Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1547519
approximately 765 other riders. The 16-year-old nearly missed the start, then battled through the field despite breaking a foot- peg and damaging his motor- cycle. His victory over many of the country's best desert racers made him an overnight sensa- tion. Mulder later described that victory as one of the defining moments of his career, saying it opened doors that might other- wise have remained closed. He subsequently turned his at- tention to professional flat track racing, where he became one of the leading TT specialists of the 1960s. Riding Triumph motorcy- cles primarily, Mulder earned his first AMA Grand National victory at the Peoria TT in 1965. The following year proved his finest. Mulder became the first rider to sweep all three major AMA TT Nationals in a single season, winning at Ascot Park, Castle Rock and Peoria. The achievement helped him finish fourth in the 1966 AMA Grand National Championship stand- ings, his best championship result. He won his fifth and final Grand National at the Santa Fe TT in 1970. Along the way, he also collected numerous AMA District 37 championships and became a familiar attraction at Southern California's legendary Ascot Park. As his professional racing career wound down in the 1970s, Mulder found another outlet for his riding talents in Hollywood. He performed motorcycle stunts in numerous movies and televi- sion productions, including the Clint Eastwood film Magnum Force, in which he made a spectacular motorcycle jump between aircraft carriers. Mulder never completely retired from competition. He became a successful vintage racer, earning multiple victories at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb, and founded the West Coast Vintage Dirt Track Series, helping preserve the sport's his- tory and providing opportunities for vintage racers. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and later received recognition from the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America and the Hot Shoe Hall of Fame. He was also a longtime member of the Trail- blazers Motorcycle Club and, in 2021, was honored with the club's highest accolade, the Dick Hammer Award. One of his most fitting hon- ors came in 2024 when Royal Enfield introduced the Bear 650, a scrambler inspired by his his- toric Big Bear victory. Its special Two Four Nine edition featured Mulder's original racing number, 249. Mulder attended the motor- cycle's California introduction, more than six decades after the victory that helped launch his career. From the desert to the dirt tracks and Hollywood, Eddie Mulder lived a life few motorcy- clists could imagine. His speed, personality and lifelong enthusi- asm for motorcycles made him one of the sport's unforgettable characters. CN VOLUME 63 ISSUE 45 NOVEMBER 10, 2026 P29 Mulder left such an impact on the sport that Royal Enfield recently named a motorcycle after him. At age 16, he rode a Royal Enfield to victory at the Big Bear Run in 1960. PHOTO: KIT PALMER