Left paralyzed after a crash at the Paris Supercross, the legendary motorcycle rider, Danny Chandler was forced into a wheelchair. With support from friends and his newfound faith, Chandler worked his way back to being a man of action. He began to promote mountain-bike races and got involved with DARE, a drug-awareness program geared towards school children. Chandler also started coordinating children’s hospital visits by top motorcycle racers through his International Riders Helping People organization. Through his organization, Chandler's message of always wearing proper riding equipment has allowed him a chance to stay involved with his passion despite his physical disabilities. It's a message that youngsters of today need and coming from a former champion, it's one that seems to stick with the many kids Chandler interfaces with.

Today it was announced that Travis Pastrana would assist Chandler in spreading his message by donating $5,000 to Chandler's Special Needs Van Fund.

Here's the press release:

December 17, 2009 - (Motor Sports Newswire) - Motocross legend Brad Lackey was notified this week that MX Champ, ESPN X-Games Gold Medalist, daredevil and rally car driver Travis Pastrana is on board and contributing $5,000 towards Lackey's on-going efforts to get former MX hero Danny "Magoo" Chandler a new special needs van.
"Me and others have made great careers out of doing incredible things... no, IMPOSSIBLE things on motorcycles! However it was Magoo who showed everybody way back when what was possible if you just decided to go for it, and the fans loved him for it," explains Pastrana. "I'm honored to help because what Danny is doing now for motorcycle safety is super important. I want to encourage others who, like Bob Hannah said, 'have the ability to give towards this,' to take up the Challenge to get Magoo his new van," Pastrana added.
Pastrana is the lucky 13th name to be added to the list of 20 as part of Bob "Hurricane" Hannah's Challenge that has been promoted in weekly issues of Cycle News. Pastrana joins Hannah, Terry Knott, Bob Fox, Bruce Lockwood, Glen Helen Raceway Park, Mark Barnett, Jimmy Weinert, PDM TV, Jason Lawrence, Tom Reese/Springfield Armory and Hi-Torque Publications with his contribution towards the Challenge. This leaves seven (7) spots left to fill by those individuals or companies who have the ability and want to help meet Hannah's challenge and make Brad Lackey's van project for Chandler happen before the end of the year.
"Having another current motorcycle star of Travis Pastrana's caliber help us, will go a long way to completing this project for Magoo," said Brad Lackey, America's First Motocross World Champion. "If there is a guy today that recognizes the trail Danny blazed for all of the current riders, that guy is Travis Pastrana."
"It's awesome that Travis is stepping up to meet the challenge," added 7-Time National Motocross and Supercross Champion Bob "Hurricane" Hannah. "Some of us hung it out every time we raced, and Pastrana has really hung it out during his career. However, Magoo was the first and its great that Travis understands this," Hannah concluded.