In 2008, when I was the Greenhorn editor during my first year at RiderI attended MotoVentures The dirt bike school is run by Gary LaPlante, with our brother Paul and friend Eric, to learn some off-road skills. Gary was patient with us. We’re street racers and have never ridden off-road, and we’re in our late 30s/early 40s. Teaching old dogs new tricks is never easy. He laid the groundwork, and since then, I’ve cycled thousands of miles off-road on sport and adventure bikes.
Gary LaPlante is a legend in the motorcycle industry and he needs our help. Donate and while you donate, buy Gary’s books How to drive an off-road motorcycle. (Read our review here.) The following message was sent by his son, Andre. – Greg Drevenstedt, Editor-in-Chief
Many people in the motorcycling world know Gary LaPlante – lifelong racer… test champion… key employee at Kawasaki, Honda and others… founder of MotoVentures motorcycle training center… and of course , was an original member of the infamous Southern California Professional Drivers Racing Association (SCPBRA).
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Many of you also know that Gary has brain cancer. Even with health insurance, his medical bills are substantial. Now you can help and Get yourself a first-rate piece of art straight from the legendary Hector Cademartori.
A GoFundMe page has been set up to help Gary: https://gofund.me/832068ac
Sharing this with anyone who appreciates great horsemanship and great artistry:
A donation of as little as $150 will get you a large full-color print, delivered to your door.
A $50 donation will get you a black and white print, also delivered.
To receive your prints, contact us (MotoVentures.com) after completing the contribution. Tell us your mailing address and which pictures you’d like to print (options below). Hector will be happy to sign each print of your request.
Whichever you choose, you’ll do a real good job of the day and will be able to enjoy Hector’s world-class work for a lifetime.
Just give it a try. Remember, the red line is the right line.
Color prints (20 x 15”).
Message from the artist; Hector Cademartori:
I drew these pictures for the February 1985 issue of Cycle World magazine. They ran four articles on the four champions of the 1984 season: Eddie Lawson, FIM 500 cc World Champion (written by Ken Vreeke), Major National Champion Ricky Graham Camel-PRO (by Dave Despain) , David Bailey, Motocross National Champion (by David Edwards), and Johnny O’Mara Supercross Champion (by Dale Brown).
Ricky Graham signed with Honda in late 1983. After 33 races of the Camel PRO Series in 1984, Ricky Graham won the title by just one point over his teammate, Bubba Shobert, in the final race. of the season at Springfield.
Johnny O’Mara lost the 125 Outdoor championship in 1984 to Jeff Ward of Kawasaki, but he won the Supercross title by a big margin against all the top drivers. He was also part of the winning teams of that year’s Motocross des Nations (and the years ’81, ’82 and ’86).
American Eddie Lawson (Marlboro Team Agostini-Yamaha) to pursue Freddie Spencer (HRC Honda) and Randy Mamola (RM Promotions Honda) in the 1984 Austrian GP at the Salzburgring. Eddie will win the race en route to the first of four FIM 500 cc world championships.
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In 1983, David Bailey won titles in every motorcycle series he entered: the 250 Outdoor, Supercross and Motocross Grand National Championship (a combination of stadium scores and outdoor championships). In 1984, his first year in the Open class, he won the title before the final race of the season.
B&W print (8.5 x 11”):
Note from Hector:
Cycle World asked me to create black and white illustrations for their two parts, Letters to the Editor and Services. Some were simple illustrations, but then I started making fun cartoons for the parts. I will be working with Paul Dean on these – and I have enjoyed working with him for over 25 years. In fact, I met him when he was the Editor of Cycle Guide before going to CW. I learned a lot from Paul. Wonderful boy.
I developed a character, Bubba, the owner of Bubba’s Moor’sicles – a clueless mechanic who would come up with the weirdest “fixes” for his clients’ problems. . The cartoons themselves sometimes don’t make much sense because they illustrate a particular letter, but it’s interesting to see the details and characters surrounding Bubba’s shop. Very happy.
