six of the 10 events. He was the best motocross rider in the United States and arguably in the world. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. For the Trans-USA series, Hannah was again unable to find winning form and finishing tied for fourth. 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. 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. 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