SCORE Journal - The Official Publication of SCORE Off-Road Racing
Issue link: http://read.uberflip.com/i/1411910
MALCOLM SMITH A Legendary Rider Helps Make Baja Racing Popular By SCORE Journal Staff In the early days of off-road motorcycle racing, Malcolm Smith was already considered the best in the world long before riding in Baja was a “thing.” In 1956, at age 15, he entered the Scrambles Race in Riverside, California where he crashed several times but finished in second place. Smith went on to win eight gold medals in the International Six Day Trials in Europe, making him one of the most successful riders in the event’s history. Smith found out about the Mexican 1000 in 1967 and entered it. He won the motorcycle class overall with J.N. Roberts. He went on to win the race six other times in various classes. Smith’s popularity with off-road enthusiasts and his notoriety among motorcyclists drew more attention to Baja racing, thanks to his winning efforts and incredible skills. The last time Smith won the SCORE Baja 1000 overall on a motorcycle was in 1971 with Gunnar Nelson. Wanting to continue his off-road racing career after suffering a serious accident, Smith switched from two wheels to four, teaming up with Bud Feldkamp to drive a Funco buggy called the Bel-Ray Bullet. He broke new ground again as the first motorcycle racer to successfully make that transition, something modern motorcycle racers have done to this day. In doing so, it demonstrated how well motorcycle racers can judge terrain and be just as fast on four-wheels as they were on two. The transition to the buggy demonstrated Smith’s knowledge of racing and his talent. In his first SCORE race in the Funco buggy during the 1975 SCORE Baja 1000, he and Feldkamp finished second overall. They repeated in 1977 with another second-place finish. Feldkamp and Smith continued driving the Funco buggy, taking Overall SCORE Baja 500 victories in 1978 and 1979, as well as class wins at the SCORE Baja 1000 races. In 1982, Smith teamed up with Bob Gordon and co-drove a Chenowth Porsche to win their class at the SCORE Baja 500. In the late 1980s, Smith finally retired from racing buggies and motorcycles professionally, but in 2004, he was on the SCORE Class 50 team of AMA Hall of Famers to win the class at the SCORE Baja 1000 that year, with Smith riding the last section to the finish line. Smith’s accomplishments in off-road racing got him inducted into the American Motorcyclist Association Hall of Fame and the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. While SCORE racing was only a part of his magnificent and long career, motorcycle racers still consider him one of the best off-road racers of all time, and he has inspired many of today’s champions and legends in the sport. SJ