The Legends & Heroes of Motocross Tour to Honor Blackwell & LaPorte at Pala

Merced, Calif. ~ September 7, 2011:  Mark
Blackwell was a leading rider in the early days of motocross in the
United States during the late 1960’s and early 1970’s.  Forty years ago,
he won the 1971 American 500cc Motocross title (a predecessor of
today’s AMA National Motocross Championship) by being the top-scoring
American in the Trans-AMA Series.  He also scored a victory in the 500cc
motocross class at Daytona International Speedway in 1972.  Blackwell was
one of the first American riders to compete in the Motocross World
Championships during the early 1970’s. Perhaps even more influential
than his racing exploits were Blackwell’s contributions as a manager in
companies such as Suzuki, Husqvarna and later, Victory.









Danny
LaPorte helped the United States make the transition from underdog to
world leader in the sport of motocross. The rider from Los Angeles
scored an AMA 500cc National Motocross Championship in 1979 before going
on to become the first American to win the FIM 250cc World Motocross
Championship in 1982.  Thirty years ago, LaPorte
was also a key member of the 1981 Team USA Motocross and Trophee des
Nations squad that brought America its first win in the prestigious
international Olympic-like competition.



“These two champions represent some great American milestone in US Moto
history.  Danny being part of the first American team to beat the
Europeans and take home the USA’s first MXDN trophy and Mark who
pioneered the early days of motocross and in winning the American 500cc
Motocross title back in 1971”  states Alex Moroz, General Managing
Partner of the Legends & Heroes of Motocross Tour.