Back in 1968. the Viewfinde rs
Moto rcycle C lub. which consisted of
members fro m the film industry, began
hosting its first event - the Westl ake
Grand Pr ix Scrambles - and. yes.
McQueen... err. Harvey Mushman . did
show up. as did friends Malcolm Smith
and J.N . Roberts. and a host of other bigname racers. There was. however, anothe r film industry-hosted race , and it was
quite poss ibly the most famous of all: the
Hopetown Grand Prix. The inaugural
Hopetown was held in 1967 and took
place at Bob Hope's ranch . which was a
working movie set. Slowly but surely
throughout the motorcycle and film com mun ity. this race became a must for
everyone each year.
In the years to follow. these two races
began selling out the first day that entries
became available. And for many families
and racers alike. the Hopetown Grand
Prix was one of their favorite events of
the entire year. It combined good family
fun with motorcycle racing - something
that A Day in the Dirt does so well to
emulate. And as it turned out. it was
because of these two races that the
Thanksgiving trad ition, A Day in the Dirt ,
was born.
A Day in the Dirt was founded by
stuntrnen Kenny Alexander and Jimmy
Roberts. both who grew up watching
their dads compete at Hopetown. The
first Day in the Dirt was held in 1998 and
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CYCLE NEWS . DECEMBER 15,2004
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