Give to Gary LaPlante's GoFund Me, Receive Hector Cademartori Art

John Burns
by John Burns

This just in over the transom: Our long-time moto pal and founder of MotoVentures, Gary LaPlante, could use some help in the medical bills department. Among those stepping up to help out is famed motorcycle artist, and legendary motorcycle rat cartoonist, Hector Cademartori. It’s your chance to do the right thing, and score some great art for the man cave in one swoop. Good luck, Gary.

Riders for Gary LaPlante

Many people in the motorcycle world know Gary LaPlante – lifelong rider… trials champion… key employee at Kawasaki, Honda and others… founder of the MotoVentures dirtbike training center… and, of course, original member of the infamous Southern California Professional Bench Racers Association (SCPBRA).

Many of you also know that Gary’s been hit with brain cancer. Even with health insurance, his medical bills are substantial. Now you can help and get yourself a first-class piece of art directly from Hector Cademartori.

Gary’s GoFundMe link is here.

A donation of at least $150 gets you a large full-color print, delivered to your door. A donation of $50 gets you a black-and-white print, also delivered.

To receive your print, drop Hector a line at hcademartori@aol.com, with your mailing address, and let him know which print you prefer (options below). He’ll be happy to sign each print as requested.

Either way, you’ll be doing a true good deed for the day, and will be able to enjoy Hector’s world-class art for a lifetime.

Go for it. Remember, the red line is the right line.

Color Prints (20 x 15”)

Message from Hector:

I did these paintings for the February 1985 issue of Cycle World magazine. They ran four articles about four champions of the 1984 season: Eddie Lawson, 500 cc FIM World Champion (written by Ken Vreeke), Ricky Graham Camel-PRO Grand National Champion (by Dave Despain), David Bailey, Motocross Grand National Champion (by David Edwards), and Johnny O’Mara Supercross Champion (by Dale Brown).

Ricky Graham signed with Honda at the end of 1983. After 33 races of the 1984 Camel PRO Series, Ricky Graham won the title by only one point over his teammate, Bubba Shobert, in the last race of the season at Springfield.

Johnny O’Mara lost the 125 Outdoor championship in 1984 to Kawasaki’s Jeff Ward, but he won the Supercross title by a big margin against all the top riders. He was also part of the winning teams of the Motocross des Nations that year (and in ’81, ’82 and ’86).

American Eddie Lawson (Marlboro Team Agostini-Yamaha) in pursuit of Freddie Spencer (HRC Honda) and Randy Mamola (RM Promotions Honda) during the 1984 Austrian GP at the Salzburgring. Eddie would win the race on his way to the first of his four 500 cc FIM World Championships.

In 1983, David Bailey won titles in every motocross series he entered: 250 Outdoor, Supercross, and the Motocross Grand National Championship (which combined points from the stadium and outdoor championships). In 1984, his first year in the Open class, he clinched the title before the last race of the season.

B&W Prints (8.5 x 11”)
Cycle World asked me to produce illustrations for its Letters and Service departments. Some were straight illustrations, but then I started doing funny cartoons. I’d work with Paul Dean on these — and enjoyed working with him for over 25 years. I met him back when he was Editor of Cycle Guide. I learned a lot from Paul. Great guy.

I created Bubba, owner of “Bubba’s Moor’sicles” — a clueless mechanic who came up with the most outrageous ”fixes.” The cartoons by themselves may not make a lot of sense, as they illustrated specific letters, but it’s fun to see the details and characters anyway. A lot of fun.

John Burns
John Burns

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