Danny “Magoo” Chandler

ABC-Superbikers 1982 Video Link

Danny “Magoo” Chandler

A Motocross Champion & Legend

If you were ever a Motocross racing enthusiast or raced motorcycles you’re self especially back in the 70’s and 80’s then you’ve most likely heard the Name Danny “Magoo” Chandler. In fact if you ever watched ABC Wide World of Sports Superbikers in 1982 then you know who I’m talking about and I bet you’ve never forgotten the name “Magoo” after that.

ABC Superbiker Event 1982 LINK

 I started racing Motocross in Northern California back in 1975, and it didn’t take long for me to notice one of the most spectacular motocross racers in the history of Motocross!  He started racing at a very young age and lived near Foresthill California just a short 25 minute ride from where I lived.  I knew him like so many others did back in the 70’s; a guy with true grit and determination to go as fast as a hand full of throttle would take him!  If it meant crashing hard or destroying his motorcycle, then so be it! But one thing for sure, the fans loved him for it.

His desire to race and win was courageous, and Magoo would do things that no other racer would ever dare doing in a race or had ever done before.

Like winning 4 straight Trophy Des Nation races in a row in Europe that no other motocross professional in the history of motocross has ever done before or since then.

Magoo’s former Honda Factory team manager and 5 time World Motocross Champion Roger DeCoster from Belgium.

Roger DeCoster

( I took this Picture)

said that he always had to tell other team factory riders to go faster, but with Magoo and his over the top riding style and subsequent crashing, he told him to slow down. It worked; and Danny Magoo Chandler was the man to beat.

Danny was nicknamed Magoo by his father when he was just a little boy. He had other nicknames such as California Wild child or kid? but the nickname Magoo stuck and would be the one that race fans came to know him as and cheer him on with at the race track.

Hangtown 1979 race during Practice

trying to blast through a deep mudpit.

(I'm one of the Spectators behind the fence upper left)

Magoo was amazing on a two wheeled machine.  Track crews had to cut off tree branches next to the tracks because Magoo was flying through them. One time before a race in Europe, a track official told DeCoster during practice that Danny was reckless and dangerous out on the track, Roger held up his clip board and showed him Magoo’s faster lap times than all the other riders and walked away. His talent and mesmerizing ability to do what he did was…. I can’t seem to find the words to describe; you just had to watch him race to know what I’m trying to say. There are literally hundreds of thousands of people who saw him race or personally witnessed his style of riding and they all will claim the same thing…

“IT WAS THE MOST AMAZING THING THEY EVER SAW ANYONE DO ON A MOTORCYCLE! “  Danny Magoo left an impression on everyone and whether it was his riding style or his personality it was always a positive one and I can personally vouch for that. 

Danny leading the Best of the Best on the start at Carlsbad

Danny was a down to earth person and had a friendly spirit. I read a Facebook comment that pretty much explained how Magoo was. This person commented about the one time he raced a Motocross national back in the day and he pulled up and parked in between Bob Hannah (A Motocross Champion at the time) and Danny Magoo Chandler in his 1963 Ford van. He posted that "You should have seen the look" Bob gave him, but then Danny walked right up to him and said "I like your van and then shook his hand.  I didn’t personally know Danny as well as his close friends and family did, but like thousands of fans from all over the world, I have my own stories to tell.

But before I begin my personal stories, I have to let you know, if you didn’t  already,  Danny “Magoo” Chandler at the age of 50 passed away back in October, 2010, (R.I.P. my friend) back in 1985, his motocross career was cut short from a fall, just seconds after winning a Supercross qualifier race in Paris. Danny’s accident left him paralyzed and confined to a Wheel chair after that incident years ago and his life changed dramatically from that day forward. He did a lot over the past twenty six years teaching and promoting racing safety at the race tracks across the country or wherever he could, and helping others who had similar injuries. He promoted Mountain bike races, was involved with the D.A.R.E program with students and also coordinated visits to Children’s Hospitals with Top motocross riders as well as being an instructor at his Motocross racing school and the importance of rider safety.

Magoo Benefit race- Danny surrounded by MX Champions who raced that day -80's

Danny Chandler with his Daughter

Brad Lackey, a motocross world champion himself was a good friend and fellow racer of Danny's and I have to give Brad a huge amount of respect and credit for being the one who stood by Magoo and spearheaded fund raisers for all those years since the accident. 



