10 Most Controversial Motocross Riders Of All Time
5. Danny 'Magoo' Chandler
The late Danny Chandler may be one of the most wild and exciting riders to grace professional motocross. His raw speed, aggression and win or die attitude has earned him incredible amounts of fans the world over. He is also remembered for being the only rider to win every race of the 1982 Motocross and Throphee des Nations, an achievement that will never be matched. Controversy struck Chandler the following year at the 500cc National Championship race at Saddleback. After crashing of the infamous Suicide Mountain, a triple step-up made up of three sheer faces, Chandler was forced to ride backwards down the track in order to get running again. This resulted in disqualification. Chandler later blamed this incident as the main reason behind losing the 1983 500cc title. Later in the year, at the Unadilla 250cc Grand Prix, Chandler protested by crossing the line on his bike, facing backwards! Chandlers career was ended suddenly in a crash at the 1985 Paris Supercross. Chandler admitted in a documentary, Wild Magoo, that before the race he had been drinking until around 3am before race day, and was also suffering with an ear infection affecting his timing. He won his heat race, but decided to throw a huge whip on the finish line jump for a well-known cameraman. He missed the handlebar, was thrown off the bike, and landed on his neck on the concrete floor. This crash left him paralysed from the waist down. He continued to be involved in motocross by training young riders until his natural death in May of 2010.
