Malcolm Smith(1941-2024)

In 1967, an idea for a desert race down the Baja Peninsula came together. Malcolm Smith and JN Roberts entered that first year, and against impossible odds rode a nearly stock Husqvarna to victory in the first ever Baja 1000. 40 years later, Malcolm a

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Full Circle: Malcolm Smith and J.N. Roberts - The Legend Lives On (2007)

Champion off-road racer Malcolm Smith was born on March 9, 1941 in Salt Spring Island, British Columbia, Canada. His father was a gold miner in northern British Columbia who purchased a sheep ranch on Salt Spring Island with his earnings (Smith grew up on said sheep ranch as a child). Malcolm moved with his parents to Southern California when he was five years old. Smith got his first motor scooter at age thirteen. Malcolm sold the scooter at age fifteen and subsequently bought his first dirt bike. He participated in his first motorcycle race in Riverside, California. Well known for riding a Husqvarna motorcycle, Smith participated in his first International Six Day Trial cross country race in the mid-1960's. Among his notable racing achievements are wining eight gold medals between 1966 and 1976 in the International Six Day Trial, winning the Baja 1000 six times (three times on a motorcycle and three times in a car); winning the Baja 500 four times, and winning the Mint 400 in Nevada twice. Malcolm was inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1978, the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1996, and the American Motorcycle Association Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998. Moreover, Smith owns a motorsports dealership in Riverside, California as well as founded the non-profit organization the Malcolm Smith Motorsports Foundation that raises money to help the children in Mexico.