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CONGRATULATIONS TO THE OFF-ROAD MOTORSPORTS HALL OF FAME CLASS OF 2017
Dave Ekins
| Cliff Flannery
| Bob Gordon
| Bill Savage
The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) has announced the Class of 2017. For the first time in ORMHOF's 40-year history, two new inductees will join family members who have already been inducted.
The Class of 2017 includes motorcycle racing pioneer Dave Ekins, who will join his brother Bud Ekins in the Hall of Fame. Crandon International Off-Road Raceway founder Cliff Flannery will also be inducted this year, joining his brother Jack Flannery in the Hall of Fame. Also being honored with membership in the Hall of Fame this year is desert racing legend Bob Gordon, and off-road innovator Bill Savage.
This year's inductees were chosen from a record number of nominations. An independent panel of twenty well respected individuals from the off-road community reviewed the nomination packets and then cast their votes, independent from the other members of the committee. The Class of 2017 represents the nominees who received votes from at least two-thirds of the committee members.
Dave Ekins, Cliff Flannery, Bob Gordon and Bill Savage bring the number of inductees in the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame to 87. They will be inducted at the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame 2017 Induction & Awards Ceremony, presented by SCORE International, on Monday, October 30 at the South Point in Las Vegas. Tickets are available through the Hall of Fame website at
www.ormhof.org.
The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame has been established to recognize and honor those individuals and organizations whose lifelong contributions to off-road motorsports have set a standard for others to follow.
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Dave Ekins
Motorcycle Racing Pioneer
39 hours and 56 minutes.
Dave Ekins and his riding partner, Bill Robertson, were the first to establish a timed and documented record from Tijuana to La Paz on a motorcycle. It was March of 1962 when the duo set the record that became the precursor to the race that would become the Mexican 1000 and today's Baja 1000.
NORRA founder and Hall of Fame member Ed Pearlman presented Dave Ekins with the coveted number 1 motorcycle plate, to commemorate the historic 1,000 mile motorcycle
run down the Baja Peninsula.
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Dave and his brother Bud grew up riding motorcycles in the hills above Los Angeles. During his teenage years, Dave was more interested in cars than motorcycles. "It was easier to date a girl in a car," he explained.
Once he turned his focus back to two wheels, it wasn't long before Dave was becoming well known, like his brother Bud. In 1954, he won his class at the Catalina Grand Prix, establishing himself as one of the leading riders on the West Coast. One of Dave's proudest accomplishments is winning gold in the International Six Day Trial, one of the longest running and most prestigious motorcycle events in the world. Dave competed in five ISDTs over the years.
Another one of Dave's many accomplishments is being the first motorcycle rider ever sponsored by American Honda. In 1961, he was among the first group of Honda representatives to travel to Japan. In 1988, Dave was honored at the 50 years American Honda event in New York.
Harley Davidson came calling, asking Dave to design their 100cc HD Baja motorcycle. The HD team that Dave put together included Hall of Fame inductee Larry Roeseler. Dave, Larry and their team dominated AMA District 37 competition and made their way into Baja racing history.
In 1967, Dave began a 10 year career as a motorcycle magazine editor, when he accepted a position with Cycle Magazine. Dave also worked at Modern Cycle, launching Dirt Rider, one of the first off-road motorcycle magazines, and later working at Motorcyclist magazine.
Dave is also an innovator. In the 1970s, he developed the first kidney belt to feature a Velcro-fastener. In another business venture, Dave founded Sunline, a motorcycle aftermarket parts company.
The Ekins brothers, Dave and Bud, are both members of the AMA Hall of Fame, and now Dave will join Bud as a member of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame.
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Cliff Flannery
President, Crandon International Off-Road Raceway
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They call it the dirt 'Field of Dreams', 400 acres of off-road nirvana in Crandon, Wisconsin. Crandon plays host to home town races as well as some of the largest televised short course events in the world.
While his brother Jack was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his racing success, Cliff is the one who provided his brother Jack, and countless other racers, the opportunity to race at a world class facility.
Crandon Raceway is one of the few off-road facilities outside of the American Southwest, and has been Cliff's life's work for nearly 50 years.
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The dream of Crandon Raceway was born in 1968, after a group that would become known as the Wolfs Head Sportsman Club watched a broadcast of the Mexican 1000 on ABC's Wide World of Sports. The group decided to hold their own race through the woods around the tiny Northwoods Wisconsin town of Crandon. The track was originally a 101-mile race consisting of four 25-mile loops and a big mud pit.
By the mid-1970s, under Cliff Flannery's leadership, the group decided to build upon the success of their race and purchase land just one mile from downtown Crandon. It was on this ground that Cliff Flannery began to build the largest short-course facility of its type in the world. Cliff has continued to grow and improve the facility over the years, and in 2016 Crandon hosted the inaugural Crandon World Cup, the first independent off-road short course 'Super Bowl' that is part of the prestigious Red Bull Signature Series.
