Annually, the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame, affectionately known as ORMHOF, inducts new members. The 2023 list of legends includes nine individuals who have contributed to the growth and well-being of off-road motorsports. Not all nominated are elected as inductees, but those that are deserve our attention. This is our history, maybe not four-wheel drive, but we all stand on the shoulders of those who came before.
Jeff Cummings – Industry Pioneer
Jeff started his career with BFGoodrich Tires in 1979. For 43 years, he lived and breathed his #DirtyTiresHappyTires hashtag with the BFGoodrich brand. From 1979 to 1991, Jeff was a Performance Tire Manager for BFG, working enthusiast events and shows, providing motorsports support, and implementing new product introductions. In 1991 he transitioned to Regional Performance Tire Manager. In addition to his original duties, Jeff helped develop the Rod Hall Driving School and helped manage the BFG off-road racing programs. He helped with racecourse mapping, chase access, BFG map books, and running support pits. Jeff established the BFG brand in rock crawling competitions, sweeping four series for three consecutive years, and led the way for BFG’s involvement in grassroots racing.
In 2003 Jeff earned a new title: Fun With Tires Manager (FWTM). He managed and conducted driving schools and led off-road adventures in Baja and the United States to showcase product performance in extreme conditions to customers, including over 250 tire dealers each year.
“Jeff’s passion, knowledge, and Impact on all aspects of off-road are second to none. He’s sort of the guy behind the curtain, so I feel like he often doesn’t get the recognition he deserves,” said ORMHOF Class of 2022 inductee Lance Clifford. “Jeff is not only a big part of BFGoodrich’s off-road history, but also an integral part of off-roading’s history.”
Scott Douglas – Competition
Scott’s love of off-roading started while growing up in the back of a Jeep in the early 1970s. His family belonged to a Jeep Club in California. There Scott learned the love and excitement of off-roading and the importance of taking care of the roads and trails of the BLM.
Scott began his off-road career on motorcycles at the Riverside International Raceway in the mid-1970s. His passion accelerated from two wheels to four in 1980 when he and his brother Steve bought a Class 8 race truck off a used car lot, prepped it, and entered the infamous Baja 500. They finished an amazing fifth in class.
Over the years, Scott Douglas has successfully driven everything from stock classes to unlimited trucks, including SCORE trophy trucks and Short Course Pro4s.
With over 95 career victories, eight desert championships, and three Baja 1000 Class Wins, Scott adds ORMHOF inductee to his list of impressive results.
“Scott was one of my local racing heroes,” said 7-Time NASCAR Cup Series Champion Jimmie Johnson. “Not only is he a nice guy with a great reputation, but he is also a hard worker and successful businessman… I always admired his talent, his willingness to mentor, and his work ethic.”
Evan Evans – Competition
Evan was racing for his father’s off-road team Walker Evans Racing in 1989 and had won four races in a row, driving a Jeep Cherokee in Class 6 during the SCORE/HDRA season.
On July 13, 1989, a motorcycle accident significantly changed Evan’s life. He was thrown from the bike when he hit an unmarked ditch at a construction project near his home. He was paralyzed from the chest down. “When the doctors told me my spinal cord had been severed, it was my worst nightmare come true,” said Evan. “But I decided then, and there I was not going to give up.”
When the accident occurred, Evan had a significant lead in the Class 6 SCORE points standings, but by the time of the final race – the Baja 1000 – he needed to start the race to ensure himself the championship. Hand controls were installed in his race vehicle, and three days after being released from the hospital, Evan was driven to Ensenada and helped into the driver’s seat by his mother, Dolly.
He only needed to drive the truck 40 miles down the pavement to El Alamo, but instead drove 32 additional miles before stopping and turning the car over to his co-driver, Brian Stewart.
“Brian drove the rest of the way, and we won the championship for my dad’s team,” Evan said. Evan earned the SCORE Off-Roadsman of the Year Award and was named the SCORE High Desert Racing Association Person of the Year for his incredible comeback.
Evan spent the following year in rehabilitation while working tirelessly to build his first race vehicle equipped with hand controls from a Chevy Blazer his mother had been using for trips to the grocery store.
Evan continued to race off-road before finding his niche in short-course racing, where he became one of the winningest drivers in short-course history.
Evan teamed with the GM Mobility Program to build a covered viewing platform at Bark River International Raceway for disabled patrons, which is still used today. With help from sponsor Chevrolet, Evan also organized the construction of a handicapped spectator terrace at Crandon International Raceway.
“Evan has fought some of life’s most powerful setbacks to rise up and become one of the fiercest drivers we have ever enjoyed watching at the Big House. He did it in a way that inspired all of us, especially the young fans that always watched him work on his equipment despite physical challenges,” said ORMHOF Class of 2017 inductee and Crandon International Raceway patriarch Cliff Flannery.
Helen Fields – Advocacy Pioneer
Helen ‘Sugar’ Fields is a Hall of Fame legacy inductee. Dubbed the ‘First Lady of Four Wheeling’ by the East Coast 4WD Association (EC4WDA), Sugar Fields had nearly a half-century of continued leadership in competitive and recreational 4-wheeling at club, regional, and national levels.
