USA Shocks The World: Team USA 1981

“USA Shocks the World” celebrates Team USA 1981 and the victories heard around the world, the first of 17 consecutive years’ worth of wins at the Trophée and Motocross des Nations.

The all American Honda team of Chuck Sun (#53), Johnny O'Mara (#54), Danny Laporte (#55) and Donnie Hansen (#56) arrived in Belgium to a chilly reception from the fans, riders and even the promoters, who scoffed at what they considered a "B Team".

None of the American riders won an AMA championship in 1981. O'Mara had never even ridden a 500, let alone raced against the best in the world, and Honda's manager said the team was absolutely in a rebuilding year.

And they didn't just win the Trophée des Nations (250cc) at Lommel on Sept. 6. It was a landslide.

One week later, in Bilstein, West Germany, they did it again, winning the Motocross des Nations (500cc) by a single point over Team Great Britain.

For the full story behind Team USA's 1981 win, listen to episode #14 of the We Went Fast podcast: "When We Were Kings" is the narrated version of an article Eric Johnson wrote for Racer X Illustrated in 1998.

Size: 12-in. x 16-in.