My Brother Todd on the left and Brad Lackey in the middle

 The first time I met Brad Lackey was at the age of 10 in Richmond at the Richmond Motorcycle Club Track back in 1970; I was riding my fathers friends Bultaco on a circle sidewalk with sand that you could slide around as you gassed the throttle. I was too small to reach the ground and so I had to broad-slide with my feet on the pegs, and I had just fallen down and Brad see's me and walks over and says hey that's a big bike and then says let me help you and proceeds to pick the Bultaco back up for me and while he is standing there holding the bike up - I said hey! can I get your autograph! and he said sure! So I run towards our vehicle to go get the same Suzuki banner that had all the other autographs on it and he is saying "oh hey what?"and I hurry and fetch the Suzuki banner and run back to where he is still holding the Bultaco and then say here it is. And brad looks at it and says... What? a Suzuki banner! jokingly and I said but it has all the other autographs on it. and he laughs and then signed it.  And that was that and we said goodbye So fast forward to the Magoo Benefit race in 1986 I again meet Brad after 25? years later - and I mentioned the story about the autograph on the Suzuki banner I got from him years ago and said "Now what motorcycle manufacturer did you win your Championship on?" and he laughed) I also watched him win races at Livermore (Carnegie Park) when he was still a teen! (After winning 3 Moto’s that day, he crashed doing a wheelie up and around a hill while leading his fourth Moto of the day- LOL) That was also the same track that same year me and my brothers watched the likes of Roger DeCoster, Joel Robert, Gerrit Wolsink, race motocross and got all of their their autographs on a muddy track marker (Suzuki banner) (Still have it)
Funny thing

The first time I watched Magoo race was at the Hangtown Motocross event back in 1976 when the race was held in Plymouth California near Placerville.  

Magoo at Hangtown MX AMA event  in Plymouth CA -1977

I had no clue who this racer was and each time he came by on the track the crowd cheered real loud. 

 I would also see him race at the local tracks on Sunday’s in between my own Moto’s. Everyone stopped what they were doing to watch the pros race. Darrell Schultz, Donnie Cantaloupe to name a few and then there was the guy they all cheered for and wanted to win!  Magoo dazzled them with his hard charging style! - Danny always gave 110 percent and part of that 110 percent was giving the race fans a show they would never forget! He would purposely Roost dirt at them and they would love it.  

I remember Magoo showed up one night at the Friday Night Motocross race at Sacramento Raceway in 1978 and someone loaned him their MX race bike, my brother Jody lent him a pair of MX boots, and I lent him my helmet and gloves so he could race that night. And One time at Prairie City OHV park (Hangtown) there was a long delay in between Moto’s and so me and a few racing buddies started jumping a flat section on top of a small hill near our pits and land on the other side, so while I was in the air, out of the corner of my eye, I see a tire near my head, Yep it was Magoo.  There was the time back in 1978 I watched Magoo win the Then MX Trans-AMA series race at Sears Point in Northern California.  Magoo crashed (if I remember correctly) 3 times in practice and crashed once or twice in the first Moto and placed 8^th and then he went out and won the second Moto with a huge lead for the overall win that day!  He told me that he was in tears on the last lap doing wheelies for the fans. He bested the best that day! It was AWESOME to watch!  The fans cheered more than I had ever heard at any MX event I have ever attended when they announced him as the overall winner that day!

 

In the late 80’s? After Magoo’s accident, I went to visit him at his house in Foresthill and his father was there along with Danny’s wife and young Daughter.  Inside Danny’s living room was his race bike and a shelf full of trophy’s he had won and helmets that he wore during his racing career. Danny and his father and I talked and laughed about the good ol days when he raced the local events and how they used to strap his motorcycle to the back of his dad’s Volkswagon bug to get him to the races. Danny’s father was just as nice as Danny, and I remember the 3 of us laughing at some of the things Danny did. Danny was so proud of his then 2-1/2? Year old daughter and he had her sing a couple of songs for me with her toy microphone.  I could see in Danny’s eyes while his daughter was singing, how happy he was to share this gift. 

 I left Danny’s house that day with a heavy heart. I drove down Foresthill road thinking about him and how his life is completely different that what it once was.

  If greatness was measured by someone’s True grit and determination to win then he has to be one of the greatest aside from being a Motocross Legend.

I took these photos at the 2004 Hangtown event - Bottom photo is Bill DaPrato

Magoo's longtime friend and mechanic

Danny “Magoo” Chandler’s family, fans, friends, and fellow racers & Champions back in the day included people from all over the world, and we were all very fortunate enough and Blessed to have witnessed a truly extraordinary Motocross legend … His memory is kept alive by all his fans from all over the world, we all proudly know as  …Magoo.

