I remember this one well, as it was my first ever international motocross event, outside of Australia. Dad had remortgaged the house and hired a camper van, which we drove from Los Angeles to Daytona and then back again. I was just 17 years old and it opened my eyes to travel and for sure, motivated me to have the life I have had since.

I was a huge Marty Smith fan and his second place in Daytona was enough to make me happy, but the following week, we headed to Houston, where Smith had a career changing injury, crashing out of the main event and breaking his hip. His career was never the same.

The 1978 Daytona Supercross was won by Marty Tripes on a Honda. This victory was particularly significant as Honda swept the podium, with Tripes finishing first, Marty Smith taking second, and Jimmy Ellis in third.

Tripes achieved one of the most significant victories of his career by winning the Daytona Supercross. Competing for Team Honda, Tripes led a historic "factory sweep" of the podium, finishing ahead of his teammates Marty Smith and Jim Ellis.

Series Significance: This win was a key moment in the 1978 AMA Supercross season, where Tripes ultimately finished as the runner-up for the championship, second only to the legendary Bob "Hurricane" Hannah.

1978 Daytona Supercross 250SX Results

The top finishers for the race held at Daytona International Speedway were:

1. Marty Tripes - Santee, CA Honda

2. Marty Smith - San Diego, CA Honda

3. Jimmy Ellis - Cobalt, CT Honda

4. Bob Hannah - Whittier, CA Yamaha

Key Race Highlights

Honda Podium Sweep: The Honda team dominated the event, largely because Tripes, Smith, and Ellis were the only riders willing to attempt a triple jump. Ellis was the first to clear it during the last lap of his heat race, leading Tripes and Smith to follow suit in the main event.

The "Hurricane": Bob Hannah, who would go on to win the 1978 AMA Supercross Championship, finished fourth in this specific round.

Historical Context: This era is often called the "Golden Age of Motocross". At the time, the Daytona Supercross was still a relatively new addition to the professional circuit, having only become a points-paying Supercross round in 1974.

In the big picture it turned out not to be the greatest season for Big Red. Yamaha won all the major titles that season – AMA Supercross, and all three AMA Motocross classes, but Team Honda ’78 enjoyed some major highlights nevertheless.

Unfortunately, this photo does not completely document the squad that year. Marty Tripes signed on after the first race of the year along with his mechanic Greg Kudlick. Terry Mulligan was Team Manager and Merle Anderson was Assistant Team Manager. Cliff White was Steve Wise’s mechanic. Jon Rosenstiel was Warren Reid’s mechanic and also his stepfather. Dave Arnold was Marty Smith’s mechanic and several years later the Team Manager. Arnie Beaman was Jim Pomeroy’s mechanic. George Ellis was Jimmy Ellis’ mechanic and father. Allan Hahn was Tommy Croft’s mechanic.

The highlight of the year was when Honda came in first, second and third at the Daytona Supercross race with Tripes first, Smith second and Ellis third because these three were able to pull off a triple jump that none of the other racers would try. Ellis did it first on the last lap of his heat race and the crowd went wild. Tripes and Smith decided if Ellis’ bike had the power to do it, theirs should too. The rest is history.

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