BANQUET TICKETS ON SALE BEGINNING JANUARY 4TH!

GET READY! Tickets for the 2016 Trailblazers banquet will go on sale here on this website on Monday, January 4th at 9:00 a.m. Pacific Time. At that time, the tab at the top of the page that reads: Banquet Tickets will take you to the order form with three options:

1. Order single tickets for $75 each

2. Order a table of 10 for $750

3. If you cannot attend, but want to remain a member: $10 a year

Since we have sold out all 700 seats the last two years we encourage anyone planning to attend this year to order early.

On Saturday, April 23rd, the 72nd Trailblazers banquet will be held at our familiar meeting place at the Carson Center in Carson, CA. As always, activities will kick off that afternoon at 3:00 p.m. when the pit gate opens for the Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show presented by Hagerty Insurance.

The three-hour “Meet & Greet” reception and bike show is one of the highlights of our annual gathering with the chance to reunite with many old motorcycling friends. Then at 6:00 p.m. it is time to go inside for the dinner and awards banquet.

The mission of the Trailblazers is to keep the legacy of the motorcycle sport in Southern California alive and to honor those who made their mark here in racing, industry and other ways. This year Keith Mashburn will receive the club’s top honors, the Dick Hammer Award. Keith, a past Trailblazers president and ongoing member of the Board of Directors, had a great career in racing, then moved into a life of community service in fire protection and more recently, serving on the Simi Valley City Council.

Other honors given at the banquet will be for six new Trailblazers Hall of Fame inductees: 7-time American Speedway champion Mike Bast, Ascot 8-Mile National winner Dan Haaby, 3-time world roadracing champion Wayne Rainey and famed Dirt Track race tuner and suspension expert Steve Storz, plus we will also recognize posthumously two notables who have previously passed on: Bruce Ogilvie and Gil Vaillancourt. Webco co-founder Tom Heininger will be the recipient of our annual wine toast and Susie Ellsworth will receive the Lucile Flanders Award.

Hope to see you there!

Don Emde
President
Trailblazers M.C.

72nd TRAILBLAZERS BANQUET SET FOR APRIL 23RD

Mark your calendar! On Saturday, April 23rd, the 72nd Trailblazers banquet will be held at our familiar meeting place at the Carson Center in Carson, CA. As always, activities will kick off that afternoon at 3:00 p.m. when the pit gate opens for the Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show presented by Hagerty Insurance. The three-hour “Meet & Greet” reception and bike show is one of the highlights of our annual gathering with the chance to reunite with many old motorcycling friends. Then at 6:00 p.m. it is time to go inside for the dinner and awards banquet.

The mission of the Trailblazers is to keep the legacy of the motorcycle sport in Southern California alive and to honor those who made their mark here in racing, industry and other ways. This year Keith Mashburn will receive the club’s top honors, the Dick Hammer Award. Keith, a past Trailblazers president and ongoing member of the Board of Directors, had a great career in racing, then moved into a life of community service in fire protection and more recently, serving on the Simi Valley City Council.

Other honors given at the banquet will be for four new Trailblazers Hall of Fame inductees: 7-time American Speedway champion Mike Bast, Ascot 8-Mile National winner Dan Haaby, 3-time world roadracing champion Wayne Rainey and famed Dirt Track race tuner and suspension expert Steve Storz. We will also recognize posthumously two Trailblazers who have previously passed on: Bruce Ogilvie and Gil Vaillancourt. Webco co-founder Tom Heininger will be the recipient of our annual wine toast and Susie Ellsworth will receive the Lucile Flanders Award.

We expect another sell-out, so stay tuned here for updates on the schedule of events and tickets, which will go on sale in early January.

Hope to see you there!

Don Emde
President
Trailblazers M.C.

