able to win one Supercross event and finished the series fifth overall.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> For the Nationals, Hannah and Kent Howerton became embroiled in a fierce race for the championship, battling round after round, often purposely ramming the other in one of the most competitive and hard-fought series in AMA history. Hannah took three rounds and made it close, but Howerton was the eventual winner of the series.<ref name="Trans-AMA Motocross Records">{{cite journal |title=Trans-AMA Motocross Records |journal=American Motorcyclist |date=February 1983 |volume=37 |issue=2 |page=61}}</ref> For the Trans-USA series, Hannah was again unable to find winning form and finishing tied for fourth.<ref name="Trans-AMA Motocross Records" /> The July 1981 issue of Motocross Action magazine included the coverline, “Hannah: Over the Hill?”. In explaining his mixed results that year, Hannah later blamed the motorcycle saying that it was 35 pounds too heavy and not as good as his YZ250 from two years earlier.<ref name="Bob Hannah On Supercross 2018—Anaheim 1">{{cite web |last1=Peterson |first1=Pete |title=Bob Hannah On Supercross 2018—Anaheim 1 |url=https://www.dirtrider.com/bob-hannah-on-supercross-2018-anaheim-1/ |website=Dirt Rider |access-date=15 May 2022}}</ref> If 1981 was a difficult year for Hannah, 1982 may have been the lowest point his career. For the Supercross series, he finished ninth winning only one round.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> Yamaha team manager Kenny Clark moved Broc Glover to the 250cc class in the Nationals and Hannah to the 125cc class. Hannah had not raced 125’s in four years. Again, voicing displeasure over his motorcycle, Hannah struggled the entire season and did not win a single National for the first time and finished seventh for the series.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> Hannah called the move to the 125cc class a “stupid mistake.”<ref name="Hurricane - Hannah goal another gust in Washougal motocross">{{cite news |last1=Lane |first1=Mike |title=Hurricane - Hannah goal another gust in Washougal motocross |publisher=The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington) |date=August 6, 1982 |page=11}}</ref> It would be Hannah's last year racing for the Yamaha factory team. Hannah blamed the motorcycles, and Yamaha blamed Hannah for not winning. By mutual agreement, the year remaining on his contract was dissolved.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorsports Hall of Fame" />
==Move to Honda==
In November 1982, Honda announced it had signed Hannah to a three-year contract.<ref name="Formula 1 Wants to be No. 1">{{cite news |last1=Vierria |first1=Dan |title=Formula 1 Wants to be No. 1 |publisher=The Sacramento Bee (Sacramento, California) |date=November 5, 1982 |page=83}}</ref> Hannah was back on 250cc machines and wasted no time making a statement that he was still on his game. He started the season by winning the CMC Golden State series over David Bailey, Broc Glover and Ricky Johnson.<ref name="Ward, Hannah, Brecker Top CMC Series">{{cite journal |title=Ward, Hannah, Brecker Top CMC Series |journal=Cycle World |date=July 1983 |pages=82–83}}</ref> His success continued on the AMA circuits. Both Supercross and National titles were his for the taking as he won five of the first 11 stadium events and six of eight 250cc Nationals and was leading both series going into a Supercross event in Orlando, Florida.<ref name="U.S. Speedway Riders Go in American Final Saturday">{{cite news |last1=Glick |first1=Shav |title=U.S. Speedway Riders Go in American Final Saturday |publisher=The Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) |date=June 9, 1963 |page=70}}</ref> Prior to the event, Hannah was asked to check the track before it opened to competitors. In negotiating a jump, he fell and injured both his left wrist and leg.<ref name="Teen Lechein Captures Motocross">{{cite news |last1=Fisher |first1=Marty |title=Teen Lechein Captures Motocross |publisher=The Orlando Sentinel (Orlando, Florida) |date=June 12, 1983 |page=51}}</ref> The injury to his wrist proved to be significant and Hannah was forced to abandon competing in the remaining Supercross events, during which he was surpassed by both David Bailey and Mark Barnett for the Supercross title.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> Hannah determinedly raced the remaining National events, but was unable to effectively compete with his injured wrist and ended up third for the title.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> As later events would demonstrate, 1983 was Hannah’s last best chance to bring home a championship.
