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►It was the ninth inning,
two outs, the score tied, and the count was three and two against American
motocross pride. We hadn't fielded a team in the World Series of Motocross since
1978. The year 1981 was to be an immortal sports classic—the underdog versus the
world.
It was at that fateful moment, as the ball whistled free from
the pitcher's twirling
wrist, that
the fans stepped into the game. They gave it their all… money, support, best
wishes and dreams. But it was questionable whether America's Mudville motocross
team would ever get up to bat—much less let Mighty Casey take his swing!
The
Europeans didn't respect our team. They were arrogant and brash. After all,
their Murderer's Row of DeCoster, Aberg, Weil, Robert and Jonsson had pitched
no-hitters against us for ten years. And our long-ball hitters (Hannah, Barnett,
Glover and Howerton) refused to come out of the dugout. To the Europeans (who
also believe the Motocross and Trophee des Nations are the World Championships),
our Gashouse Gang of unknowns wasn't in the same league.
TROPHEE DES NATIONS
PLAYING WITH THEIR BALL
The
American Team left the United States surrounded in controversy, and they landed
over there in even more turmoil. European promoters, fans, journalists and
riders said that the American Team of Sun, Hansen, O'Mara and LaPorte was a
"second rate" team. They had read American magazines and knew that Bob, Mark,
Kent and Broc were the stars. European motocross depth is very weak; they
assumed that it must be the same in American talent. High-ranking FIM officials
took high-ranking AMA officials aside and mumbled that they were embarrassed for
us! The event promoter at the Trophee des Nations in Belgium stated that the
American Team was a joke, and refused to raise their start money to equitable
levels.
Europeans
idolize winners and can care less about last year's star. Chuck Sun's victory at
the 500cc USGP, O'Mara's U.S. 125 GP win, Hansen's third place National finish
behind Howerton and Hannah, and Danny LaPorte's 500cc National Championship
meant nothing to them.
American
cool kept a lid on seething anger. The Americans psyched the Europeans by
playing the underdog to the hilt... "No, I've never seen sand like this... No,
we don't have tracks like this in America... Yes, it is very difficult... " And
the Europeans ate it up and walked away from the American camp with broad
smiles, their suspicions confirmed.
In timed
practice the Americans were fast. "Anyone can go fast for a lap or two, the
track gets rougher during the race, the Europeans are saving themselves," was
the continental line.
After the
short qualifying races, used to trim the 13 entered countries down to 7, the
Americans came out as the highest-qualified team.
A Finnish
partisan said after the American domination of the qualifiers, "No European
rider was trying hard. The Americans were obviously going as fast as they could,
and it was a mistake. You'll see!" No Europeans believed what they had seen, and
all were fully convinced that the 40-minute Trophee des Nations would wipe the
Americans out.
TROPHEE DES NATIONS
The Trophee
is the World Team Motocross Championship for 250cc bikes. Each Nation enters
four riders, and the three highest scores are added together from each moto for
each country. The team with the best finishes (lowest score) wins the World
Championship.
When the
gate dropped, the partisan Belgian crowd lurched forward to see who would lead
the pack onto the whooped-out Lommel sand track. There was a collective gasp as
Johnny 0' burst into the first turn. Fanatical Belgians leaned over the fences
and urged the Belgian Team of Andre Vromans, Marc Velkeneers, Eric Geboers and
Harry Everts on. In their dazzling white uniforms with blue helmets, the
American team was packing the front of the field.
Sand
specialist Andre Vromans got past O'Mara to win the moto. Vromans lives only two
miles from the Lommel circuit. As the incensed Belgian fans screamed at their
riders to go faster, the American team was running second, third, fourth and
sixth! No one could believe it!
Programs
were being flipped open as 20,000 people tried to find out who those guys in
white were. Sun had some shock problems and slipped back to eighth at the
finish, but after counting up the first-moto points the Americans had nine
points (2+ 3+ 4 equal 9). Second place was held by Belgium, with 20 points for
their three best scores.
In the
second moto the Belgian fortunes took a turn for the better as Vromans and
Geboers took the lead and squirted away, followed by Sweden's Conny Carlsson and
a dynamic American duo of Danny LaPorte and Donnie Hansen. Enthusiastic and
nationalistic Belgian fans hugged each other and smiled. O'Mara and Sun were
stuck back in the pack with Everts and Velkeneers. "Now," thought the Europeans,
"we will whip the upstart Yanks."
But at the
halfway mark the tide had turned. Sand specialist Andre Vromans still had the
lead, but Geboers and Everts had bailed, and LaPorte took over the chase of the
local hero. Johnny 0' had come through the pack for a solid third. Hansen faded
back to 11th, but Chuck Sun hooked up with Harry Everts and zapped him on the
last lap. The Americans came in second, third and sixth.
There was
no question about who had won. If all of the European teams' best scores had
been added together, the American team still would have won. It was a staggering
display of total domination. American riders hugged their mechanics, shook their
fists in the air and even had a few damp eyes. The Americans loved it. The
Belgian fans hated it.
WHAT IT DID TO THEM
Joel Robert
went to the head of the Belgian Motorcycle Federation after the United States'
victory and offered his and Roger DeCoster's services. "We will practice two
days next week, and we'll win," said Joel. "You need all the help you can get!"