A GREAT EVENT IN CARSON

The 71st annual Trailblazers banquet is in the books. Saturday, April 11th was a great day and night at Carson Center with approximately 700 of the faithful attending. The ever-popular Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show presented by The Early Years of Motocross Museum and Hagerty Insurance was the first stop for the arriving club members. The three-hour "meet & greet" reception and bike show is one of the highlights of the event with the chance to reunite with many old motorcycling friends...but there was more to come. At 6:00 p.m. it was time to go inside for the dinner and awards banquet.

Our Mission with the Trailblazers is to honor people who have made their mark in the motorcycle sport and industry in Southern California and this year's group of honorees couldn't have been more perfect. From Dick Hammer Award winner CH Wheat to our Hall of Fame inductees: Walt Axthelm, Ron Bishop, Chris Carter, Gary Conrad, Mel Dinesen, Neil Fergus, Rob Morrison and Thad Wolff.

Thanks to all who helped make the event the success that it was, especially our sponsors Mark & Randy Zimmerman of Specialty Fabrication, Inc., GE Capital, Motorcycle Industry Council, The Early Years of Motocross Museum, Hagerty Insurance, K&N, Van Leeuwen Enterprises, Ernie Aragon and Tom Horton.

Watch here for upcoming news about the dates for next year's banquet.

See you next year!

Don Emde
President
Trailblazers M.C.

It's Banquet Time!

The 71st annual Trailblazers banquet will be held at the Carson Center in Carson on Saturday, April 11th. Every seat is sold and the Trailblazers board is getting all of the details in place for a fun-filled afternoon in the courtyard, followed by a great dinner and banquet with 700 of your closest friends.

If this is your first time attending the banquet, the Carson Center is located at 801 East Carson Street in Carson, CA 90745. Exit off Interstate 405 at the Carson Street exit and go west just past the Carson Doubletree by Hilton Hotel and turn right into the parking lot. The Hotel and Carson Center share the same parking lot.

The schedule is simple. Attendees should be planning to arrive around 3:00 p.m. That’s when the Pit Gate opens and the Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show Presented by The Early Days of Motocross Museum and Hagerty Insurance begins. If you are bringing a motorcycle, you actually need to be there by 2:00 so we can get you checked in and the bike in position. Its all first-come, first-served with spots for motorcycles until we fill up. So don’t get left out. Come early.

When you arrive and get parked at the Carson Center parking lot, proceed west towards the Trailblazers EZ-Ups where you will check in and receive your VIP Pass, pass holder and other materials, including your table number (all seats are pre-assigned). There will also be some of the commemorative Trailblazers 70th anniversary Beer Steins from last year’s banquet available at check-in for sale. Cash only.

You will need to wear the pass at all times and no one without a pass will be permitted past the gates. We encourage everyone to sign your name on both sides of the pass so the many other Trailblazers can pick you out.

At 6:00 p.m. the banquet doors will open. The program and dinner begins at 6:30 p.m.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Questions? Send an email to: mctrailblazers01@gmail.com.

Rob Morrison: Trailblazers 2015 Hall of Fame

Well, the excitement is building as we approach the 71st annual Trailblazers banquet on Saturday, April 11th at the Carson Center in Carson. Tickets sold out quickly for the second year in a row, but for the 700+ who did order early enough, a great event awaits you. As we have been doing these past few months, here’s a look at another of our 2015 honorees, Rob Morrison.

Rob Morrison was born in 1952 and grew up in Fontana, California. He started riding motorcycles at 16. Then one day in the late 1960’s Rob accompanied his father to Perris Raceway to watch the TT Scrambles races. Rob was hooked and was soon racing himself.

By 1971 Rob was a rising star racing in the District 37 Expert class, riding for shops like K&N and Ontario Cycle. In 1972 Rob moved up to an AMA Pro Novice license. Riding a Pete Pistone tuned Bultaco; he won the 1972 California State Championship. He moved up to the Junior class in 1973 and started riding a Norton built by “Big Bill” Rychlik and Harold Allison. He did well enough on the Norton to be promoted to Expert in 1974.

