Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/196545
VOL. 50 ISSUE 42 OCTOBER 22, 2013 or sat in on photoshoots with him. I did, however, get the pleasure of doing those things throughout Carmichael's career. I watched him dominate AMA Motocross Nationals by over 30 seconds; I was at Glen Helen when he completed his perfect season in 2004. I watched him take James Stewart's hand and take a bow at the Las Vegas Supercross finale in 2006. I will always be able to say I had the honor of witnessing the "Greatest Of All Time" in some of his most memorable moments. But as for "The Best There Was," I didn't catch one. Hamel's very touching and emotional AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame induction not only left me teary-eyed (like most of those in attendance), but also left me wondering, "What could have been?" What would the landscape of modern off-road racing today look like had "The Best There Was" not been taken from us? Ty Davis, Destry Abbott, Johnny Campbell, Kurt Caselli… would these present day desert greats have been dwarfed by him in the record books? Would he have still been racing today? Still battling with Destry Abbott, or perhaps with Mike Brown in the AMA EnduroCross series? His sheer size and strength would have given him an upper hand in the hard enduro-style racing that has become so popular in the last decade. Maybe he would have been the first King of the Motos, or the Last Man Standing. Tragically, we'll never know. But fortunately, thanks to the AMA, we were at least given another highlight in his career – one that I did get the privilege of witnessing. Danny Hamel received his place in the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2013. And though I didn't know him in life, it seems perfectly fitting to me that "The Best There Was" was inducted alongside the "Greatest Of All Time." I can't think of better company for Danny Hamel than to live on in history with. Congratulations to Ricky, Danny, Norm McDonald, Randy Renfrow, and Mike and Dianne Traynor – the entire class of the 2013 AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame. CN P121 LOOKING BACK 40 Years Ago October 30, 1973 We put Arnaco, Girling, Ceriani, Curnutt, S&W, Boge and Betor shocks to test in our "Great Cycle News Shock Test," which was our feature story 40 years ago… We wrote about the possibility of motocross becoming a high-school sport… Adolf Weil returned to the Trans-AMA MX Series and won in Flowery Branch, Georgia. 30 Years Ago November 2, 1983 A photo of George Holland leading the pack through the first turn at Carlsbad during the Trans-Cal Series was featured on the cover 30 years ago; Holland, Rick Johnson and John Whelchel were the big winners… Ricky Graham won the Pontiac TT, but the GNC Camel Pro title went to Randy Goss… Kawasaki-mounted Terry Vance won the NHRA Winston World Finals at OCIR in California. 20 Years Ago October 27, 1993 A berm-busting action photo was pictured on the front page to accompany our riding impression of the 1994 Suzuki RM250R... We covered the Trial des Nations in Ireland; Team USA finished 12th… We interviewed World Speedway Champion Sam Ermolenko. 10 Years Ago October 22, 2003 New five-time World Champion Valentino Rossi, our 250cc MX Shootout and Chad Reed, for winning the U.S. Open, were featured on the cover 10 years ago… Kelly Smith took the overall win in the 125cc class at the U.S. Open… We reported the passing of legendary steel-shoe maker Ken Maely. Subscribe to nearly 50 years of Cycle News Archive issues: www.CycleNews.com/Archives