Racer X: When We Were Kings

aeffertz
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https://racerx.libsyn.com/special-episode-when-we-were-kings-w-we-went-…

PDF of Magazine


Forty years ago, a quartet of young Americans traveled to Europe and turned the World Motocross community on its head. Danny LaPorte, Chuck Sun, Donnie Hansen, and Johnny O’Mara won the Trophée des Nations (250) on September 6, 1981 in Lommel, Belgium, and then the Motocross des Nations (500) a week later in West Germany
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Bacon_n_Egg'r
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9/10/2021 10:58am
aeffertz wrote:
https://racerx.libsyn.com/special-episode-when-we-were-kings-w-we-went-fast [url= https://racerxonline.com/2012/08/11/racer-x-archives-when-we-were-kings]PDF of Magazine[/url] [img] https://assets.libsyn.com/secure/show/117643/WWWK.jpg[/img] Forty years ago, a quartet of young Americans traveled to Europe and turned the World Motocross community on its...
https://racerx.libsyn.com/special-episode-when-we-were-kings-w-we-went-…

PDF of Magazine


Forty years ago, a quartet of young Americans traveled to Europe and turned the World Motocross community on its head. Danny LaPorte, Chuck Sun, Donnie Hansen, and Johnny O’Mara won the Trophée des Nations (250) on September 6, 1981 in Lommel, Belgium, and then the Motocross des Nations (500) a week later in West Germany
I had a listen last night while doing some work around the house, very enjoyable.

As a kid in Canada at the age of 12 in 1981, I remember how incredibly amazed I was to read (weeks later) about Amerika (from the podcast, don't lynch me) winning the Trophee and MXdN. It seemed otherworldly at the time, and the fact that we only got relatively small amounts of info back then made it seem all the more incredible.
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aeffertz
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9/10/2021 11:29am Edited Date/Time 9/10/2021 11:40am
Yeah, I listened to it this morning and thoroughly enjoy it! The race itself was before my time and the story came out before we got into moto. Quite the story! I never knew the same guys raced 250s and then 500s the following week. Hell, I didn’t even know it used to be two separate events.

Johnny O racing a 500 for the first time at that event itself blows me away! The entire read along had me smiling from start to finish.
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Question
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9/10/2021 11:53am
40 years later, Danny LaPorte is still a king in France. He is one of the coolest persons I ever talked too ; he was representing FMF incredibly well in France.

That is also why I encourage any rider to go abroad for a bit, even if it is "just" off seasons races like the Paris Supercross, it builds a big international fan base.
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Forty
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9/10/2021 12:01pm
I remember. At that time my world was MX.
This news shocked the world.
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The Shop

motomike137
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9/10/2021 12:48pm
I remember the grassroots effort to raise money and send a team. I've got the sweatshirt tucked away somewhere. The USA went on a nice little run after this win and really changed the face of the sport for a long time. It seems that things have kind of equalized or swung back in the last decade but my gosh it has been a fun ride Smile
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jjavaman
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9/10/2021 1:14pm
Pure torture waiting for MXA to arrive with that story!
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Magoofan
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9/10/2021 10:17pm
Back when moto WAS King.

Totally different sport today.
CPR
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9/11/2021 2:01am
Back when riders strived to represent their country at MXdN 👍
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ATKpilot99
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Lake Geneva, WI US
9/11/2021 6:27am
CPR wrote:
Back when riders strived to represent their country at MXdN 👍
Some high profile riders declined to go which is why we had this team , but the rest as they say is history .
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