While creating and managing a facility like Crandon is certainly a Hall of Fame worthy achievement, it was Cliff Flannery's philanthropic work that made the biggest impact on the voting committee. Each year, Crandon donates nearly $70,000 to support local youth and charity organizations, a tradition started by Cliff Flannery decades ago. Over the years, the donations from Crandon Raceway have had an economic impact of more than $2 million in the local community of only 1,300 residents. Crandon Raceway also provides up to $30,000 in college scholarships to local students each year. |
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Bob Gordon
Desert Racing Legend
He won so many races south of the border that he earned the well-deserved nickname of 'Baja Bob'. The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame is proud to welcome Legacy Inductee Bob Gordon.
Bob was introduced to the sport of off-road racing by Frank 'Scoop' Vessels, also a Hall of Fame Inductee. Bob Gordon quickly found success behind the wheel of one of the "BFG Blazers" as part of a two car team sponsored by BFGoodrich.
In the 1980s and 90s, Bob built a relationship with Chenowth and started racking up an impressive list of victories.
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In 1987, Bob won the Baja 1000 with Malcolm Smith, and teamed up with son Robby and daughter Robyn to win again in 1990. After retiring from racing to help Robby run his off road programs, Bob brought his favorite Chenowth, affectionately known as 'Betsy' out of retirement to compete for several years in the NORRA Mexican 1000, where he was the overall winner in 2010, 2011, and 2015. Bob passed away in 2016.
A statement from the Gordon family reads, "The Gordon Family would like to thank everyone for making this possible for our father, 'Baja Bob' Gordon to be inducted in to the Off-Road Hall of Fame. He would be humbled and honored to be recognized alongside racing legends and friends; Scoop Vessels, Malcolm Smith, Parnelli Jones, Mickey Thompson, Walker Evans and Ivan Stewart. Desert racing and Baja have become an integral part of our lives. Baja will never be the same without him, but his legacy and spirit will race on. We know he will be with us at every race mile marker along the way."
Photo (Below): March 7, 1984 -- The father-and-son team of Bob and Robby Gordon made it two-in-a-row at the HDRA Gold Coast 300, once again claiming both the overall victory and Class 2 honors in the BFGoodrich-equipped Chenowth-Porsche desert buggy. Plagued by a broken power steering pump that forced 18-year-old Robby to stop five times on the final lap for repairs, the Gordons still managed to finish more than 10 minutes ahead of their nearest competitor.
BFGoodrich Press Release and Photo from the ORMHOF Dusty Times Collection |
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Bill Savage
Off-Road Innovator
College student Bill Savage opened TMAG welding in 1972. After spectating the Baja 1000 in 1974, Bill was hooked. It took him several years, between finishing college and managing his busy shop, before his first car was ready to race. Bob entered the 1979 Baja 1000, winning his class.
TMAG has designed and built a wide variety of innovative off-road parts and vehicles, including a VW production parts, off-road shocks, steering systems, and one of the first all tube space frame trucks ever built.
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Among his many business ventures, Bill partnered with Todd Clement and started Wide Open Baja, a tour company that would give non-racers the Baja 1000 experience. The prototype cars were built at TMAG, with another 42 cars being built at Todd's Horsepower Ranch in Baja. In subsequent years, Bill relocated his company and changed the name from TMAG to SPD Products. Speed and Performance by Design (SPD) built off-road trucks that went on to win many races, including the Baja 500 and Baja 1000.
It was then that NASA came calling, inviting Bill to attend a meeting with NASA engineers. They wanted Bill's help in designing and building a new Lunar Rover. Bill jumped at the chance. SPD built three Lunar Rovers, and helped with testing. NASA wasn't done with Bill yet, next it was a Mars Rover they were wanting. SPD went on to build two Mars Rovers for NASA, and have since been involved with several more NASA projects.
Throughout his career as an off-road innovator, Bill has always circled back to his interest in keeping the racers safe. He has written the rule books for every major off-road association for the past 37 years. Bill has spent countless hours organizing teams to manage pre- and post-tech race inspections, a thankless and controversial job to say the least. Bill continues his quest to keep the racers safe in his current position as Technical Director for the Lucas Oil Off Road Racing Series.
Photo (Below): Bill Savage's off-road career has, at times, truly been out of this world. Bill helped design and build this Rover prototype for NASA. |
TICKETS NOW AVAILABLE
ORMHOF 2017 INDUCTION & AWARDS CEREMONY
PRESENTED BY SCORE INTERNATIONAL
ORMHOF would like to welcome and thank SCORE International for becoming the Presenting Partner for the 2017 Induction & Awards Ceremony, honoring Dave Ekins, Cliff Flannery, Bob Gordon, and Bill Savage. SCORE is celebrating 50 years of the Baja 1000 in 2017, an event with deep ties to the Hall of Fame.
