| July 2, 2023
Cycle News Archives
COLUMN
A Band of Brothers
By Kent Taylor | Photos by Kit Palmer
It is one of the most powerful and onerous tenets of the U.S. Army’s soldier’s creed: “I will never leave a fallen comrade.”
Motorcycle racing should not pretend to be a battle of life and death, a clash between good and evil, but back in 1986, some of the best motocrossers in the history of the sport put their own brand of loyalty on the line—literally! At Sacramento’s SVRA, the longtime site of the AMA’s Hangtown National, the best American riders (and several Europeans) raced not for points or prize money of any sort. Instead, they took to the track for one of their own fallen comrades, a freckle-faced redhead named Danny Chandler.
In 1986, many legendary and top motocrossers of the time gathered at the Prairie City SVRA, aka Hangtown, to race in honor of Danny “Magoo” Chandler (center).
“Magoo” Chandler needs no introduction to the vintage moto heads, but for the generation that can’t comprehend the oxymoronic nature of the term “rap music,” Chandler was one of the most popular racers of the early 1980s. His victories at the United States’ Grand Prix at Carlsbad, the AMA Superbikers, and the Trophee and Motocross Des Nations made him one of the most successful racers of his era, but it was his wild riding style that made him a crowd favorite. Chandler perfected the act of rider/motorcycle separation at high speed and motocross fans seemed to love him for it.
Chandler’s flashy, yet solid career ended in early 1986. Discarded by American sponsors, he had gone to Europe to compete in the Grands Prix series, along with an occasional Supercross event. It was at one of those indoor events in Paris where Magoo crashed for the last time, suffering injuries that resulted in permanent paralysis. Danny Chandler would not only never walk again, but his injuries also left him with only partial use of his arms and hands.
The Sacramento OHV event (where, just three years earlier, Chandler had won an AMA 500c National) drew an estimated 5000 spectators, a number that would’ve topped many regular AMA Nationals of the 1970s. The day featured two pro races; one for the current top riders of the day (where Jeff Ward would top his teammate Ron Lechien for the win) and another race, dubbed “Champs of The Past.” The champs lineup read like a 1970s Trans AMA race program: Roger DeCoster, Brad Lackey, Jim Pomeroy, Jim Weinert, Marty Smith, Rich Eierstedt, Billy Grossi, Darrel Shultz, Donnie Hansen and others came out to help raise much-needed medical funds for Danny.
Some of these riders had been Chandler’s teammates. DeCoster, as Team Honda manager, had even hired Magoo. But it was Grossi who had perhaps the most storied relationship with the wild child from Palo Alto, California. Billy’s ride that day would be not only a brilliant display of MX skill, it would also put a nicely tied bow on the odd rivalry between these two top Northern Cal riders.
Billy Grossi, one of Chandler’s track rivals and best friends, leads Brad Lackey at the Magoo Invitational MX at Hangtown in 1986.
“We grew up in the same area,” Billy recalled at that time, “and he was really fast on a 125. In the fall of 1975, I was home from the Nationals, getting ready for the Trans AMA and my friends wanted me to race him at a local track in Watsonville, California.”
Billy reluctantly accepted the challenge and rode a borrowed Honda CR125 against Chandler. The fact that Grossi was under contract with Team Suzuki made a bad idea really bad—though the worst was yet to come! Billy crashed that day and suffered a badly broken leg, which put an end to his very successful ’75 season. He would miss not only the Trans AMA Series that fall, but would be unable to defend his Florida Winter Series Championship in early ’76.
“I knew I shouldn’t ride that bike,” he said. “I just knew it. And it did not go over well with Suzuki. Not at all!”
A few years later, in 1981, Billy’s season would come to another early end. He had just completed a strong 500cc series as a semi-privateer, earning a full factory ride with Team Husqvarna. But at RedBud, the second round of the re-named Trans USA Series, bad luck struck again. A strong first-moto ride ended disastrously when, on the last lap, another rider crashed into Grossi. His name? Danny Chandler!
“I came off a jump and Chandler landed on me,” he told Cycle News, while nursing a badly swollen hand with ice. “I had just moved to third…I don’t know if anything’s broken or not.” He would find out later that it was indeed broken. The injury was slow to heal, and it would plague him throughout much of the 1982 season.
Grossi retired from full-time racing in 1983. He did a few international races in 1984 but hadn’t ridden much since returning home. But the 1986 Magoo Benefit pulled him out of his retirement and, on a rented Yamaha YZ490, Grossi finished a strong second behind Marty Smith in the first moto. In the second moto, he passed early leaders Brad Lackey and Darrell Shultz, then kept Smith at bay to take the win and the overall.
“For whatever reason, I was feeling good that day,” Grossi said. “Marty Smith was my only guy to beat, and I did it in that second moto.
“I remember having a conversation with Danny after the race. We joked about our run-ins on the track over the years. I also remember talking with him about life and how quickly things can change.
“I think I was inspired to win for him that day!”
The benefit raised more than $15,000 to help with his medical expenses. Chandler passed away in 2010, the last years of his life being a mixture of enjoying life on the good days and battling dark demons on the bad ones. Up until the very last day of his life, the moto community continued to support him, even raising funds to purchase a wheelchair van for him, which he sadly would never get to drive.
Several years later, in 2002, Grossi himself was badly injured while competing in a vintage event. The motocross community around the U.S. rallied to raise support for him and his family. He made a full recovery and can still be found kicking up some dust on two-wheel adventure bikes.
The motocrosser’s creed: I will never leave a fallen comrade. A band of brothers indeed. CN
