Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
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CN III ARCHIVES BY LARRY LAWRENCE W hen talking about his reaction to his good friend Wayne Rainey's racing injury in 1993 that left him para- lyzed, Randy Mamola choked up. But then came a response you'd come to expect from Mamola. In a letter he wrote to his buddy at the time, in a nut- shell he said to Rainey, "I sure am glad you're still here. You might not be able to walk, but by god I can talk to you, I can shake your hand, I can hug you." That's just the way Mamola looks at life. He chooses to see the silver lining in almost any situation. And that approach has served him well. Here is a man who by all rights deserves to be a world champion. He was on the verge of winning the 500cc Motor- cycle Grand Prix world title four times, yet instead of focusing on what might have been, Mamola celebrates what was. He looks at the wins, the great Dakota demanded. "A legend. You're looking at a legend." The stats are indeed impres- sive. The Northern Californian was crowned runner-up four times in the 500cc Motorcycle Grand Prix World Championships. When he retired from Grand Prix racing at the end of 1992, he'd earned a total of 13 wins and 57 rostrum finishes. He also won five poles and scored GP podiums in three different decades. Perhaps even more important in the big picture, were the contributions Mamola made to society off the track and as a result helping to positively change the image of motorcyclists in the process. Mamola spoke of his work with Two Wheels for Life, the official charity of MotoGP that works to save lives in Africa – using motorcycles. "And I'll mention Two Wheels for Life, which was Riders for Health. My trip, my donations, the help of the riders and everyone that did things to get it to that point…Princess Anne told me I had to go and see how it was being spent and me and Barry went to Somalia before the civil war…we now reach more than 15 million people using motorcycles. Besides my friends and family, the motorcycle is the hero in my life. It has given me and these champions the passport to travel the world, to represent their country and/or brands and sponsors, in a sport that's one of the greatest things people can watch or be a part of." Mamola got his start as a flat track racer in Northern California's AMA Dis- trict 36. His hero was Harley-Davidson factory racer Rex Beauchamp, who he named his dog after. Along the way he began road racing as well. His first international exposure was traveling P126 battles, the adulation from his fans, the camaraderie with his fellow rac- ers and team members, being able to see the world and all the benefits a GP motorcycle racer enjoys and acknowledges that it was a privilege and a joy regardless of titles he did or did not attain. Mamola was in California when he got the call that he was going to be honored as a MotoGP Legend during the U.S. round of the MotoGP Cham- pionship in Austin. It was the middle of the night. In the morning when he told his son Dakota about it, it was pure Mamola humor. His son walked into the room and Randy whispered "You're looking at a legend." "What?" THE LEGEND OF MAMOLA Randy Mamola joins the legends club.