Danny “Magoo” Chandler

1959-2010

Honorable mention

 Doriano Zacchilli

Jeff Frank

for

Danny Magoo Chandler FB page  

 

Brad Lackey talks about Magoo

Brad Lackey Link Here

Roger DeCoster and Brad Lackey Talk about Magoo

at Hangtown MX 2010 Memorial for Danny

Lackey and DeCoster Video Link Here

The Day Roseville & Antelope Stood Sti-- ..... RUN!

Remembering.... 1973 Roseville Train Blasts -

 RUN!

Moving to Roseville California from the Bay area in 1972-73 school year was like stepping back a decade or two in time out to the country.  We moved to PFE road next to the railroad yard into a small shack of a house with our uncle and father and went to the smallest school ever.  Dry Creek school was a Kindergarten through 8th grade elementary school at that time.  It was way out in the rural back roads, southwest of Roseville. 

The school was so small, That the 7^th and 8^th grade students were all in the same classroom and the teacher, Mr. Anderson I believe was his name, was also the school Principal. We were the new kids (me and my twin brother Todd) and so it took us a few weeks or so to make friends especially when most of the other students all grew up together. We soon made friends and fit into this new lifestyle without too much trouble.

 

Anyone who lived in the Roseville/Antelope/Sacramento area back in the early 70’s will remember the Bombs!  

Yes the big blasts that shook everything for miles away and blew up railroad cars and leveled homes and a few hundred other things.  It made national headlines.

-On April 28, 1973, Antelope consisted of a post office, general store and a half-dozen homes - a place hardly worthy of notice. However, at 8:03 a.m., a rail car loaded with aircraft bombs exploded in the southern part of the Roseville switch yard destroying the general store and damaging most of the homes.- 

I remember that day as if it were yesterday and waking up and thinking who in the hell is shooting a shotgun this early in the morning? And very close to our little shack of a house and scaring all the farm animals my father accumulated from Denio’s auction.  I was a sound sleeper back then and almost nothing woke me up that early but after the 4th or 5th blast I remember waking up and going outside and my father was looking up into the sky. And then BOOM! Another Blast scared the crap out of me and then I saw it! The HUGE stadium size Mushroom of a Cloud in the air and couldn’t believe what I was seeing. 

The neighbor’s dog who always growled at us came running into our house for cover.  Another blast shook the house and cracked a window.  Just then a CHP officer turns into our driveway and steps halfway out of his patrol car and shouts for us to Evacuate Immediately!  We had barely enough time to get our shoes on when he shouted again that we needed to leave now because their might be poisonous gases in the air. Train parts weighing as much as 95Lbs or more flew hundreds of yards in the air. Some of the trains pieces landed in yards and on houses and vehicles as far as half a mile away. 

In as little as a few hours, 18 boxcars exploded in succession. There were no fatalities, but 48 people were injured and property damage totaled $24 Million.

Some of my classmates lived at ground zero and their houses were either gone, (nothing but ashes) or un inhabitable when it was all over.  A few of my classmates were injured from the blast that shattered glass windows and debris at them.  Most of the families who lived closest to the tracks had to find other places to live.  Our school was closed for a week or two to check for gas leaks etc.   Antelope was changed forever after that day.  What a day that was!

Oh ya I have to tell you about the train yard 30 years or so later at that same spot of the original blasts.  when they were remodeling, and digging up the old railroad tracks to reconfigure the new switching yard, they found unexploded bombs buried at that same location.  They called in Bomb experts and it was decided to detonate the remaining bombs right there underground where they were at.  Now check this out, they had arranged to televise this demolition of the discovered old bombs live on the local news stations at approximately 9:30pm at night one evening.  I lived in Rocklin at the time which was the next town north of Roseville and about five miles away from that location.  So I’m sitting in my chair watching the countdown on Live TV!  321….. and I see the Ground rise where they detonated the bombs and about 5 seconds later my house rumbled and the windows shook and I felt it while sitting in my Chair!  Dude’s and Duddette’s, that was awesome!!!! 

 

 

Well that’s a wrap on this blog, thanks for being here and hope you enjoyed this One Time Ago… true story

There’s more like this one coming to a blog near you, I just wished I could remember them in Chronological order?

Thank you for visiting and keep checking back for more true stories like this one!