Rob’s rookie Expert season started out on a Dick Kelm Yamaha which he raced at the San Jose Mile. This was the first mile Morrison had ever ridden; he made the main and finished with a respectable 10th place, finishing ahead of such riders as Mark Brelsford, Hank Scott, Jim Odom, Terry Dorsch, and Chuck Palmgren. Rob’s riding style and tenacity got the attention of Ron Wood. Wood offered Ron the ride on his Nortons at Ascot and that season, Rob Morrison on Ron Wood’s Norton became a winning combo that would win the 1974 Ascot Championship.

Next, Rob signed on with the Norton factory team to race the 1975 season in the AMA Camel Pro Series. It was a season of high points and low points. Signing to a factory dirt track team was every racer’s dream. But the factory Norton’s weren’t competitive with the Harley-Davidson XR750’s of the time. Plus, Norton was in a steep financial decline and shut down the program in mid-season. Without a sponsored ride for dirt track racing, Rob moved to the Speedway racing. He raced five nights a week all through the 1976 and 1977 seasons. He did well enough to make a good living in Speedway and became a member of the L.A. Sprockets Speedway Team.

Rob retired from full-time racing in 1978, but never stopped riding motorcycles. Today he is a successful self-employed businessman. He still enjoys going to the races and has been an active member of the TrailBlazers for many years. Most weekends you can still find Rob riding his motorcycle along the coast of southern California.

The TrailBlazers proudly welcome Rob Morrison to the 2015 Hall of Fame.

Gary Conrad: 2015 Trailblazers Hall of Fame Inductee

The 71st annual Trailblazers banquet is now less than 60 days away. On Saturday, April 11th the sold-out event will begin at 3:00 p.m. with pre-banquet activities in the courtyard of the Carson Center featuring the Tom Cates Memorial Bike Show presented by The Early Years of Motocross Museum and Hagerty Insurance. Some call it the best part of the annual gathering with the chance to catch up with old friends and re-tell those many great bench-racing stories. As we always do, when go inside for dinner we will also be honoring some great motorcycling legends, both living and others who have passed on. One of our posthumous honorees will be Gary Conrad.

Gary Lee Conrad was born in Los Angeles in 1943. His family moved to Palmdale when he was 12 and he lived there for 58 years. In 1960, he graduated from Palmdale High School where he met the love of his life, Linda.  Gary served in the National Guard for eight years and worked most of his life as a New Construction Plumber. But, his greatest passion was motorcycle riding.  

He started riding at the age of 12 on a stripped-down 165cc Harley-Davidson. He soon moved on to a 200cc Dot. Gary couldn’t wait to race and in 1957 he entered his first Hare & Hound in the 200cc class. Gary was hooked and eventually entered 35 desert races, and four TT Scrambles, in 1957. He took 9 first place class finishes, 2 second place finishes, and 7 thirds. Nick Nicholson was importing Greeves motorcycles into the Western USA and offered Gary a ride. His first race on the new 250cc Greeves in 1959 foreshadowed what was to come. He took third place at the Orange County Little Bear Run. He was almost always on the podium whenever he raced for the next decade. Gary compiled an amazing record in the 1960’s riding Hare & Hounds and Hare Scrambles events. He won the 250cc class an astounding 123 times! He also won 16 events on the 360cc Greeves in the 500cc class, as well as 13 class wins on the Dot and the early Greeves 200cc.

Gary reached the top of his sport by winning the District 37 overall #1 plate, the fabled 1X in 1965. 1965 was a great year for Gary, in addition to his class wins; he won the overall at the Antelope Ramblers Hare Scrambles in September, as well as the Checkers Hare & Hound in October. He took those overall victories on his 250cc Greeves at a time when Open class bikes ruled the desert.

When Suzuki decided to market their first motocross bike in the USA, they created the TM250. This model was the first production Japanese motocrosser and only 200 were produced worldwide, with the USA getting 65 in early 1968. To prove it’s off-road worth, the American Suzuki distributor hired Preston Petty, Walt Axthelm, as well as Gary Conrad as riders to showcase the new machine.

