DANNY “MAGOO” CHANDLER SPEAKS FROM THE HEART
An Open Letter From Danny Magoo:
Recently, I have received more phone calls and emails from people alerting me to new spinal chord injuries in our sport than ever before. Riders like up and coming 18 year old national pro Chase Borders have had their dreams shattered due to career ending spinal cord injury. This recent phenomenon coupled with Ernesto Fonseca’s recent paralyzing injury, and the current situation with my friend and fellow wheel chair bound motocross legend David Bailey have finally made this issue so huge and apparent, that I felt something must be publicly said. It is time the industry and especially the bike manufacturers step up and lend a helping hand to the fallen racers who have done so much for this sport.
With the rate of paralysis causing injuries on the rise, the AMA and the factory teams must begin to take some responsibility. This includes a mandatory chest protector and neck roll rule for all professional AMA racing. Safety and good racing must be our number one concern. Being a quadriplegic for over twenty years, I can tell first hand how huge and terrible this issue is. We, as a racing community, must push for sweeping changes from the factories and people running this sport concerning the safety of current riders, and the well-being of riders who have already been hurt.
The other day, I received a call from Goat Brecker inviting me to come down to the Lake Elsinore Grand Prix to help raise money for David Bailey. It seems as a result of David’s busy schedule working for TV and doing motocross schools, that he has developed a very serious pressure sore that will require him to be bed ridden for a minimum of one year. The sore is a result of his chair rubbing against his skin for hours on end everyday. Since David, like myself, has no feeling in the lower half of his body, this problem can go undetected until the sore is out of control. Having spent, at one time, a year and a half bed-ridden with a similar pressure sore, I can attest to the severity of this injury. When I called David to see how he was doing, I was disgusted to find that the man, a multi-time US MX champion, was receiving no help at all from Honda, the company he won all those championships for and continues to represent today. Any sort of help or compensation for riders in David’s situation would be nothing to a huge entity like Honda. Sadly however, they aren’t going to do anything but lead David on. For four years, they have told him he could head up the American Honda amateur support program, a position that David was built for. Four years later, they still offer him no job, no salary, no support. To say I have been treated any differently after my days as a professional racer for them would be a lie. In fact, I feel that Honda regards me as more of a publicity nightmare than an asset with a lot to pass on to the youth of our sport today. They see me, a man in a wheel chair, put there in part because of motorcycles and think all I will do is scare parents away from the sport, when the opposite couldn’t be more true. Through safety awareness, we can create healthy, long-term riders, which means fewer injuries and long-term patrons of the sport.
Some years ago, I wrote up a complete budget proposal and presented it to Honda. My plan was to purchase a wheelchair-ready van and travel to the major races to promote the use of chest protectors, neck rolls and safety in general. On my own, I have convinced many, many parents and kids to start wearing this extra safety gear, which should be mandatory for all riders. The impact people like David and myself could have if we looked professional, and were given a modest budget to get from race to race would be huge. Before my meeting with Honda, I had been representing them at the 24 Hours of Glen Helen race, pitting with Jeff Willow. Due to this, my chair was obviously dirty. When I sat down with the Honda rep and told them my plan, they really didn’t take me seriously at all and really had no intention of helping. The rep asked me if I really thought I could help the kids, and I replied, “Yes, of course. If I look professional like the factory boys do, and I can get around, tell my story, and speak of the importance of safety and responsibility, yes.” He mockingly replied, “Does that mean you are going to wash your wheelchair?” I don’t think I have ever been so insulted. It is quite out of my hands how dirty my chair gets, since I don’t really have the capability to wash it myself, let alone the fact I had spent the last 24 hours at a motorcycle race. Years later, I approached them again to ask for funding for one of my latest projects, a documentary on my life entitled “Magoo: The Story of Danny Chandler,” and again wasn’t taken seriously nor really heard at all. Honda has no intention of giving anything back to the sport that doesn’t directly result in higher profits.
The irresponsibility at the highest levels of professional racing concerning safety has to change. How many more young people must end up like me before some real legislation comes into effect? There is no better way to promote safety than to have the professional ranks start the trend. Just imagine how many kids would be begging their parents for neck protection if Carmichael started wearing it.
Years ago, when I was inducted into the Motocross Hall of Fame, I brought attention to the fact that the carting industry has recently made neck rolls mandatory for all racers. Soon after the legislation went through, the amount of spinal cord related injuries plummeted, as did the cost of insurance for the promoter, thus making the sport less expensive as well as safer. Why has motocross, a much larger sport, not addressed the situation as well?
Those who profit most from the sport must take responsibility to take care, in some capacity, of those already injured, and to do everything possible to prevent future injuries. Motorcycles and the lifestyle that comes with them are a vehicle we use to live life to its absolute fullest, however, the incredible freedom we all get from riding comes with a heavy responsibility to ourselves and especially to the youth of this sport. It is time the voices of injured riders, who have given so much, are heard and supported, and it is time for change.
Go Ride.
Danny “Magoo” Chandler
As transcribed and written by Noah Samson
, le il y a 17 années et 10 mois.
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