Magoo one of the greatest entertainers of our sport

THERE WILL NEVER BE ANOTHER DANNY “MAGOO” CHANDLER

There will never be another Danny “Magoo” Chandler. His go-for-broke riding style earned him a legion of loyal fans. But while his boldness endeared him to the fans, it wasn’t a formula for success. In truth, it eventually led to tragedy for Magoo. For the first few years of his AMA career, the Sacramento-born Magoo was an oddity. The first time he showed up at Hangtown to race a 125 National, he had to stand on a milk crate to get on his bike. At the 1976 Super Bowl of Motocross, Magoo finished 16th in the 500 support class. He ran much higher than that but flew off the track several times at full speed, often reentering the track without shutting off.

It wasn’t until 1978 that Magoo made his first official mark on the AMA circuit. He earned three top-10 finishes in the 125 Nationals and got his first-ever podium finish—a third—at the Escape Country 125 National in Trabuco Canyon, California.

Maico signed Magoo for 1979, and the unreliable Maico and the out-of-control Magoo were a match made in Hades. No one in the history of the sport crashed as many times as Magoo did in 1979 and 1980, but his Maico rides had not been for naught. Magoo caught the eye of Team Honda manager Roger DeCoster who, although not impressed by Magoo’s antics, saw something special in the NorCal wild man. When there was a support class opening at Team Honda for the 1981 Trans-AMA series, Magoo got the call. He made the most of it, winning and moving to Team Honda full-time in 1982.

During his time at Team Honda, Danny Chandler won four 500 Nationals, finished third in the 1983 500 National Championship and shocked the world by winning the 1982 USGP at Carlsbad. And he did it after being stung by a bee, in spite of the fact that he was extremely allergic.

Chandler iced his reputation when he rode like a man possessed at the 1982 ABC-TV Superbikers race. Magoo’s victory earned him a spot on the 1982 American Motocross and Trophee des Nations teams. At Gaildorf, Germany, and Wohlen, Switzerland, Magoo became the only rider in motocross history to win all four motos. Magoo couldn’t have been a bigger hero, but it was all about to change for the likable redhead.

Chandler was injured in the off-season leading up to the 1984 season and only made the top 10 twice all year long. Honda dropped him. With no other offers, Magoo agreed to ride for Team Kawasaki in the 500 World Championships. Magoo couldn’t believe it when Kawasaki told him that he would have to let their star rider, Georges Jobe, pass him if the two got close to each other. Magoo said that he wouldn’t take a dive for anybody and quit Kawasaki. He was quickly picked up by Team KTM and won the 1985 French 500 GP.

Unfortunately, three months later, Magoo went to the Paris Supercross and his life was changed forever. After being paralyzed that day in Paris in 1985, Magoo reinvented himself as a mountain bike race promoter, motocross trainer, motivational safety speaker and D.A.R.E. coordinator. He loved the idea of helping people less fortunate than himself (and often during those times there were few people less unfortunate than Danny) by running the International Riders Helping People (IRHP) organization. At the age of 50, Danny was finally at peace with who he was and what he could achieve. Sadly, Danny passed away suddenly after a brief illness on May 5, 2010.

A Look at the Legend... Carl Cranke

In the spring of 2013 off-road motorcycle legend, ISDT Gold Medalist and AMA Hall of Fame racer, Carl Cranke was interviewed for the feature documentary film PENTON: The John Penton Story narrated by Grammy Winner, Lyle Lovett.

More on Carl Cranke

One of my favorite picture of Carl Cranke.

Carl  laying it down and matting the throttle during an ISDT special tests- the drag race. Skunk helmet, tee shirt, Hallman desert leathers and Hi Points highlight one of the heroes and characters from the wild west days of off-road racing.

Carl Cranke, one of America’s true off-road legends passed away on November 14 following a battle with cancer. Carl was one of those very rare gifted racers who was competitive in nearly every facet of riding.  Carl  grew up just outside of Sacramento in Fair Oaks racing dirt track,  but because of the expense shifted his efforts to anything off-road. After an incredible performance in a Trans AM race Carl began a long relationships with Penton motorcycles,  the marque he was most associated with. Carl not only raced Pentons’ but was intimately involved in the development of the Penton line. How good was Carl? Very good.

Carl represented  the United States in ten International Six Days and in the process won 9 medals, 7 golds and 2 silvers. No matter what class he rode, he was known to ride in the 100, 125 and 250 class, if he showed up on the starting line he was favored to win. In addition to his racing career Carl was also the West Coast service manager for Penton. Many of us were lucky enough to be decent at one discipline of racing, it’s incredibly rare to be really good at everything. Carl Cranke was great at everything he raced and everywhere he raced. Rare indeed.

Godspeed.

New MX Team

Three powerful companies all pulling together, the team will contest the Monster Energy Supercross and Outdoor MX Nationals in 2021. The team has signed Alex Martin, Alex's drive and determination is second to none, the group will focus on providing him with everything possible to be successful.

