Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

.TIME RE·MEMB.ERED 1981 MX des Nations ixteen years ago, on a bright, sunny September afternoon, four young American racers decked out in brilliant, sUrgical "=' white JT USA racing gear, electric-blue helmets (complete with white stripes), and yellow Camel cigarette racing bibs, set out to do battle at the 1981 Trophee des Nations in Lommel, Belgium. Staged in ravenous, dark, whoopedout brown sand, the four racers - Danny LaPorte, Johnny O'Mara, Chuck Sun and Donnie Hansen - were there to represent the United States in the World Team Motocross Championship of Motocross. No one present that day believed they had a chance to win. The AMA had not sent a team to the Trophee des Nations (for 250cc bikes) and the Motocross des Nations (for 500cc bikes) since 1978, and the 1981 effort was on the verge of being scrapped before Roger DeCoster and American Honda stepped in. The big-name American racers at the time, Bob Hannah, Broc Glover, Mark Barnett and Kent Howerton - for one reason or another had declined the invitation to represent their country at the "Olympics" of motocross. Things looked bleak for Team Amer- S \t§;JIj ica. 20 However, at the last moment, DeCoster and American Honda offered to coordinate and fund the effort Shortly thereafter, the team was whisked on to an airplane and flown directly to Europe. Upon arriving in Belgium, the American team was ridicured and scoffed at. It seems that the Europeans were very aware thaf the top U.S. riders had stayed back home. In their haste, they assumed that the four unknown Americans were in for a serious asswhipping from the world-renowned GP iron men. But things did not turn out that way. LaPorte, O'Mara, Sun and Hansen proudly took to the track, with the hopes and dreams of the American motocross public riding with them, and in a total display of domination, proceeded to trounce the mighty Grand Prix riders of Europe and leave the partisan Belgian spectators stunned. No one could believe it. To add insult to injury, Team USA came back a week later with its big-bore 500cc Hondas at the breathtaking, rock-hard Bielstein, Germany, circuit and ran off with the Motocross des Nations. So long the domain of the world's best and m'ost acclaimed motocross riders, the United States took· the measure of Europe's best open-class pilots. The damage had been done. Like it or not, from that day forward, the United States would now be nsidered the most powerful motocross nation on the planet. To help substantiate that lofty claim, Team USA would go on to win the Motocross des Nations for the next 12 consecutive years. It is now 16 years later and with the 1996 version of the Motocross des Nations approaching, we thought we would contact the four American racers who forever changed the face of international motocross. Interestingly, all four riders are still involved in the sport and share an unspoken respect and camaraderie with each other that can .only come from overcoming adversity through athletic achievement. Read on as LaPorte, O'Mara, sUn and Hansen tell the heroic story of that amazing week in their own words. You went into the 1981 Trophee des Nations at Lommel as the most experienced racer on the team. Did you .really believe that you guys had a chance to win the event? That's a good question. I think that going into it, I had no idea at all. I knew one thing for sure and that was that I was good in the sand, so that helped me a lot at the very first race. I was real confident in the sand because I had won a number of nationals in the stuff along with a few international races that Roger DeCoster had invited me over to do. At that time; when we won the Motocross and Trophe.e des Nations, was when Belgium had a really strong selection of riders. Holland as well. But Belgium had Vromans and Geboers and Malherbe who were incredibly good riders. But overall, I really had no idea. It was my first year with Honda and I started off slow because I had broken my wrist earlier in the year. So it was a hard sea- son coming back, but I was training a lot in the sand so I felt really confident. However, I don't thi.nk that I believed that we could really win, because at that time we were up against the Belgians who had the best sand riders in the world. I think we had a good team and everyone was really, really positive. Also, there was a lot more to it than just that because Roger, who was the team manager, was able to give us the right direction to go in Europe. At that time it was like the Americans going to the ISDE enduro thing. We needed a coach to show us the shortcuts to get to that point. Roger was really good because we started testing in the sand righ t away and immediately we.had problems with carburetion and that could have been a big dilemma - but Roger already foresaw that. Also checking the fuel. Roger said, "Okay, now the last test is that one of you guys has to go out and ride 45 minutes" - I dor!'t know if it was me or Johnny O'Mara - and then he said, "and if we run out of gas, then we know our tanks aren't big enough." We were like, "Dub, yeah, that's a good idea," and we went out and ran out of gas with two laps to go before 45 minutes were up. It also helped with the organization Jeff Spencer provided. He helped get us right back in shape after the jet lag. He was so sharp on that stuff because he had a Jot of international experience racing bicycles. It was a whole team that worked out really great. Mentally, we were so high, not only the physical side, but the positive mental side. We were so excited and determined. You came out of the era of European domination of the sport. When the dust and sand settled that afternoon, what were you thinking? You guys had just taken the, measure of the racers that had been beating on America for decades. I don't think there was any time in the history of racing motocross that there had been something as exciting as tha t day. I mean I had never seen Roger jumping up and down. Dave Arnold and Jeff Spencer - the looks on their faces. It was the most stunning thing that had ever happened to me in my life. We're not tennis players, or football players, soccer players. or Formula One drivers, we don't have world exposure like that, but at that moment, that day, we did. I have always regarded motocross as the most complete sport because of the physical side, the mental side, the organization, the racing ability, there. are so many aspects of motocross the normal person can't imagine doing. Thinking, concentrating, strategy, breathing, shifting, clutch, brake - so many things going on at one time. I've always looked at motocross as being the coolest sport in the world. At that time motocross was still really well known in Europe, so to win that day was like the ultimate thing. When I came off the track, I knew we had won because I had finished second behind Vromans in the second heat. I looked back over my shoulder and knew the points were there and I didn't know what to expect. Everyone in the pits was jumping up and down and people \:Vere running around everywhere. I remember it was like a joke, like it wasn't really true, but 1 knew it was true; I knew that it was for real. The feeling of winning that day, I mean I won the 250cc World Championship the year after, it wasn't the same feeling. J won the National Championship in America and it wasn't the same feeling. Racing rallies in Africa, whatever I have done wasn't the same feeling as that day. What else do you remember from that afternoon? Thuur Coen from Bel-Ray was our European connection and he hosted all the riders at the hotel and took care of everybody. It was really a giggle for him . to see us beat the Europeans, I don't know why (laughter). Also for Roger, even though he was European. He got a lot of flack for that in his own country. People don't really know that, but they were pissed off at him for giving us tips and for showing us the way to do it. Roger really took a risk to do that in his own country. It was just the right combination that afternoon. The Belgian riders were so strong, especially in the sand. They had Jobe and Geboers, Malherbe, Vromans, Harry Everts - in the deep sand these guys were so fast! They were also very confident. The way they were talking before the race, like it was a slam-dutik for them. They were not even considering the Americans. They were so confident that they would win. Would you call that day your finest moment in the sport?

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