Playtech Fabrication 

A walk through the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame

Ed Pearlman, founder of the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA), founded the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 1976. Sixteen members were inducted in 1976, and another group in 1980, but there was no physical “hall” yet. In 1995, racer Rod Hall (who would later become an inductee himself) acquired the rights to NORRA and partnered with the National Automobile Museum to find a home for the hall. It was made official later that year, and can still be visited today.As mentioned above, Rod Hall was a later inductee (2005). Over the course of his career, he he’s competed in every Baja 1000 race in a four-wheeled vehiclethe only racer to do so. He also holds the record for most consecutive wins (35) in off-road racing history.Actor/racer Steve McQueen was one of the first members to be inducted, sometime before 1980. The actor did most of his own driving in films like Bullitt and The Great Escape. McQueen ultimately chose acting over professional driving during the filming of the 1970 Le Mans film, but ironically only because it allowed him to drive for a longer period. He also owned over 100 classic motorcycles and several sports cars at the time of his death.Sal Fish is a unique inductee (2006) for being more involved out of the vehicle than inside it. He is CEO and President of SCORE International, the off-road organization that was formed by Mickey Thompson in 1973. Although Fish raced in the early 1970s, his main legacy was bringing new safety procedures and marketability to the Baja 1000 event, and to off-road racing in general.