The word about Baja
California reached the brothers,
and the more they heard, the
more it intrigued them. So they
began to plan what would be
the adventure of a lifetime,
something that would not only
cement their names in the
history books but eventually
create an event that would
take on a life of its own and
quickly gain international fame.
Neither, however, was among
the original goals. They simply
wanted to be the first to do
something besides win a race.
Getting The Bikes
Naturally, the plan wasn't
without its setbacks. Being
the owner of a dealership that
sold both Honda and Triumph
motorcycles, Bud proposed
the ride using a couple of
Triumphs to the U.S. Triumph
(Western division) distributor,
Johnson Motors in Pasadena,
California. But the brass there
saw no point in funding such a
stunt. So Bud tried a different
avenue. "He got together with
two ex-employees of Johnson
BAJA
1 9 6 2 E S T
FROM THE
BEGINNING
EKINS WAS THE FIRST TO REACH LA PAZ AND NEEDED
TO FIND THE LOCAL TELEGRAPH OFFICE. HE FINALLY
GOT THERE AND WAS THEN ABLE TO RELAX WHILE
WAITING FOR HIS RIDING COMPANION. EKINS
RECALLS, "WE WERE DOWN THERE A DECADE LATER
AND THE KIDS ALL HAD SHOES."
SINCE THERE WEREN'T
MANY FUEL STATIONS
ALONG THE ROUTE,
THE MOTORCYCLES
HAD TO BE RE-
FUELED VIA THEIR AIR
SUPPORT.
048
SCORE JOURNAL