The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Class of 2013 will be motocross champion Ricky Carmichael, desert racing champion Danny Hamel, K&N co-founder Norm McDonald, road racer Randy Renfrow and Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation founders Mike and Dianne Traynor. The class of 2013 will be officially inducted on Friday, Oct. 18, during the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Legends Weekend at Las Vegas' Green Valley Resort. Danny Hamel, the Traynors and Randy Renfrow will be honored posthumously. http://www.motocrossactionmag.com/M...-VOTING-RICKY-CARMICHAEL-DANNY-HAM-10293.aspx
Danny Hamel....Very cool what a tragic loss that was. The Goat was a given, but is it "too soon"?! Lol nah he has definitely earned a spot.
I was reading on Danny ... tragic and un-called for ... I'd certainly hate to have to live with that one ...
Yes VERY sad and uncalled for.... If memory serves me correctly, a police car pulled Into his path, on the designated course, during a race. He was still in his prime.
Met Danny during a Kaw pit visit during baja prerunning the year before he was killed. He was a big overly friendly guy, I remember his prerunner bike rims just being taco'd and how he just brushed it off, he rode fast and hard. His heart was as big as he was. I have more....but I'll just leave that alone. Glad he is being inducted, just would have better if he was still around to see it, or shit, never got in and was just still around. Racing can certainly be cruel.
Nice Rob. Everyone take a moment to remember the guy, or take a second to learn about him: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Danny-Hamel/168212133213230?hc_location=timeline http://wikiworldbook.com/global-address-book/Danny-Hamel
Paul Krause, Ted Hunnicut, Ty Davis, Larry Roeseler, Danny Hamel. Team Green ruled Baja and Nat H&H at that time.
The article I read said he was 23 when his last crash happened ... looking back now, that is so young ... This is one of his bikes ... looks like he had those elephant ears on his bike 5 time winner in the early 90s ...
I lined up close to Danny at many D37 races in the early 90's. I remember him as a very quiet, polite guy....before the the flag dropped that is. Then it was "Hamel Time". I'll never forget a VCMC Qualifier where I started a minute in front of Danny. He caught and passed me before the end of every check and laid the infamous Hamel Passing Technique on me every time. He would fly be you so fast, you would loose all confidence in hanging with him. It was fun trying to keep him in view. A view that faded away quickly. At the end of one check, I looked down at his bike and he had two flat tires and still flew by me.........unbelievable. What an incredible talent and human being!
Ray thats not an elephant ear on that DH KX500 thats his RH Baja headlight (left is obscured), it does have white flag type handguards. Those knobs on top of the lamps are for on the fly elevation adjustment, remember they ride at night in Baja 1K.......
Dave Despain "listen to engine he never lets off".....thats a team green KX500... LR and Ty featured as well . View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QlwBvrqP1Yg
Here's a GREAT video highlighting Danny Hamel. Take a few moments to remember this guy, or meet him. He was a great person on and off the bike. View: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eF8xUtmSkMM
PS for all the Honda/Baja fanatics (there are lots of them) XRs and into the CRF age Hondas only started winning when Kawasaki stopped racing in Baja.
True that and it was as much for Honda being stubborn as it was that the KX's ruled.....Honda insisted on running XR600Rs against the mighty KX's because "CR's are our motocross bikes, XR's are our offroad bikes". The meager topend HP of the XR600 was just no match for even a stock KX500, and when modded they always blew up. Honda would not give support to a CR500 effort.