In 1967, Hall of Fame inductees Vic Wilson and Ted Mangels claimed the first overall victory in the 1000, driving a Meyers Manx VW designed by fellow Hall of Famer Bruce Meyers. The motorcycle champions that first year were JN Roberts and Malcolm Smith, who are also members of the Hall of Fame.
ORMHOF Inductees Ed Pearlman and Sal Fish deserve special recognition for the roles they played in the history of the Baja 1000 as organizers and promoters. Pearlman is credited with organizing the first race as the Mexican 1000 Rally. He also established the framework for the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. Fish took the reins of the 1000 in 1974 and was at the helm for 38 years. He will serve as Grand Marshal of the 2017 event.
Other Hall of Famers with wins at the 1000 include Mark McMillin, Larry Roeseler, David Ashley, Larry Ragland, Ivan Stewart, Walker Evans, Bud Feldkamp, Johnny Johnson, Parnelli Jones, Bill Stroppe, Larry Minor, Rod Hall, and Drino Miller. Incoming inductee Bob Gordon won the event in 1987 and 1990.
The Baja 1000 defending champion is none other than Hall of Famer Rob MacCachren, who has been dominant at the 1000 in recent years, with overall wins in 2014, 2015 and 2016. The 2017 Baja 1000 will be held November 14-18.
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FUN FACT:
ORMHOF Chairman
Mark McMillin
is a five time Baja 1000 Overall Champion
PURCHASE TICKETS
TO THE
2017 INDUCTION & AWARDS CEREMONY HERE
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SOUTH POINT HOTEL, CASINO & SPA TO HOST ORMHOF 2017 INDUCTION & AWARDS CEREMONY
OCTOBER 30 IN LAS VEGAS
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The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame 2017 Induction & Awards Ceremony will be held at the South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas on Monday, October 30.
ORMHOF Inductee and South Point owner Michael Gaughan will be hosting an open bar during the cocktail hour and silent auction, followed by the banquet, Induction Ceremony, and awards.
Mr Gaughan started racing off road in 1969 in a Class 2 buggy, and enjoyed a racing career that spanned three decades. His support of race teams and the off-road community helped to earn him honors as an inductee in the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2015.
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To book a room at the South Point for the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame 2017 Induction & Awards Ceremony, call 1-866-791-7626 and ask for Group Code ORM1030.
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LEGENDS LIVE AT ORMHOF.ORG
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Del Albright
Don Amador
Edo Ansaloni
David Ashley
Larry Bergquist
Ron Bishop
Herman Booy
Carla Boucher
Peter Brown
William Bryan
John Buffum
Harry Buschert
Jean Calvin
Shannon Campbell
Dick Cepek
Bob Chandler
Eugene A Chappie
Brian Chuchua
Chris Collard
Clark Collins
Pete Condos
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Frank DeAngelo
Roy Denner
Edward W Dunkley
Bud Ekins
Charlie Erickson
Manny Esquerra
Walker Evans
Bud Feldkamp
Marty Fiolka
Sal Fish
Jack Flannery
Casey Folks
Don Francisco
Nye Frank
James Garner
Michael Gaughan
Gilmon 'Gil' George
Chris Haines
Rod Hall
Bob Ham
Jerry Herbst
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Vic Hickey
Johnny Johnson
Parnelli Jones
Richard Landfield
John Lawlor
Curt LeDuc
Walter Lott
Rob MacCachren
Joe MacPherson
Scott McKenzie
Corky McMillin
Steve McQueen
Sue Mead
Bruce Meyers
Akton 'AK' Miller
Drino Miller
Larry Minor
Ray Moon
Jim Ober
Ed Pearlman
Jerry Penhall
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Rick Pewe
Larry Ragland
JN Roberts
Larry Roeseler
Nico Saad
Bill Sanders
Judy J Smith
Mark Smith
Malcolm Smith
Harold Soens
Roy Spuhler
Bob Steinberger
Ivan Stewart
Bill Stroppe
Mickey Thompson
Tracy Valenta
Frank Vessels
Ed Waldheim
Thurston Warn
Vic Wilson
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Order through Amazon Smile and the Hall of Fame receives a donation.
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- THANK YOU TO OUR PARTNERS -
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On behalf of the entire board of directors, I would like to thank and
recognize these businesses and individuals for their support of the
Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame.
We invite you to join this distinguished group.
Mark McMillin, Chairman
Contact Mark
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Your ORMHOF Board of Directors
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Mark McMillin, Chairman
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Rod Hall, Vice Chairman
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Colin Butcher
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Dave Cole
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Frank De Angelo
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Bud Feldkamp
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Zachary Gerber
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Bob Ham
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Wes Harbor
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Dick Landfield
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Bonnie Vessels
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Rory Ward
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Celebrate the past. Be part of the future.
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The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame is a 501c3 Non-Profit Organization.
A portion of your donation or membership may be tax deductible.
Please consult with your tax professional for more information.
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