Off-Road Hall of Fame
Today, the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) announced the 2012 Class of Inductees.
The late Roy Denner, Casey Folks and Larry Roeseler will have their names added to the venerable list of those who have committed their lives to the off-road community.
The three inductees’ extensive accomplishments cover a number of arenas in the sport including advocacy, promotion and racing. Their legacies will be celebrated and displayed for the public in Gallery Four within the famed National Automobile Museum – the Harrah Collection – located in Reno, NV. They join names synonymous with the sport including Parnelli Jones, Malcolm Smith, Steve McQueen, James Garner, Walker Evans, Rod Hall as well as many names who have worked tirelessly behind the scenes making the sport prosper and grow.
The induction process is difficult and respected with thirteen voting members thoroughly scrutinizing each nominee on the basis of significant contribution to off-road motorsports beyond wins and sport affiliation. All nominees must have at least fifteen years experience and involvement and have built, designed, driven, maintained, owned, prepared, piloted, promoted, ridden or supported an off-road vehicle. They are characterized by their desire to win, the mastery of their field and their courage to innovate. Each Inductee within the Hall has made a significant contribution to Off-Road Motorsports in at least one of the following aspects: Business, History, Design, Engineering, Prestige of the Sport, and/or Growth of the Sport.
The Inductees will be honored Friday, October 5th in conjunction with the Lucas Oil Off-Road Expo in Pomona, California.
INDUCTEE BIOGRAPHIES:
Roy Denner is remembered by the off-road community as a true champion and leader. He worked and lobbied tirelessly to preserve public lands for OHV access until his passing in 2009. Denner founded the Off-Road Business Association (ORBA), a nationwide, non-profit trade association dedicated to this mission. Prior to starting ORBA, Roy became active in land-use in the 90’s as a member of the San Diego Off-Road Coalition, where he was the Director of Land Use. He also served as a member of the California Desert District Advisory Council, as well as the Imperial Sand Dunes Recreation Area Technical Review Team. For his hard work and dedication, Denner was named the 1999 OHV Volunteer of the Year by the California Off-Highway Motor Vehicle Recreation Division. For many years to come, off-roaders will benefit from his extensive dedication fighting legal battles so countless others could recreate.
Casey Folks, founder and Director of Best in The Desert Racing Association has worn many hats in the sport of off-road racing including competitor, promoter and businessman in both two-wheel and four-wheel racing. Folks is noted for his tenacity and dedication to making races happen regardless of the extreme web of challenges. His ability to work with land management agencies, landowners and racers has allowed his organization to build the stage for off-road racers to compete and excel and enable the sport to not only survive, but grow. Folks is also known for adopting new technologies to keep costs down for racers and developing innovative rules often adopted by other sanctioning bodies. His event portfolio as a promoter is extensive and includes the Nevada Rally, Vegas to Reno, the Nevada 2000, Parker 250 and 425. Folks is the race director for the resurging, legendary Mint 400.
Larry Roeseler is synonymous with many aspects of off-road motorsports – motorcycles, trucks, Baja and beyond. In a sport where winning the SCORE Baja 1000 twice makes a hero, Roeseler holds the record of thirteen overall Baja 1000 victories and eleven overall Baja 500 wins. Ten of these victories came atop a motorcycle with his first victory in 1976 and his most recent win in a Trophy Truck in 2008. However, his success extends beyond Baja and even North America. He is a ten-time International Six Day Enduro Gold Medalist and finished 12th at the Dakar Rally in 2004. Despite unequaled success, Larry Roeseler has always been humble and willing to share his knowledge with others. He has conducted countless motorcycle riding clinics around the globe and to this day continues to donate time and resources to help orphanages in Baja. While Roeseler’s competitive resume and longevity in the sport warrants serious consideration by the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, his commitment to the sport and others elevates him to the level of Inductee.
About:
The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame (ORMHOF) is a non-profit 501 (c)(3) organization launched in 1978 by Ed Perlman and revived in 1995 by Rod Hall. The organization and its assets reside in the permanent home inside the National Automobile Museum, the Harrah Collection in Reno, Nevada. Today, there are 63 honored Inductees. To learn more about the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, log on to www.ormhof.org.