RIP Danny Erdeljac

JAFO92
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JAFO92
Edited Date/Time 7/23/2020 6:56am
The man who saved Rio Bravo from going away forever has passed away. Sad

Rest in peace Danny, thank you for all you have done for the rest of us.




Video of him showing all he did to bring Rio Bravo back from the ashes.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1v037g



Here are some old pictures of Danny himself racing Rio back in the day.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B6j57G0xlEZsVmJaQkhoYlRrVGc


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40acres
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40acres 7/16/2020 10:17pm
7/16/2020 10:17pm
Damnit, RIP Danny. The world lost one helluva guy.
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slipdog
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slipdog 7/16/2020 11:00pm
7/16/2020 11:00pm
Any friend of moto is a friend of mine. Rest in peace, Danny!
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mag250
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mag250 7/17/2020 3:58am
7/17/2020 3:58am
Rest in Peace Danny you made a HUGE impact on the moto community.
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USA
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USA 7/17/2020 10:48am
7/17/2020 10:48am
Rest in peace Danny, thank you for all you did and thank you for saving an iconic track.
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500guy
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500guy 7/17/2020 11:11am
7/17/2020 11:11am
Sorry for your Loss, RIP Danny
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VetMX.com
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VetMX.com 7/17/2020 11:53am
7/17/2020 11:53am
Wow, really bummed to hear this. RIP Danny and THANK YOU!
2
braaap
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braaap 7/17/2020 2:25pm
7/17/2020 2:25pm
What a huge impact that guy had on so many Texas motocrossers. Rio Bravo was a dump when Danny obtained it and he slowly and methodically transformed it into a really good track with a great atmosphere. RIP Danny.
5
PastranaWho
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PastranaWho 7/17/2020 3:09pm
7/17/2020 3:09pm Edited Date/Time 7/17/2020 3:11pm
He really had a nice track setup there. R I P Sir. Just curious was it the covid?
speedman
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speedman 7/17/2020 3:13pm
7/17/2020 3:13pm
RIP Danny. A great guy and good at everything he turned his hand to: music, bikes, engineering, track management, etc.

An example of his work on Rio: he talked a hydrologist friend into doing a pro bono formal study of the facility's floodwater flow and retention rates and gave that to the county's engineers to plug into their flood management schemes, and since then the county officials have been pretty solidly on Rio's side. (Unfortunately, no model predicted how @#$&ing high that bayou could flood.)

Another example: Remember the BP Deepwater Horizon well blowout in the Gulf? Danny was behind the design of the one-off device used to cap it when conventional methods couldn't. He said he got the idea from the taper-fit countershaft sprockets on the earlier Husqvarnas he raced. (That blowout could have been capped 2-3 weeks sooner, but the Feds insisted on lengthy studies of the potential environmental impact of this new & untried capping device.)

A brilliant guy and a true friend to moto.
11
40acres
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40acres 7/17/2020 3:19pm
7/17/2020 3:19pm
speedman wrote:
RIP Danny. A great guy and good at everything he turned his hand to: music, bikes, engineering, track management, etc. An example of his work on...
RIP Danny. A great guy and good at everything he turned his hand to: music, bikes, engineering, track management, etc.

An example of his work on Rio: he talked a hydrologist friend into doing a pro bono formal study of the facility's floodwater flow and retention rates and gave that to the county's engineers to plug into their flood management schemes, and since then the county officials have been pretty solidly on Rio's side. (Unfortunately, no model predicted how @#$&ing high that bayou could flood.)

Another example: Remember the BP Deepwater Horizon well blowout in the Gulf? Danny was behind the design of the one-off device used to cap it when conventional methods couldn't. He said he got the idea from the taper-fit countershaft sprockets on the earlier Husqvarnas he raced. (That blowout could have been capped 2-3 weeks sooner, but the Feds insisted on lengthy studies of the potential environmental impact of this new & untried capping device.)

A brilliant guy and a true friend to moto.
I've also heard the rumors that he had helped Yamaha during all of their Rhino lawsuits in the early 2000's. A lot of those were settled, but Yanaha successfully defended the majority of the cases that went to trial. I never had a chance to discuss that with Danny, so I cannot confirm.
3
Johnny Depp
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Johnny Depp 7/17/2020 3:29pm
7/17/2020 3:29pm
PastranaWho wrote:
He really had a nice track setup there. R I P Sir. Just curious was it the covid?
Not CV, he was on a walker at the Houston SX and had been deteriorating for a few years hoping for a recovery.
Danny organized the flaggers and always had a VIP booth at the SX going back decades. Some may remember the continued theft problem he had a Rio also from Vital threads.

Currently Larry Hughes is involved with Rio apparently, and Danny's son and daughter IIRC will/have taken over.

