The classic bad ass motorcycle racer thread

[budman]

Dave Thorpe

3 time MXGP Champ from Great Britain

 

[Disco]

Great thread! Loving these vintage pics.

 

[Blankpage]

Franco Uncini 1982. Roberts once said he had never seen a championship performance like Uncini's. Dude rode the wheels off that Suzuki.

 

[SuperMike]

Bubba Shobert. Too nice a guy to be a bad ass, but you wouldn't know that from his riding.

 

[SuperMike]

Bad Brad Lackey

Brad's a Bay Area local and because my sign shop was on the same street as his screenprinting shop we've become friends. He's the first and only American to win the 500cc MXGP. That was in '82. His mechanic, Steve Stasiefski, is one of the first guys to ever put upside-down forks on a race bike.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RPWikyxaW14
[youtube]RPWikyxaW14[/youtube]

 

[Johndicezx9]

Franco Uncini 1982. Roberts once said he had never seen a championship performance like Uncini's. Dude rode the wheels off that Suzuki.

Pics, man...

 

[SFMCjohn]

Privateer Dale Quarterley stuffing it under
Factory rider Fred Merkel in Turn 10 to take the lead at the
1984 Loudon Classic.His engine broke a bit later on.

Fast by Ferracci Ducati 851 ridden by Dale Quarterley.

Dale Quarterley spent 13 years racing in the AMA obtaining four championships. In 1988 winning the AMA Battle of the Twins Title and two AMA Endurance Championships. Then in 1993, Quarterley placed 2nd in the AMA Superbike National Championship with team Mirage; including an AMA Superbike National win at Mid-Ohio earning him the title of most successful privateer in the history of AMA road racing.

... I think Mr Quarterley was the last privateer to
win an AMA National Superbike roadrace ...

... racing a Bimota DB1R ...

The Ducati-based, Tamburini-styled DB1 has long been one of the most desirable of Bimotas, but the ultra-rare DB1R racer, built in conjunction with the Ducati factory, powered by a Ferracci-tuned 853cc engine is the most covetable of all.

Quarterley’s Ducati Connection on Superbike Planet ...

Ducati continued the development of its machine
and by 1991 the result was the Ducati 888 and that machine
with Doug Polen at the controls began Ducati’s dominance in both
AMA and World Superbike. But that ascendency would not have been
possible without the groundwork laid by Quarterley’s
stint with Ferracci Ducati in the late 1980s.

Do it Yourself Motorcycle Racing by Kevin Cameron ...
fun insights into the insanity of trying to campaign a streetbike ...

[YOUTUBE]WLGMrJqgJT0[/YOUTUBE]

1984 Superbike race at Laguna ...
including on-bike sighting lap with no infield ... arty

... crash at 7 minutes ... Mr Quarterley had
the most impressive compound broken collar bone
scar I ever saw ...

 

[budman]

Bubba Shobert. Too nice a guy to be a bad ass, but you wouldn't know that from his riding.

Bad racers can be nice guys. Bubba was awesome. Like a few here injuries forced retirement.

If that is keeping anyone from posting somebody well then... my bad.

Brad was my first real MX moto hero. Total respect for him. Great pics Mike.

...and thanks to you he was barf's Tshirt printer until he retired.

I have a bunch more MX guys to add at some point.

 

[budman]

Scott Parker 9 time champ

Scott Parker was the guy for a few years.
55 Mile wins.
35 1/2 mile wins.

When it came to sliding at speed he was one of the best ever.

He and Jay had some great battles.

Jay, Scott and Chris were the epic HD dudes for a long time.

AMA HOF Profile.

 

[SFMCjohn]

Reg Pridmore (1), Steve McLaughlin (83), David Emde (56) and Mike Baldwin (43) ...

... BA clubracing club is BA ... front row,
AFM 6 Hour Endurance race,
Ontario Motor Speedway, 1979 ... arty

Outside of AMA Road Race Nationals,
probably the most important road race in
America during the 1970s was the
American Federation of Motorcyclists (AFM) Six-Hour.