Alex Martin

“I’m super excited to be working with my new team; Manluk/Rock River Yamaha/Merge Racing. I had some of the best years of my career with Yamaha. I’m looking forward to what the new team can do in 2021. Three great organizations and I’m grateful that we could organize this new team."

About Manluk:

Manluk Corporation a global supplier of turnkey manufacturing solutions. Manluk ships product to over 20 countries throughout North and South America, Europe, Asia, Australia, Middle East, and Africa, supporting industries such as on and off-shore drilling, wellhead, downhole tools and mining. Visit: https://manluk.com/

About Rock River Yamaha:

Rock River Yamaha is a 5 Star Platinum Yamaha and Specialized dealer with a global presence. From their home base in Johnson Creek Wisconsin they not only have a 30,000 square foot dealership selling everything Yamaha and Specialized E-bikes, but run the Amateur trackside support program, the National Amateur Elite Program, and a Professional Supercross/Motocross program for Yamaha. A staple in the industry for 2 decades, these programs get stronger and stronger every year. Visit:  https://rockriverpowersports.motorcycles/

About Merge Racing:

The members of Merge Racing Technologies have owned professional race teams, worked as Factory mechanics on winning teams in AMA SX/MX and FIM GP’s, and managed R&D programs for Factory teams. Merge was formed to design and build works parts for professional race teams, but we also make those parts available to you. Visit: https://mergeracing.com/

A True Legend...Carl Cranke Passed

One of the truly great guys of our sport has passed. Carl was a pioneer rider, wrench, developer in the 60 and 70's. Multi time ISDE rider who helped develop the Penton brand. RIP

Penton rider in the 1960s & '70s. Helped develop the Penton motorcycle. 10-time ISDE team member.

Carl Cranke was a top American motorcycle enduro racer of the 1960s and '70s. He represented the United States in 10 International Six Day Trials (ISDT) events while competing aboard Penton, KTM and Yamaha motorcycles. He earned seven gold medals and two silver medals in ISDT competition.

At the 1977 ISDT in Czechoslovakia, Cranke suffered torn ligaments in his left shoulder and two broken bones in his left foot. The U.S. team doctor, Ben Meyer, told Cranke: "The most strenuous activity I would recommend for the next month is getting in and out of the shower," to which Cranke replied: " I've got another race next week. I'll be ready." Cranke finished the 1977 ISDT with a silver medal in the 500cc class aboard a KTM.


Cranke was also a noted tuner, and is credited with helping develop Penton motorcycles and his own specialized parts line.

He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.

The Big Four - Six Years

 

The big four of World motocross are clearly Antonio Cairoli, Jeffrey Herlings, Tim Gajser and Jorge Prado. All four in the all-time winners list, among names like Roger De Coster, Eric Geboers, Georges Jobe, Joel Smets, Joel Robert, Torsten Hallman and Harry Everts.

While we run their statistics often here, and love looking through different things these guys have achieved in their careers, today we thought we would try something different about these four brilliant athletes.

Since 2015 when current MXGP champion Tim Gajser won his first ever Grand Prix, we look at these four and what they have done in that six-year period. Obviously Jorge Prado didn’t win his first GP until 2016, but like Jeffrey Herlings before him, he is shooting up the GP winners list by dominating the MX2 class over a two year period and then coming to MXGP and quickly winning three GPs in that class.

While Antonio Cairoli leads the current Grand Prix riders with an astonishing 92 Grand Prix victories, in the last six years, its been much slimmer picking for the Italian legend than his young competition. Just 20 GP wins in six years for the nine-time World champion as names like Jeffrey Herlings and Tim Gajser score many of the MXGP victories.

Of course, Cairoli has struggled with injuries in recent years, missing a lot of 2015 and 2019, but still surprising he has just 20 GP wins from six years. His best year in that period was of course 2017 when he won six GPs.

Despite only winning six GPs from the last two years, Jeffrey Herlings is still miles ahead of anyone else for GP wins over the last six years, and of course that MXGP championship winning year in 2018 he scored 17 GP wins, nearly the total of Cairoli GP wins over six year period. In his final MX2 championship winning year in 2016 Herlings scored 14 GP wins. The fact Herlings has 47 GP wins from the last six years is even more stunning when you consider how he missed most of 2019 and more than half of 2020.

Tim Gajser who scored his first ever GP win in the season of 2015 at the Trentino circuit has 29 GP wins from the last six years, and his best season for GP wins was last year with nine GP wins out of 20.

Jorge Prado with his 34 GP wins is the guy who will probably move quickly, even in this tough MXGP class. Unless Jeffrey Herlings can come back from his foot operation and dominate again, then you have to imagine the Spaniard will win a lot of GPs over the next five years. An interesting point is that Prado won his 34^th GP in his 73^rd GP appearance, while Herlings in his 73^rd GP had 45 GP wins.