Injuries would continue to plague Hannah for the 1984 season. During the year, he suffered a broken pelvis, along with two broken wrists, a broken ankle and two broken ribs.<ref name="Bob Hannah Says Losing is the Pits - Hey May Retire">{{cite news |last1=Scott |first1=Steve |title=Bob Hannah Says Losing is the Pits - Hey May Retire |publisher=Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles, California) |date=January 28, 1985 |page=22 Part III}}</ref> His competitors started referring to him as “Brittle Bob” as he accumulated more injuries and missed more events.<ref name="40 Day Countdown to AMA Motocross Opener: 1983">{{cite web |title=40 Day Countdown to AMA Motocross Opener: 1983 |url=https://racerxonline.com/2011/04/23/40-day-countdown-to-ama-motocross-opener-1983 |website=Racer X}}</ref> Hannah finished the season in tenth place for both Supercross and Nationals, his worst showing as a full-time competitor.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> At this time, he even contemplated retirement.<ref name="Bob Hannah Says Losing is the Pits - Hey May Retire" />
While Hannah continued to be among, if not the fastest competitor in motocross, injury and age were catching up. Just a few events into the 1985 Supercross series, Hannah was telling the press that it was going to be his last season for that circuit.<ref name="Lechein, Glover win supercross">{{cite news |last1=McCollister |first1=Tom |title=Lechein, Glover win supercross |publisher=The Atlanta Constitution (Atlanta, Georgia) |date=February 24, 1983 |page=53}}</ref> He finished 11th overall although he did become the first three-time winner of the Daytona Supercross, the last of his 27 stadium wins.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" /> However, Hannah still had the speed, ability, and desire to compete with the younger riders in the outdoor Nationals. In the title hunt for much of the year, Hannah won his 37th and final AMA National at the age of 28 at the 250cc event held in Millville, Minnesota, and finished fourth overall for the season.<ref name="The Vault. A History of American MX Results" />
==Return to Suzuki and retirement==
Hannah left his factory ride with Honda and signed with Suzuki to be a development rider and part-time racer in 1986.<ref name="Hannah rides to victory at Diamondback">{{cite news |last1=Coble |first1=Don |title=Hannah rides to victory at Diamondback |publisher=Florida Today (Cocoa, Florida) |date=January 6, 1986 |page=3C}}</ref> Over the next several years, he raced infrequently at AMA and Grand Prix events to the delight of his fans. And there were still the occasional magical moments. After years of bad luck and frustration at Unadilla Valley Sports Center, Hannah won the 1986 U.S. Grand Prix Championship when Johnny O’Mara ran out of gas on the last lap of the second moto allowing Hannah, then in second place, to slip by him for the victory.<ref name='"Hurricane" Finally Strikes at Unadilla'>{{cite news |last1=Stevens |first1=Kevin |title="Hurricane" Finally Strikes at Unadilla |publisher=Press and Sun Bulletin (Binghamton, New York) |date=July 21, 1986 |page=13}}</ref> In 1987, Hannah was selected to Team USA at the Motocross Des Nations, held for the first time in the U.S. It was a controversial pick for team manager Roger DeCoster. DeCoster had passed over two-time 125cc National Champion Micky Dymond in favor of Hannah who was well past his prime and had not competitively raced a 125cc displacement bike since 1982. But the track at Unadilla favored Hannah and he was motivated to prove wrong those critical of his selection.<ref name="Flashback Friday - 1987 Motocross des Nations Triumph">{{cite web |title=Flashback Friday - 1987 Motocross des Nations Triumph |date=12 November 2021 |url=https://motocrossactionmag.com/flashback-friday-1987-motocross-des-nations-triumph/ |publisher=Motocross Action |access-date=15 May 2022}}</ref> On race day, the weather was awful with rain turning the track into mud and ruts. At one point in the first moto, Hannah could not get up a slippery hill and had to turn around and go to the bottom and start over.<ref name="Flashback Friday - 1987 Motocross des Nations Triumph" /> In nearly last place early in the race, Hannah conjured up one of his come-from-behind charges, his feet off the pegs to maintain balance in the ruts. He managed fourth-place among 125cc bikes.<ref name="Flashback Friday - 1987 Motocross des Nations Triumph" /><ref group=note>At the 1987 Motocross des Nations, there were three motos: 125cc and 500cc riders competed in the first, 125cc and 250cc raced the second moto, and 250cc and 500cc in the third moto. Hannah finished 9th overall in the first moto and 3rd overall in the second</ref> In the second moto, he scored a top ten start and rode to a first place in the 125 class. Along with Jeff Ward in the 500cc class and Ricky Johnson on the 250cc, Hannah and Team USA captured the title in one of the most memorable Motocross Des Nations.<ref name="Flashback Friday - 1987 Motocross des Nations Triumph" />
Hannah final race was at the 1989 U.S. Grand Prix. He finished ninth overall having once again battled back in both motos from the rear of the pack.<ref name='The "King" of Motocross Calls it a Career'>{{cite news |last1=Myers |first1=Jim |title=The "King" of Motocross Calls it a Career |publisher=The Ithaca Journal (Ithaca, New York) |date=July 11, 1989 |page=12}}</ref> Ready for retirement, Hannah later said “When I rode my last lap at Unadilla I was talking to myself. I said, I have one more lap to go and I never have to ride one of these again.” <ref name="Interview of the Week: Bob Hannah">{{cite web |last1=Basher |first1=John |title=Interview of the Week: Bob Hannah |date=July 2016 |url=https://motocrossactionmag.com/interview-of-the-week-bob-hannah/ |publisher=Motocross Action |access-date=15 May 2022}}</ref>
In his fifteen-year professional motocross career, Hannah had become the all-time win leader in AMA history, having won 64 Supercross and National races, along with six Trans-AMA events during his career. His 70 AMA win record would stand until Jeremy McGrath broke Hannah's overall win record in 1999.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame" />
==Later career== After leaving motocross, Hannah took up the sport of airplane racing in the unlimited class flying airplanes such as the P-51 Mustang.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/> When inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999, Hannah was living near Boise, Idaho, running a sport aviation sales company and winery.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorcycle Hall of Fame"/> In 2000, he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.<ref name="Bob Hannah at the Motorsports Hall of Fame"/>
==Career highlights==
* 1976 500cc Florida Winter-AMA Champion * 1976 125cc National Champion * 1977 250cc Florida Winter-AMA Champion * 1977 250cc Supercross Champion * 1978 250cc Supercross Champion * 1978 250cc National Champion * 1978 500cc Trans-AMA Champion * 1979 250cc Supercross Champion * 1979 250cc National Champion * 1981 250cc Florida Winter-AMA Champion * 1983 250cc CMC Golden State Champion * 1986 250cc Florida Winter-AMA Champion * 1986 250cc U.S. Grand Prix Champion * 1987 Motocross des Nations "Team USA" World Champions * 1988 250cc Florida Winter-AMA Champion
==Notes== {{reflist|group=note}}
== References == {{commons category}} {{Reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hannah, Bob}} Category:1956 births Category:Living people Category:Sportspeople from Lancaster, California Category:American motocross riders Category:AMA Motocross Championship National Champions Category:American air racers