God Bless him and his family and friends. RIP.
7
Zoom
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Zoom 7/17/2020 5:32pm
7/17/2020 5:32pm Edited Date/Time 7/17/2020 6:19pm
Danny was also very close with Roger DeCoster. Roger has used Danny and his crew for collecting data on the KTM test tracks.

Danny was extremely smart and at the same time very kind and gentle. An amazing Dad and Husband. Has 3 wonderful daughters along with Danny Jr.

I'm honored to have been friends with him the last 10 years or so, and cherish the last few months while he was battling his health issues.

He reached out to me about 6 weeks ago to help out with Rio while his heath was failing. Got to see him at the track a week before he was hospitalized. Maybe the highlight of my year!

Whenever we would talk on the phone the last several weeks, even though he was struggling he would always ask how my son Ethan was going. Danny loved Ethan and admired his attitude while battling leukemia the last two years.

Danny left a HUGE positive impact on the Houston MX community. Its up to us to carry on his passion and love for the sport that we all enjoy.

Larry Hughes

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jmc2
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jmc2 7/17/2020 6:41pm
7/17/2020 6:41pm
Very sorry to hear this, RIP Danny.
2
Superdave19
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Superdave19 7/17/2020 7:05pm
7/17/2020 7:05pm
Zoom wrote:
Danny was also very close with Roger DeCoster. Roger has used Danny and his crew for collecting data on the KTM test tracks. Danny was extremely...
Danny was also very close with Roger DeCoster. Roger has used Danny and his crew for collecting data on the KTM test tracks.

Danny was extremely smart and at the same time very kind and gentle. An amazing Dad and Husband. Has 3 wonderful daughters along with Danny Jr.

I'm honored to have been friends with him the last 10 years or so, and cherish the last few months while he was battling his health issues.

He reached out to me about 6 weeks ago to help out with Rio while his heath was failing. Got to see him at the track a week before he was hospitalized. Maybe the highlight of my year!

Whenever we would talk on the phone the last several weeks, even though he was struggling he would always ask how my son Ethan was going. Danny loved Ethan and admired his attitude while battling leukemia the last two years.

Danny left a HUGE positive impact on the Houston MX community. Its up to us to carry on his passion and love for the sport that we all enjoy.

Larry Hughes

Well said Larry
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500 Mike
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500 Mike 7/17/2020 8:36pm
7/17/2020 8:36pm
Very sorry to hear this. My heart goes out to his family. RIP.

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Gworm
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Gworm 7/18/2020 6:59am
7/18/2020 6:59am
Sounds like he was a great guy. My condolences to his family.
Does anyone know how old he was?
Jaybird67k
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Jaybird67k 7/18/2020 7:26am
7/18/2020 7:26am
Danny was a great man and a friend to all. We will miss him dearly.
Found some old pics I took at the track after a good day of riding then a refreshing dip in the pool. He was a great musician as well.




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Zoom
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Zoom 7/18/2020 4:36pm
7/18/2020 4:36pm
Gworm wrote:
Sounds like he was a great guy. My condolences to his family.
Does anyone know how old he was?
Danny was in his early 60's.
G-man
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G-man 7/18/2020 5:14pm
7/18/2020 5:14pm
Did not know of Danny, but he sounded like a Great Guy...

RIP...
atrdrvr7
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atrdrvr7 7/18/2020 6:15pm
7/18/2020 6:15pm
RIP Danny. Such a nice dude. Made Rio a great place to ride. Will be missed. Prayers.
LoudLove
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LoudLove 7/19/2020 4:31pm
7/19/2020 4:31pm
JAFO92 wrote:
The man who saved Rio Bravo from going away forever has passed away. :( Rest in peace Danny, thank you for all you have done for...
The man who saved Rio Bravo from going away forever has passed away. Sad

Rest in peace Danny, thank you for all you have done for the rest of us.




Video of him showing all he did to bring Rio Bravo back from the ashes.

https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x1v037g



Here are some old pictures of Danny himself racing Rio back in the day.

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/0B6j57G0xlEZsVmJaQkhoYlRrVGc


I did not know Danny, but I know BAD ASS moto pics! Man, that shot just takes me back to when riding and racing was just balls-out throttle twisting. I’m very sorry for his passing, and that photo was a memory of simpler times. WFO Danny!
4
mag250
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mag250 7/19/2020 8:39pm
7/19/2020 8:39pm
Jaybird67k wrote:
Danny was a great man and a friend to all. We will miss him dearly. Found some old pics I took at the track after a...
Danny was a great man and a friend to all. We will miss him dearly.
Found some old pics I took at the track after a good day of riding then a refreshing dip in the pool. He was a great musician as well.




He wanted folks to enjoy moto and life.

Just a Great Man.
2
Dirtysmile56 7/23/2020 6:56am
7/23/2020 6:56am
I've never been there or knew Danny but what a legacy he created and incredible life lived! RIP Danny. That video of him at his track is very inspiring.
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