Danny Laporte is well known Worldwide for his AMA and FIM championships, and is also one of those guys who was super cool, and always open for a good talk. We caught up with him at the Grand Prix of Lommel a few years ago, and as always he as full of information.

We talked to Danny about being involved in that very first Team USA victory in Lommel back in 1981, a legends parade set for this years MXoN in Redbud, and he also had some nice words for Eric Geboers, who had passed away shortly before this interview was done.

“The most exciting moment of my life was the first year Team USA won the Motocross des Nations in 1981. As a team, we weren't expected to win, and we didn't even think we could. Honda put together a group of riders and it probably wasn't even the best choice at the time to go to the MXoN. Donnie Hansen, Chuck Sun, Johnny O'Mara and I weren't the fastest American riders, but we had the advantage of being teammates at Honda.”

“In early 1981, no one wanted to represent the US in the Motocross des Nations. No American team had ever won, so there was little interest in sending a team. Roger De Coster, Honda's team manager at the time, knew how important it was to participate in the event, so he convinced us to go. Roger, together with Dave Arnold, decided to participate in the MXDN in 1981 with four Honda factory riders. I was lucky to be one of them.”

“Donnie, Johnny, Chuck and I had the advantage of knowing each other well. As teammates, we hung out together, tested, ate, traveled and had fun. We also didn't mind making an extra effort and preparing for the Motocross des Nations. Before the race, De Coster called and asked me if I could do a 45-minute series on the bike as a test. After 40 minutes I ran out of gas! Luckily Roger thought of this or we would have lost the match anyway.”

“The Europeans were disrespectful to us when we arrived at the track. However, their opinion changed after qualifying when they saw that we had speed. In 1981 we had a team without big names who could beat the best motocross riders in the world.”

“I remember to this day the moment we went to the riders' park after winning and seeing the excitement on the faces of my fellow Americans. Even the Europeans had gathered around us and were celebrating our victory. It was amazing! Fans climbed over the fences wanting autographs. Winning a championship doesn't even come close to the feeling of winning the Motocross des Nations. Winning that event opened my eyes and led me to the decision to start racing in GPs. I wanted to be the first American to win a 250 GP title, and I did that in 1982. I'm not so sure I would have gone to Grand Prix if it hadn't been for that MXoN win.”