The AFM’s Six-Hour endurance race brought together
some of the top AMA road racing stars and very often
factory entries. You could say it was America’s version
of the Suzuka Eight-Hour. The race helped launch
Superbike racing in America and then later hosted
some of AMA Superbike’s elite teams ...

... The 1980 Six-Hour was perhaps the zenith of the event.
It pitted Freddie Spencer and Ron Pierce on a factory Honda CB750F-based Superbike,
against the Team Kawasaki’s David Aldana and Eddie Lawson
and the Yoshimura Suzuki of Wes Cooley and Rich Schlachter –
basically a full-on
team AMA Superbike race ...

Cycle News archives: AFM 6 Hour:
http://www.cyclenews.com/2016/05/article/archives-the-afm-six-hour/

... who knew?

 

[budman]

David Bailey

The son of a solid MX racer Gary.. David hit the scene with grace and style.

Loved to watching him ride. One of the guys I tried to ride like.
He went for it, but was not seen as out of control often even when on the gas.

I was at Hangtown when he had a clash with Broc Glover. Both went down 3 times in the last 4 corners.. knocking each other down in and epic battle for the moto win.

Wiki page David Bailey

He was paralyzed from the waste down ending his racing career, but did color on the Supercross and Outdoor series for quite a while after.

 

[budman]

Danny "Magoo" Chandler

Magoo was a wild man... probably MX's most famous crasher. He was nicknamed Magoo because of Magoo the near sighted comic character.

He went for it. I remember seeing him being amazed --

He was awesome in the Superbikers made for TV races as well.

Seeing him win the USGP at Carlsbad and Jim Mckay saying "Chandler is out of shape, but he loves it there" has stuck in my head.

Magoo was another that ended his career with a severe injury that left him in a wheelchair. Brad Lackey and other famous racers had a fundraiser to buy him a van years later and I donated to that.

Long live Magoo!

[YOUTUBE]ibcI3aSC36M[/YOUTUBE]

Brady Lackey's Magoo fundraiser video
[youtube]n687rxENags[/youtube]

 

[Map8]

Bailey was so smooth. Loved to watch him ride.


On the other end of the spectrum: MAGOO!

Danny Magoo Chandler

From the link:

However, no one in the history of the Trophee and Motocross des Nations events ever managed to do what Danny “Magoo” Chandler did over two glorious weeks in 1982. Riding for Team Honda, Chandler obliterated the competition in the Trophee des Nations’ 250 class and the Motocross of Nations on the 500. Chandler went 1-1 in Gaildorf, Germany, and then 1-1 again in Payerne, Switzerland. And he didn't just win—he literally disappeared from the world's best riders all four times.

All this after his legendary win at the USGP at Carlsbad.

 

[Map8]

Just had the mind meld with budman. Posting about Magoo at the same time.

 

[budman]

Just had the mind meld with budman. Posting about Magoo at the same time.

Yes we did.

 

[Map8]

When Roseville Honda was still a pretty small store in old town Roseville, they had one of Magoo's Honda 500 racebikes on display in the showroom. My old roommate and I used to stop by regularly just to stare at it. Brok had Chandler out as a special guest at one the SupermotoUSA races at Prairie City shortly before Magoo passed away. He spent a bunch of time talking with everyone and signing autographs. It was really cool.

 

[SFMCjohn]

Long live Magoo!

[YOUTUBE]ibcI3aSC36M[/YOUTUBE]

... wow ... awesome ... really well done documentary ...

 

[ratpick]

Can't leave out Wayne Gardner...

Aussie! Aussie! Aussie!

Oy! Oy! Oy!

Remember his crash at Laguna? Didn't he get his bell rung pretty good?

 

[Johndicezx9]

Remember his crash at Laguna? Didn't he get his bell rung pretty good?

That happens when you slide on your helmet at whatever speed he was going...

http://bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1642583&postcount=56

MaGee's was worse... I remember we were thinking he wasn't gonna make it.

http://bayarearidersforum.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1642604&postcount=57

Glad we were wrong.

 

[budman]

As I recall Gardner broke his leg in that crash. Great memory John... finding your post!