In the 1970s, the Indiana-Ohio-Kentucky (IOK) Four Wheelers, under Sugar’s leadership, had the foresight and tenacity to convince the New York Central Railroad to sell a former gravel pit on 69 acres in Cleves, Ohio, for off-road recreation. The property nicknamed ‘the Pits’ became the home of Gravelrama, one of the longest-running off-road events in the country. Gravelrama 8 marked the first ‘monster truck’ appearance at an off-road event, ORMHOF inductee Bob Chandler’s Bigfoot. Sugar coined the event slogan “America’s annual 4WD happening” for Gravelrama and, with her husband Ken, announced at the event for 33 years. Gravelrama celebrated 50 years in 2021.
Sugar was crucial in stopping overly restrictive raised-vehicle legislation in Maryland and nationwide. She was named the United Four-Wheel Drive Association Four Wheeler of the Year in 1991. In 1992 EC4WDA hosted the annual United Convention in Baltimore, where Sugar lobbied federal representatives on behalf of 4WD recreation. She was also instrumental in creating the North American Motorized Recreation Council (NAMRC).
Prior to her passing in 2015, Sugar received an award from EC4WDA for 40 years of service. West Virginia Senator Mark R. Maynard said, “As a child in the 80s, when my family would attend East Coast 4-Wheel Drive Association events, Gravelrama was always a highlight. As new competitors, my parents felt immediately welcomed by Sugar. She was always very helpful. It’s just not the same without her voice echoing over the loudspeaker at Cleves. The off-road community misses her.”
Scot Harden – Industry Pioneer
As a desert racer, OEM executive, event promoter, land use advocate, desert racing historian, brand ambassador, published author, and now a member of five motorsports Halls of Fame, Scot Harden impacts off-road.
With 14 overall wins and 38 class championships at the Baja 1000, Baja 500, Las Vegas 400, Parker 400, SCORE, BITD, SNORE, HDRA, and other major Baja/off-road events to pioneering Rally competitions in North Africa, to leading the first serious U.S. motorcycle team effort at the grueling Dakar Rally to building companies, and brands, Harden has impacted an entire generation of off-road enthusiasts. His contributions to iconic off-road companies like KTM, Husqvarna, Best In The Desert, and a whole host of aftermarket companies as race team manager, factory rider, sales and marketing executive, spokesperson, and brand ambassador, Scot has left a considerable mark on the industry and sport. Already a member of several other prestigious Halls of Fame, including the American Motorcyclist Association (AMA), Trailblazers, Motorcycle Racing Association of Nevada (MRAN), and Hot Shoe Hall of Fames, Harden has been named by SCORE Journal as one of the “All Time Baja Moto Greats” and one of the “Top 10 Riders” in the history of U.S. off-road motorcycle competition by Dirt Rider Magazine.
Scot’s passion for the sport of off-road continues with the recent development of the “Handstands at 100 MPH” event with legendary SCORE Baja Champion and ORMHOF inductee Johnny Campbell. “Handstands” is designed to recognise the accomplishments of desert and Baja motorcycle racing legends from the past and present. “Scot Hardin’s efforts to continue the promotion and legacies of the sport’s great off-road racers will educate present and future generations to know whose shoulders they are standing on,” says Jim Ryan, SCORE VP of Marketing. “Preserving the past and strengthening the future of motorcycle racers in Baja is important to SCORE and the motorcycle competitors overall.”
Mary McGee – Competition
Mary McGee was born in Juneau, Alaska, on December 12, 1936. She then moved to Iowa to live with her grandparents during World War II, as Alaska was considered at risk of a Japanese invasion. In 1944, the family settled in Phoenix, Arizona. Eventually, she met her husband, Don McGee, a mechanic. Shortly after their 1956 wedding, Don introduced her to racing cars which ultimately led to racing motorcycles.
While a tall 5’11”, Mary always described herself as “fast on my feet, fast with my brain, self-conscious and lacking confidence”; however, she had “no trouble with confidence on the racetrack.” A pioneer in the sport of desert off-road racing and motocross, Mary broke down many barriers for female racers. She has achieved many firsts and has been a great role model for our sport.
Mary learned to ride on a 200cc Triumph Tiger Cub she bought from a friend. She later took up motorcycle road racing to improve her car racing skills. A female road racer in the United States was a new phenomenon, so the American Federation of Motorcyclists made Mary take a test before allowing her to race. She passed the test – on a 125 Honda CB92 wearing a pink polka-dot helmet — and became the first woman to hold an FIM license in the United States.
In 1963, at a New Year’s Eve party attended by Hollywood stars who raced both cars and motorcycles, Mary’s friend, the actor and future ORMHOF inductee Steve McQueen, told her, “McGee, you’ve got to get off that pansy road-racing bike and come out to the desert.” Taking heed of McQueen’s good-natured ribbing, Mary switched to dirt riding in 1963. She started her off-road career by riding a 250cc Honda Scrambler in an AMA District 37 enduro. She raced a Datsun 510 in the very first Mexican 1000 in 1967. Mary became the first woman to finish the Mexican 1000 in 1968. In 1975, she rode a 250 Husqvarna solo in the Baja 500, passing 17 two-man teams, becoming the first person – man or woman – to solo the Baja 500 on a motorcycle.
