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Catalina Grand Prix: 52 Years In The Making – Dirt Rider Magazine

By: Scott Hoffman

Friday, December 10, 2010

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<p><strong>The Impossible Took Place</strong>The highlight of the entire weekend had to be the vintage bikes. And we’re not talking about early ’70s bikes but ’60s, ’50s, ’40s and even a 1929 Harley that made its return to the island after being raced in the same race back in the ’50s.The names and faces that took part in this event were legendary. Let’s name a few: Malcolm Smith, Preston Petty, Rick Johnson, Danny Laporte, Travis Pastrana, Jim Oneal, Paul Krause, Ronnie Renner, Jim Holley and not to mention former Catalina racers returning to the island such as Dave Ekins, racer and brother to the great Bud Akins.The track was modern grand prix style with a course just over four miles linked with fast fire roads, pseudo single track section, a short stint on pavement and an infield with a twisty motocross section where the lion’s share of the spectators meandered. What was also cool was the ticket cost to watch the race was zip, nada, zero. However, you did have to buy a boat ride over to the island because 22 miles is a long swim in December.The first race that took off was the vintage class going all the way up to the evolution divisions. When the flag few for the first live-engine, hand on the rear fender start, it brought tears to the eyes of those who remembered the original race, smiles to the spectators and butterflies to those who had yet to ride the track.The entire weekend went off like a very old well-oiled clock. Everything kept running smooth yet it didn’t always keep perfect time-but when you are in what looked like a tropical paradise with a set of grips in hand you can’t complain. You just thank your lucky stars you are riding where no knobby marks have been laid down for over 50 years.The granddaddy event to cap off a perfect weekend was the two-hour pro race on Sunday afternoon. Nearly 100 riders took off in three different classes, +18 Pro, +30 Pro and +40 Pro. We’re not sure how many of the 100 were out there after two hours but the winners took home some green. Kurt Caselli looked like he had command of the race and pulled out a huge lead over Kendall Norman, that is until his engine let go. Norman, who took over the helm, had a pretty clean go at the victory except for a late charge from part-time motocrosser Sean Collier. Collier was riding a full moto bike and had to pit more often for fuel and was not able to make a full charge for the win. Travis Pastrana, yes that Travis Pastrana, rode an RM250 two-stroke and was flying and had good battles with Colton Haaker early in the race. Pastrana looked like he had a good chance at a podium, that is until his bike also blew. Pastrana thinks they might have put straight fuel (non-mixed) in his bike during a pit stop and this left the always-smiling crazy man hitching a ride back to the pits.</p>
<p>When it was all said and done the Catalina Grand Prix was surreal and even a day after it’s over, it’s hard to believe it ever happened. Check the event web site (<strong><a href="" rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:window.open(

www.thecatalinagrandprix.com) for possible details about a 2011 event. Will the legend continue or was this race a one-time event? Only time will tell!

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