An interesting point, and something to look forward to in 2021. Gajser, Herlings and Prado all won their last GP of the season. Gajser obviously the last round this year with 2-1 results, Prado his final GP (in Lommel) before he picked up the coronavirus with 2-1 and Herlings the GP prior to getting injured in Faenza with a 1-1 score.

One point that is important for all four of these guys, they have ridden for the same team for the most of their career. Prado of course moved from the Dutch side of KTM to the De Carli side, Cairoli did go from Yamaha to KTM with the De Carli team, but hasn’t changed teams since his very first Grand Prix and Gajser started in a KTM team but moved to HRC in 2014 and has been there ever since.

When you look at many of their competition, riders like Gautier Paulin, Clement Desalle, Pauls Jonass, Jeremy Seewer or many others, they have all changed teams throughout their careers and it seems like they need to spend a season getting to know the different bike and team, similar to having to rebuild after an injury. Let’s hope Seewer has found his home at Yamaha, because he seems the most likely to give the big four a hard time in the coming years.

Wins Per GPs raced

Cairoli 92 GP wins from 260 GPs raced

Herlings 90 GP wins from 146 GPs raced

Prado 34 GP wins from 73 GPs raced

Gajser 29 GP wins from 137 GPs raced

Matrix Concepts is in Primm, Nevada .

Stop by and see us at Primm @worcsracing this weekend!

Steward Baylor confirmed as AmPro Yamaha announce 2021 race plans

AmPro Yamaha Race Team has confirmed their 2021 rider line-up will include Steward Baylor, Layne Michael, Mike Witkowski and Rachel Archer to race GNCC and National Enduro series’.

In a year which has seen many ups and downs in racing, not least for Steward Baylor, the AmPro Yamaha Race Team has been one of the more consistent and successful in the major race paddocks of North America.

Baylor surely made his case for the full contract with the Yamaha USA supported team by jumping on their bike mid-season and having the most successful run of any rider in the second half of 2020. Four wins and a second place since round nine of GNCC plus National Enduro win show why he has been on many team’s radars.

Layne Michael retains his seat in the AmPro camp having notably upped his FG Sprint Enduro game in 2020 taking a win and being Kailub Russell’s closest challenger – although the statement (below) neglects to mention the team's participation in the 2021 Sprint series. Similarly, Rachel Archer has upped her game in 2020 taking runner-up position in both GNCC and Sprint Enduro series.

Completing the championship challengers on this team is Mike Witkowski whose second place overall in the super-competitive GNCC XC2 class this season was impressive. Four wins and only one round from 13 where he didn’t stand on the podium (he was fourth) put him in contention for the win right to the wire.

Posting on social media, AmPro say they are putting speculation to bed with the team announcement:

It’s official, Steward Baylor Jr. of Hodges, South Carolina will be joining our program and piloting the all new 2021 Yamaha Motor Corporation YZ450FX in both the Grand National Cross Country Series and the National Enduro Series.

Along with Stew, Layne Michael will be piloting a 2021 Yamaha YZ450FX in the GNCC Series as well as the Full Gas Sprint Enduro Series. AmPro Yamaha will also be supporting two pro lites divisions riders, both utilizing the all new 2021 Yamaha YZ250FX. Michael Witkowski of Indiana will fight for the XC2 Championship in the GNCC Series as well as New Zealand's Rachel Archer in the WXC women's pro class.

The team’s primary focus will remain on the Grand National Cross Country Series however, with the addition of Steward Baylor to the program, a fully backed National Enduro Series effort will be managed for the first time in nearly a decade.

JUSTIN HILL LEAVES MOTOCONCEPTS HONDA: REPLACED BY BROC TICKLE FOR 2021 SUPERCROSS

JUSTIN HILL LEAVES THE MOTOCONCEPTS HONDA TEAM AND IS REPLACED BY BROC TICKLE FOR 2021 SUPERCROSS

Broc Tickle was first seen on Tony Alessi’s instagram story wearing Leatt gear and hanging out with the rest of the Smartop Bullfrog Spas Honda team on the morning of Friday, November 13th. This raised questions on if he would be joining the team. Would the MCR Honda tent host five riders? Broc Tickle alongside Shane McElrath, Vince Friese, Benny Bloss and Justin Hill? Vital MX was the first to reported that Broc would actually be replacing Justin Hill on the team.

MXA reached out to Justin Hill to confirm the allegations and he said that they are true. Justin was quick to clarify his respect for Team Owner Mike Genova and also to give credit the team and their sponsors for the exceptional motorcycle they provided him. He wasn’t leaving the team because of bike issues or an issue with the team owner; it was issues with the team’s management and with how he was treated. Although the press release has already been released for the team’s 2021 Supercross rider lineup, Justin did not break a contract by leaving the team because he and the team hadn’t signed paper yet for 2021.

Rodney Smith Still Fast!

Rodney Smith, Beta’s Off-road manager and former Team Suzuki super star, finished tenth overall at the Idaho AMA Western Hare Scrambles Championship. Not bad for a 56-year old pilot! And yes he won the Super Senior class…Photo Kato.