Danny LaPorte is a motocross racer that had a big hand in further popularizing the sport in America. LaPorte was born in Southern California in 1957, to a father that was an off-road motorcycle racer himself. LaPorte began racing local motocross races at age 11, and soon realized his talent. He began riding at a professional level in Southern California when he was 16. He was so much better than the competition, however, that he became bored by the time he was 17.
Around this same time, LaPorte made a trip to Snake River Canyon, Idaho to watch Evel Knievel’s tragic rocket cycle jump. “There was a motocross race held in conjunction with the jump and it had a $100,000 purse. I watched Marty Smith win the 125 race and I couldn’t believe it,” LaPorte said. He had previously raced against Smith multiple times, and usually beat him. Watching Smith win with such ease, and win $100,000 was the inspiration that he needed to get back in the sport. He did so well the next season that Suzuki called him, asking him to be a part of their factory team for 1976. LaPorte accepted, and made his debut in the AMA National Motocross Series on a 125.
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Born in Washington State on November 16, 1952, Jim Pomeroy, in many ways, would be the first American to really leave a mark on motocross history. Pomeroy began riding dirt bikes at age ten, and began racing a year later. At that time, however, there wasn’t a class for 14-year-olds and younger, so he was racing much older guys. He didn’t start winning until he was in his mid-teens. Pomeroy raced and won the Calgary Canadian Championship race at age fifteen, and from there began gaining recognition from Canada and the United States.
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Billy Liles is a motocross racer, mainly from the 1980s and 90s. Named “Rookie of the Year” in 1983, Liles was not one of the lucky few that won a championship his first year out, but he did receive a full factory sponsorship. Billy Liles was one of the first two members of Kawasaki’s Team Green. In late 1982, riding his 250cc Kawasaki, Liles won the 250cc class at New Berlin, NY, and later in 1983, he won the AMA Pro National at Lake Whitney, TX. Liles stayed with Kawasaki for three years, but would eventually sign with Honda.
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Malcolm Smith was born on March 4, 1941, in British Columbia, Canada. At the age of five, he and his parents moved to Southern California, where he would begin riding dirt bikes, and eventually build an empire. Smith began riding a Labretta scooter at age thirteen, but got his first dirt bike, a 1949 Matchless, when he was fifteen years old. He entered his first race that same year, and received second place. He went back and raced a month later and won.
Smith gained a small sponsorship from Nick Nicholson and began racing on Greeves motorcycles. Smith had a passion for the business-side of motorcycling, and helped build engines for K&N. While competing was only for hobby, Edison Dye came to his shop in the mid-60s with a proposition. Dye was beginning to import Sweedish-made Husqvarna motorcycles, and wanted Smith to be their main racer. Although hesitant at first, Smith decided to take the deal because Dye said that he would pay for Smith to race the International Six Day Trials (presently called the International Six Day Enduro), which was a dream come true for Smith. Read the rest of this entry »
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Bob (Robert) “Hurricane” Hannah was born on September 26, 1956, in Lancaster, California. His father was a motocross rider, and often took Bob along for rides as a child. When he was seven years old, his father got him his first bike. Many hours of Hannah’s childhood were spent riding in the desert of California, but he never raced. His father didn’t want him to race, for fear of his son getting hurt.
Once Hannah was 18-years-old and living out on his own, he entered his first race. Hannah won this first amateur race, and that would be the only race he would ever race as an amateur. He raced so much better than the other racers that the racing officials told him he would have to race further races in the expert class.
1975 was Hannah’s first complete year as an “expert” racer. He raced in two AMA Nationals events, with his best finish in sixth place. Considering he had only been racing for about a year, this was an exceptional feat. The next year, Yamaha decided to give Hannah a chance, even though he wasn’t really known but in the Southern California circuit. The then 19-year-old Hannah was signed up to race the 125cc Motocross Nationals. He won five of the eight races that season, leading to his first Championship. Read the rest of this entry »
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