Mary has always said that the hardest thing she has ever done was racing in Baja. “It was very barren, no electricity, no doctors, no phone.” When she got a call from three-time motocross world champion Rolf Tibblin, who asked if she would ride the Baja 500 solo in ’75, she replied, “I can’t do that, Rolf.” Rolf responded in his Swedish accent, “You will do it, Mary.” So, she accepted the challenge. “We all get one life,” says Mary. “But you are not living if you aren’t having fun.”
Tommy Morris – Industry Pioneer
Tommy Morris’s career spans 40 years in off-road, including driving, team management, vehicle and component engineering, and military training experience.
Tommy Morris was the relentless force behind the all-conquering PPI/Toyota factory off-road race team. Tommy was the calculating talent behind the success of the Wide Open Baja experience that administered the high-performance off-road experience to thousands of off-road adventure seekers. Companies like Toyota, TRD, BFGoodrich, Bilstein, Fox Shox, Eibach, Can-Am, and Polaris thank Tommy for the expertise that drove their products and brands within the greater automotive universe.
Tommy was also an innovator. “Through his consulting company, Tommy has led the development of everything from innovative complex suspension systems, wheel and tyre advancements, factory production utility-based vehicles, and so much more that will have a lasting impact on off-roading,” Cal Wells said. “I can’t overstate how his innovations have influenced the fundamentals of off-roading.”
More significant is Tommy’s unmatched service to our country via his massive resume with the United States military. His work developing modern off-road vehicles and training with special operations forces is unmatched in the history of our industry.
Cal Wells sums up Tommy Morris’ induction into ORMHOF this way: “There are few that have contributed more to the first principles of off-roading that include but are not limited to passion, ingenuity, engineering excellence, athletic achievement, social responsibility and, most importantly, freedom, than Tommy Morris.”
Lee Sieck – Industry Pioneer
Lee “Fud” Sieck is a Hall of Fame Legacy inductee. He was the dynamic and driving force behind some of the most enjoyable grassroots events the sport of desert racing has ever known. Fud began to ride the San Diego-based District 38 events in the late 1970s, eventually trading his handlebars for a gavel when elected president of the organisation in 1979.
In 1979, Fud started racing in the desert east of San Diego County in the AMA District 38 desert races. Later that year, he was elected president of the San Diego Sports Committee Inc. His reputation for organisation grew from that seed, and by 1984, a group of four-wheel off-road racers had asked him to put together a race for them. This became the start of Fud’s Superstition Championship Series, which soon added motorcycles and ATVs to the mix using the same racecourse but staggering the field’s starting times – bikes raced at 7 am and cars at noon. “Fud always had a big smile and was there to help anyone who needed help,” said AMA Hall of Fame member Marty Tripes. “Fud organised and took District 38 to the next level of high standards. He was at home in the desert and promoting District 38.”
“Fud’s events allowed hundreds of families to compete in small local events to grow as competitors, including my sons, Dan and Luke,” said ORMHOF inductee Mark McMillin. “Fud’s legacy continues today with local motorcycle and ATV racing in Plaster City known as District 38, which still grooms young racers and embodies the family-first environment in the desert.”
A longtime San Diego Off-Road Coalition member, Fud grew his event schedule to over 20 races by the early 2000s. Tragically, on October 23, 2003, Fud suffered a fatal heart attack after promoting the Corky McMillin Companies Superstition 250.
Russ Wernimont – Industry Pioneer
On his 19th birthday, Russ moved from Toledo, Ohio, to Southern California to pursue his dream of building off-road vehicles. He started his career sweeping the floor of Cal Well’s PPI shop and, within a year, became the crew chief of Michael Nesmith’s Class 8 truck, starting his own shop and building pre-runner trucks for the likes of Parnelli Jones and Roger Mears.
“Russ was never an engineer. He never had a CAD program for design,” said ORMHOF inductee Bob Bower. “What Russ did have was white poster board, scissors, and a pile of map tacks. He would cut out the shape of a suspension piece from the poster board, stick a map tack at what he reckoned the pivot point should be, and test for travel by moving the poster board around the pivot point.”
In the late 1980s, Russ got the attention of Jim Venable and was given the opportunity to build a new Ford Class 8 truck, putting young Robby Gordon behind the wheel. That would be the first 4-wheel vehicle to overall the Baja 1000 in 1989. In 1990, Russ would take one step further by building the first tube frame, purpose-built, off-road tube frame vehicles, which we now know as the modern-day Trophy Truck.
Russ was recognised as the SCORE Mechanic of the Year in 1989, 1992, 1993, and 1994.
Please join us in welcoming these nine outstanding contributors to off-road into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame. The induction gala/dinner takes place on September 9 in Las Vegas, Nevada; all are welcome!
