Posts
2833
Joined
3/24/2009
Location
redding, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
5/5/2020 4:40pm
By now everyone knows that motocross racing legend and Icon Danny Magoo has passed away.
It happend on May 4th between 11 am and 1 pm. There will be no autopsy. He fell a sleep peacefully. It sounds as though Danny knew something was going on with his body and that he knew he wasnt well. His daughter and Billy Deprato ( Dannys long time friend and Mechanic ) have taken him and his belongings to NV where she lives.
Ther will be no services at this time. It will be private and Danny will be laid to rest next to his mom " Big Red " and His Dad on the property that he grew up on and learned to ride on in northern Ca.
People close to Danny want to get together a memorial race in Northern Ca at a place that would be beyound epic. A place that Danny and Darrell had a monster day many years ago. A day I will always remember.
How I met " The Magoo "
One night at Live Oak raceway in No Cal in 1975, this guy named Magoo had just got done showing Roy Sieler the fast way around the track and over the wall jump in the 125 expert class.
I waited at the track exit for the guy they called Magoo. I was 11 years old. Danny came off the track and started to push his steaming hot Yz 125 straight at me. As I walked next to him I asked if I could push his bike back to the pits. Wholly fuck that bike was hot and heavy. All I could think was don't drop his bike. It was huge to me. I barely made it to his van.
I started to leave and He reeled me back and said sit down. At which time I met Big Dan and Big Red. Danny's now sitting on the side of his van in his boxer shorts pouring water on his head. He then pulls out a watermelon and ask's me if I want some. I asked for some of the middle where the werent any seeds. He didnt believe me. Dont ask me how but he cut the middle of the watermelon out and shared it with me.
I introduced him to My big brother Dave. And We've been family ever since. Danny actually passed away staying with one of my brothers friends across the street from where it all started. I love you Danny and Thanks you crazy big hearted sumbitch.
In close.... My 2 cents.
Danny was like a mythical creature to some. People heard stories about this crazy red head from Northern Ca. He was bigfoot and if you hadnt seen it with your own two eyes you would'nt of believed it. Even when he didnt win he was the guy to watch. People lined the jumps crossing up they're arms. Then you knew what was coming next....
Whatever bike he was on was getting slung sideways knees out, flying higher and futher then imaginable.....
For years He was our little secret, our very own Bigfoot with red hair.
It happend on May 4th between 11 am and 1 pm. There will be no autopsy. He fell a sleep peacefully. It sounds as though Danny knew something was going on with his body and that he knew he wasnt well. His daughter and Billy Deprato ( Dannys long time friend and Mechanic ) have taken him and his belongings to NV where she lives.
Ther will be no services at this time. It will be private and Danny will be laid to rest next to his mom " Big Red " and His Dad on the property that he grew up on and learned to ride on in northern Ca.
People close to Danny want to get together a memorial race in Northern Ca at a place that would be beyound epic. A place that Danny and Darrell had a monster day many years ago. A day I will always remember.
How I met " The Magoo "
One night at Live Oak raceway in No Cal in 1975, this guy named Magoo had just got done showing Roy Sieler the fast way around the track and over the wall jump in the 125 expert class.
I waited at the track exit for the guy they called Magoo. I was 11 years old. Danny came off the track and started to push his steaming hot Yz 125 straight at me. As I walked next to him I asked if I could push his bike back to the pits. Wholly fuck that bike was hot and heavy. All I could think was don't drop his bike. It was huge to me. I barely made it to his van.
I started to leave and He reeled me back and said sit down. At which time I met Big Dan and Big Red. Danny's now sitting on the side of his van in his boxer shorts pouring water on his head. He then pulls out a watermelon and ask's me if I want some. I asked for some of the middle where the werent any seeds. He didnt believe me. Dont ask me how but he cut the middle of the watermelon out and shared it with me.
I introduced him to My big brother Dave. And We've been family ever since. Danny actually passed away staying with one of my brothers friends across the street from where it all started. I love you Danny and Thanks you crazy big hearted sumbitch.
In close.... My 2 cents.
Danny was like a mythical creature to some. People heard stories about this crazy red head from Northern Ca. He was bigfoot and if you hadnt seen it with your own two eyes you would'nt of believed it. Even when he didnt win he was the guy to watch. People lined the jumps crossing up they're arms. Then you knew what was coming next....
Whatever bike he was on was getting slung sideways knees out, flying higher and futher then imaginable.....
For years He was our little secret, our very own Bigfoot with red hair.
The Shop
Sorry for your loss, RIP and Godspeed Magoo.
got me a ton of magoo stories too but i'm afraid to even type them at this time, not sure i can do it.
Thanks for the memories.
One of my favorite Magoo memories was watching him and Shultz absolutely pummel each other at Plymouth on a spring afternoon. They clearly were having a great time, way out in front, and just ramming the hell out of each other in every deep, sandy corner.
It was a great time and place to grow up loving MX. Magoo was such a huge part of that.
Chris, the first time I saw Magoo was in 75, too, at Sand Hill. He was thowing both hands off the bars off the double downhill until one time he went over the bar and belly-flopped from about two stories up.
Other moments, the Trans AMA (in 79 I think) at Sears Point, throwing whips out over the fence with his rear wheel over the heads of the fans. I don't remember who won the race, and he wasn't close to the fence, but people were running from fence to fence to watch him like the gallery following Tiger Woods at a gold match.
And my favorite may be the 79 Hangtown National, the first year at Prairie City (the track was a bit different then, the start heading out to where you now come into the pro pits and looping back across the side of the hill under what's now vendor's row). One moto he crashed with a guy off the line. He went back to see how the guy was and got going just in front of Hannah and proceeded to stay there, but not holding him up. The AMA guys gave him whatever the equivalent of the blue flag was as he came back across the start straight, and he responded with a one-handed wheelie the length of the straight flashing them the peace sign.
He loved racing and loved the fans and the fans love him. The only riders IMO who've even approached having that same relationship with the fans were Travis and Guy Cooper.
Thanks so much for letting us in - very cool.
Magoo was something special.
Thanks for sharing.
Pit Row
This race was all the more special for me as it was the very first AMA pro national caliber event that I had ever attended. Great memories.
Everyone could use a good dose of Danny right now.
Also during this time - '73 - '76 or so - I did a lot of Cycle News race reporting and photography - here I saw Danny a lot - Prarie City, Marysville, Dixon, and Live Oak Raceway on Saturday nights. The thing about Magoo for me was that his bike was just PEGGED @ 100% all the time - Magoo had a special sound for me that stood apart from the others racing at the time like Pat Richter, Charlie Marshall, Arnold Plant, or Kevin Henry...you could hear him coming and going, he was on the gas all the time.
In '77 I toured the AMA circuit for a bit taking pictures. Danny was there, too doing the Privateer thing. Woodland Sport Cycles Suzuki? I still remember his holeshot at the Keithsburg National and the AMA Rep turning to me and asking "Who is this kid?" I answered "It's Magoo".
I was able to see him a couple more times over the years. When he lived in Foresthill, he was only a few miles from my dads house. I will never forget the legend that was Magoo. He was not only a great racer, but a great person.
Thanks for sharing all your stories.
See you up there one day Danny.
I remember that day like it was yesterday even though it was 30 years ago and now I can barely remember what I did yesterday.
Godspeed Danny and thanks for helping a kid out. He has been my hero ever since that day.
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