Gary was a great ambassador for off-road riding. He rode his dirt bikes to work on trails he’d map out to each job site and encouraged all his friends and family to ride and helped many get their start in the sport. He retired from racing in 1970, however he continued to love riding with his family and friends and continued to compete in Dual Sport and Trials events.

Gary passed away Monday, February 4, 2013 in Lancaster, California at the age of 69. The Trailblazers fondly remember Gary Conrad and welcome him to the 2015 Hall of Fame.

Neil Fergus: 2015 Trailblazers Hall of Fame Inductee

Preparations continue for the 71^st annual Trailblazers banquet. As expected, the banquet is now sold out, although the club encourages emails to get into the waiting list in the event of cancellations – which we do always get. To get on the list, send a note to: mctrailblazers01@gmail.com.

Continuing with our previews of this year’s honorees at the banquet, here is a profile on off-road legend Neil Fergus.

Neil Fergus was born in San Francisco, California in 1931. His family soon moved to Sierra Madre, California and it was there that Neil began his love of motorcycling.

Neil bought his first motorcycle at age 16. He rode mostly off road in any vacant lot he could find. Soon he was taking the bike out to the Mojave Desert to ride, and began entering desert races.

Neil was drafted into the Army in the early 50’s. Since he was an accomplished motorcycle rider, he became a motorcycle “MP” in charge of Convoy Escorts. He loved this type of duty because it gave him the opportunity to ride every day.

Upon his discharge, he took a job as a Pasadena motorcycle police officer. Although he rode a motorcycle five days a week, he still wanted more saddle time. So every weekend he went to the Mojave Desert and raced his beautifully prepped 200cc Dot in District 37 desert races and Enduros.

In 1960, Neil partnered with Jack Gray to open Honda of Pasadena. This was an era when “Made in Japan” meant the product was probably junk. Neil began to race a Honda 250cc scrambler in desert races to help prove the quality of the motorcycles he was selling. To improve his chances, Neil continually modified the Honda.  It took some time, but he made it a winner in the desert.

In 1963, he earned the #2 plate in AMA District 37. Then in 1964, Neil was the first person in AMA District 37 history to win "High Point Man of the Year" on a 250cc bike and was awarded the #1 plate.

In 1965 Neil partnered with Gary Griffin to open the Fergus & Griffin Motorcycle Service Center in Monrovia. Neil continued to race, defending his #1 plate riding a Bultaco. He was becoming legendary as not only a rider, but also a tuner, frame and suspension expert.

In 1967 Yamaha asked Neil to help create a street legal dirt bike, the concept we now know as Enduro or Dual Sport. The first prototypes were brought to Neil because he was known as a guy who could make a bike work off road. The bike Neil helped create was the Yamaha DT-1.

In 1968 Neil offered a fast young rider named Larry Bergquist a Bultaco sponsorship. Bergquist promptly went out and grabbed the District 37 desert 250cc #1 plate. This began a collaboration between Neil and Larry that would last for several more years. With Fergus as the builder/tuner and Bergquist as the rider, the team had many wins in District 37 desert racing as well as major events like Baja and the Mint 400.

In the early 1970’s Neil secured a position as head of R & D with Mike Harper’s Victor Products. Neil’s job was to develop new accessories for Yamahas just before they were introduced. If you had a Yamaha in the 70’s, and purchased any Genuine Yamaha Accessories such as a compression release, fork brace, high mount front fender, skid plate, or GYT kit, chances are that Neil designed and developed it.

Neil retired from the motorcycle industry in 1980, but still rides and travels 20,000-30,000 miles annually on two wheels. He maintains a fleet of street and dirt bikes, and can usually be found out in the garage getting an old Matchless or Panther ready for a vintage road rally.

The Trailblazers proudly welcomes Neil Fergus to the 2015 Hall of Fame!

