9. Donny Schmidt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=krebMR5AbVE Donny Schmidt, a favourite among motocross fans all over the world, found incredible success after making a move to the World Championship for the 1990 season. Schmidt was picked up as a promising amateur by Kawasakis Team Green programme. He turned pro in 1986, winning two Supercross races in his debut year. He was signed by Suzuki for the 1987 season, and has some success, winning His first AMA Motocross event at Anderson, and another at his home race, Millville. He would finish fifth in the season. Schmidt struggled to make the transition to 250cc machines due to his size, and his plans to move up to 250cc Supercross for 1988 were scuppered due to injury. He decided to concentrate fully on motocross, and in that year he would finish second in the AMA Motocross series, and was named Rookie of the Year. He was dropped by Suzuki the following season, but managed an incredible fourth in the series, enough to be top non-factory rider aboard his privateer Honda. It was in 1990 that Schmidts career truly blossomed. He moved to World Championship competition after being offered a ride by Bieffe Suzuki. In his first season he won four rounds on his way to being crowned 125cc World Champion. Although injury hindered him from defending his title in 1991, he shocked fans once again by winning the 250cc World title in 1992, winning five round, aboard a Chesterfield Yamaha. In the following season he would finish third as the new generation of riders, headed by Greg Albertyn and Stefan Everts, began to make their mark. Schmidt would later die suddenly due to aplastic anaemia. The illness was noticed too late, most likely due to his incredible fitness masking it. He died on January 19, 1966, and was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2002.