Meanwhile,
Roger DeCoster was taking flak from the Belgians, and having a marvelous
experience at the same time. DeCoster was serving as the American Team Manager.
He had won the Trophee many times for Belgium, and now his boys, his Honda team,
his underdogs from America, had won the Trophee again. Without three men, the
United States Team would never have left America—Roger DeCoster, who believed in
American motocross; Dick Miller, who believed in the American people; and Larry
Maiers, who led a united American motorcycle industry into the whole glorious
episode.
Danny
LaPorte called home after the Trophee to tell his family about the win. The
phone call cost him $750. His share of the purse and start money was only $400.
The Belgian
promoter deducted 3500 Francs ($21) out of the U.S. prize money to pay for a
hotel room that Roger DeCoster had cancelled, but apparently wasn't cancelled.
It was a small way of getting even.
To rub a
little salt in, DeCoster offered to buy the champagne that the confident Belgian
Team had bought before the event even started. Of course, Roger only offered to
pay them half price.
Thuur Coen,
the Bel-Ray chief in Europe, supplied all the logistical support and
transportation needs of the American Honda riders. Thuur also went up to the
loudspeakers after the American victory and praised the American team in perfect
Flemish. "We have proven that it wasn't a joke!" was his finishing line.
MOTOCROSS DES NATIONS IN
GERMANY
Victory is
sweet, and the fantastic feeling of doing the impossible was everywhere. It was
even sweeter because it finally rubbed back into the Europeans all the abuse and
ridicule the Americans had taken.
"Hey, we
are the only team that can win both the Motocross and Trophee," said a mechanic.
"Wouldn't that be neat? World Champions in both Trophee and Motocross des
Nations!"
"We can do
it," enjoined Johnny O', and the team was off for Germany and the 500cc
Motocross des Nations.
Bielstein,
Germany, was a different story. O'Mara had never ridden a 500 in competition,
and the track was a greasy, cow-piefilled pasture. Everyone watched Johnny O'
because he was the unknown factor. He had to do well or our four-man team would
be pared to a fragile three-man effort. There would be no room for mistakes.
In the
first practice Johnny only did three laps. "I can't ride this thing," he said.
"The front end is either up in the air or the rear end is trying to pass me!"
After the
second practice, O'Mara's mechanic, Paul Turner, soothed Johnny's worries and
kept trying to fix the bike, but Paul knew that the bike was right. It was
Johnny who had to adjust.
At the end
of practice Johnny 0' wasn't too confident. He came in, parked the bike, pointed
at a big German cow patty and said, "I'd rather eat one of those than ride this
bike!"
Timed
practice proved different, as Donnie Hansen was the fastest rider of all, and
Johnny 0' was a solid tenth-fastest. When the 500cc qualifiers were over, the
American Team had topped the heap again. There was no more European talk about
American mistakes, burn-outs or second-rate teams.
Hakan
Carlqvist of Sweden was to be the hero of Germany as he motored his works 500cc
Yamaha to two clear-cut moto wins. Sun was in sixth on the first lap, with
Hansen in ninth and O'Mara and LaPorte buried in the back of the pack. Hansen
was hot as he came from ninth to second in four laps. Sun threw a chain and lost
several places, but fought back into the fray only to derail again, and finally
ended up 20th. Hansen was second, LaPorte came from a second-row start to finish
sixth and Johnny 0' was 11th. The tally wasn't so good, as the British team of
Graham Noyce, Dave Thorpe, Dave Watson and Geoff Mayes were one point better
than the Yanks-18 to 19. We had to beat them.
SECOND-MOTO SHOWDOWN
It started
to rain as the 500cc machines roared into the first turn. Hakan Carlqvist again
took the lead and disappeared, but the American team wasn't impressed
Carla had
kicked at Sun and rammed him at the end of the first moto, because he thought
that Sun was blocking him. The American Team was way, way back. LaPorte was in
10th, O'Mara 16th, and Hansen and Sun were in the 20's. A lap later Sun crashed,
twisted his recently injured knee and had to drop out. That meant that every
American had to finish... and finish ahead of an Englishman. It looked dismal.
British
Yamaha rider David Watson was in fourth, Thorpe was ninth, and Noyce was moving
through the pack. It looked like the English would get even for 1776, but Noyce
suddenly slowed. He was out with a flat rear tire. It was now three against
three.
In the
pouring rain the Americans kept coming. They were one-on-one against the
British. LaPorte poured it on. He passed Swede Torlief Hansen, David Watson and
German rider Walter Gruhler, and began a run on Dutchman Gerard Rond for second
place.
A pit board
went up in the American pits that said, "Need Points!" The score was tied, and
the laps were running out. LaPorte ignored the rain and moved in on Rond. As the
Dutchman and Californian flew across a concrete road section, they went into a
dropoff, followed by an uphill jump. LaPorte dove under Rond after the jump,
snatched second place from the Dutchman, and victory from the British. Danny
never backed off, and supported by O'Mara and Hansen (who sandwiched young
Thorpe), the Americans had their second World Championship in seven days. By one
point!
NINTH INNING
America's
name is no longer mud in the world of motocross, and for the Mudville Team it
was a stunning and emotional victory. Mighty Casey had not struck out.■
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