last race at the track.
In addition to a well-done
banquet prepared by the Phoe-
nix Club's staff, the Trailblazers
inducted this year's crop of Hall
of Famers, including Johnny
Campbell, a Baja racer and
team owner/builder par excel-
lence; Scot Harden of Barstow-
to-Vegas and Baja fame; Steve
Johnson (posthumously) tuner/
builder for notable world cham-
pions such as Wayne Rainey,
Eddie Lawson, Phil Read and
Brad Lackey; three-time AMA
Champion Bubba Shobert;
America's only World 500cc
Motocross Champion Brad "Bad
Brad" Lackey; and finally, two-
time Speedway World Champion
Bruce Penhall.
The annual Barnett cham-
pagne toast in memory of Trail-
blazers we've lost over the past
year and a half was held, with
more than 600 members saluting
those who have gone before us.
Next was the Earl & Lucile
Flanders Lifetime Achievement
Award, which went to Larry Lang-
ley for his many achievements—
such as being a top enduro
rider, writing for a wide variety
of publications, owning his own
PR firm—but mostly he earns
the award for simply promoting
the fun and adventure of motor-
cycling over his lifetime.
Finally, the last award of the
night for the individual who best
represents drive, determination
and desire—the Dick Hammer
Award—went to Southern Cali-
fornia's own Eddie Mulder (yes,
with the ever-present toothpick
and in his signature Bermuda
shorts). Mulder thanked so many
people that he had to use a
handful of notes, sort of like at
the Oscars. That's our Eddie!
The night closed out with lots
of cheers and clapping, and with
the hope that the next annual
meeting will not take as long to
happen or be fraught with as
many scheduling problems.
Richard T. Haight
VOLUME 58 ISSUE 35 AUGUST 31, 2021 P33
Trailblazer Hall of Famers gather for a photo.
