The 1972 Trans-AMA motocross series was the third annual international series established by the

American Motorcyclist Association The American Motorcyclist Association (AMA) is an American nonprofit organization of more than 200,000 motorcyclists that organizes numerous motorcycling activities and campaigns for motorcyclists' legal rights. Its mission statement is "to promo ...

as a pilot event to help establish

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...

in the United States. The motocross series was an invitational based on a 500cc

engine displacement Engine displacement is the measure of the cylinder volume swept by all of the pistons of a piston engine, excluding the combustion chambers. It is commonly used as an expression of an engine's size, and by extension as a loose indicator of the ...

formula, run on American tracks featuring the top riders from the F.I.M. world championship against the top American riders. Swedish

Maico Maicowerk A.G., known by its trading name Maico () is the name of a family company in the Swabian town of Pfäffingen near Tübingen. Founded in 1926 by Ulrich Maisch as Maisch & Co, the company originally manufactured 98 and 123 cc Ilo t ...

factory rider

Åke Jonsson Åke Jonsson (born 5 October 1942) is a Swedish former professional motocross racer. He was one of the top riders in the Motocross World Championships during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Jonsson came close to winning the world championship ti ...

dominated the championship, winning nine consecutive overall wins. 500cc world champion,

Roger De Coster Roger De Coster (born 28 August 1944) is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a m ...

and

Heikki Mikkola Heikki Antero Mikkola (born 6 July 1945) is a Finnish former professional motocross racer and motocross team manager. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1967 to 1979, most prominently as a member of the Husqvarna factory racing ...

placed second and third overall, claiming one victory apiece to start off the series before Jonsson began his winning streak.

Brad Lackey Brad Lackey (born July 8, 1953) is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1970 to 1972 and, in the Motocross World Championships from 1973 to 1982. Lackey was notable for becoming t ...

was the highest-placing American rider, finishing the series sixth overall.

1972 Trans-AMA final standings

1972 Trans-AMA Round 1

Sep. 24, 1972,

Copetown, Ontario Copetown is a rural neighbourhood of the city of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada, located northeast of Brantford. William Cope, a United Empire Loyalist from the U.S. state of New York settled here in 1794. The community was renamed after his son Co ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 2

Oct. 1, 1972,

Linnville, Ohio Linnville is an unincorporated community in Licking County, in the U.S. state of Ohio. History Linnville had its start when the National Road The National Road (also known as the Cumberland Road) was the first major improved highway in th ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 3

Oct. 8, 1972,

St. Peters, Missouri St. Peters is a city in St. Charles County, Missouri, United States. The 2010 census showed the city's population to be 52,575, tied for 10th place in Missouri with Blue Springs. Interstate 70 passes through the city, providing a major transp ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 4

Oct. 15, 1972,

Atlanta, Georgia Atlanta ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Georgia. It is the seat of Fulton County, the most populous county in Georgia, but its territory falls in both Fulton and DeKalb counties. With a population of 498,715 ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 5

Oct. 22, 1972,

Orlando, Florida Orlando () is a city in the U.S. state of Florida and is the county seat of Orange County, Florida, Orange County. In Central Florida, it is the center of the Greater Orlando, Orlando metropolitan area, which had a population of 2,509,831, acco ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 6

Oct. 29, 1972,

Houston Texas Houston (; ) is the most populous city in Texas, the most populous city in the Southern United States, the fourth-most populous city in the United States, and the sixth-most populous city in North America, with a population of 2,304,580 i ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 7

Nov. 5, 1972,

Carlsbad, California Carlsbad is a coastal city in the North County region of San Diego County, California, United States. The city is south of downtown Los Angeles and north of downtown San Diego. As of the 2020 census, the population of the city was 114,746. ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 8

Nov. 12, 1972,

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ; nv, Hoozdo; es, Fénix or , yuf-x-wal, Banyà:nyuwá) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona, with 1 ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 9

Nov. 19, 1972,

Puyallup, Washington Puyallup ( or ) is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States, located about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Tacoma and 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle. It had a population of 42,973 at the 2020 census. The city's name comes from th ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 10

Nov. 26, 1972,

Livermore, California Livermore (formerly Livermorès, Livermore Ranch, and Nottingham) is a city in Alameda County, California. With a 2020 population of 87,955, Livermore is the most populous city in the Tri-Valley. It is located on the eastern edge of Californ ...

1972 Trans-AMA Round 11

Dec. 3, 1972, Saddleback Park, California

References

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