Ron Bishop: 2015 Trailblazers Hall of Fame Inductee

2015 BANQUET UPDATE

Tickets for the 71st annual Trailblazers banquet to be held at the Carson Center in Carson, CA on Saturday, April 11, 2015 are SOLD OUT!! Please email us to be placed on the waiting list.

As we have been doing in recent weeks, here is another of our Hall of Fame inductees to be honored this year. The Trailblazers were saddened to hear the news last September that Ron Bishop had passed, but we are moving along just the same to properly credit him for his many great motorcycling accomplishments.

Ron Bishop was born in Woodland, Washington, in 1943. His family moved to Southern California when he was 10 and settled in Escondido. Escondido was a hub of motorcycling activity and it wasn’t long before little Ron was blazing around on a Cushman Eagle scooter, which he naturally took off-road. He rapidly moved from the scooter to a Mustang and eventually to his first real motorcycle, a Zundapp 250cc Super Sabre.

In 1960, at age 17, he started racing TTs and scrambles aboard the Zundapp, but waiting around between races was excruciating for the energetic teen. Soon he discovered there was no waiting around when he entered enduros, hare scrambles and long-distance desert races, just hours of wide-open racing.

Ron began an off-road racing career that took him all over the world. Bishop rode many of the major off-road races of his era: the Greenhorn Enduro, Barstow to Vegas and the grueling long-distance races such as the Mint 400 and the Baja 1,000. Ron raced the Baja 1,000 starting with the first event in 1967 to a record of forty consecutive years! He was also a front-runner in the Baja 500, the Mexicali 300, and the Tecate Enduro.

Bishop earned a factory Kawasaki ride in 1973. That year he qualified for the ISDT, held in the United States for the first time in the Berkshire Mountains of Massachusetts. He came back and qualified again for the ISDT in 1975, riding for the factory Rokon squad. That year, the prestigious “Six Days” event was held on the Isle of Man. Bishop always said representing his country in two ISDT appearances was among the most memorable episodes of his racing career.

During his years of off-road racing, Bishop became a self-taught electrical engineer and began developing more powerful lighting for his motorcycles. He was the first to figure out how to power halogen lights on his bikes.

In the early 1980s, Bishop opened his own motorcycle shop, dealing exclusively in off-road motorcycles. Through his shop, Bishop worked with many of the leading off-road and motocross riders of the greater San Diego area.

Ron Bishop was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2001 for his many accomplishments in off-road racing. In September 2014, he passed away due to natural causes, not long after his seventieth birthday.

The Trailblazers welcome Ron Bishop to the 2015 Hall of Fame.

Mel Dinesen: 2015 Trailblazers Posthumous Hall of Fame Inductee

Mel Dinesen, who passed away in 2006 at the age of 93, had been a motorcycle dealer in Bakersfield, CA. dating back to 1950 where he sold Indian into the 1980s with Yamaha, Hodaka and other brands.

He first made headlines as a race tuner in 1960 when 16-year old Eddie Mulder won the famed Big Bear Grand Prix on one of his Royal Enfields. Dinesen went on to sponsor numerous riders from central and southern California in dirt track racing and roadracing with Ron Pierce, a young Bakersfield rider. Ron won numerous AFM and AMA races for Mel which earned him a spot on the Yamaha factory team beginning in 1968.

Trailblazers President Don Emde took over the saddles of Mel Dinesen’s race bikes in 1969. That summer Emde won the AMA Novice National race at Indianapolis, Indiana as well as winning the overall AFM #1 plate. In 1970 Emde won the 100-mile 250cc National race at Talladega, Alabama, and in 1972, history was made when he won the Daytona 200 on the Mel Dinesen-sponsored and tuned 350cc Yamaha. It was the first time that a two-stroke had ever won the 200, as well as a first for Yamaha. It was also the smallest engine size to ever win the event, beating private and factory entered machines up to 750cc. All this was achieved on a motorcycle that was privately entered and tuned by a motorcycle dealer.

The Trailblazers remember Mel Dinesen and welcome him into our Hall of Fame.