Produced by Documentary Productions, Inc. and Craig Stewart in 1955, this rare sound movie “World of Racing” focuses on the 5th Annual Catalina Island Grand Prix motorcycle race. The film begins with shots of the famed casino and the liner SS Catalina (:42) arriving in Avalon. At 1:12, a seaplane arrives in the harbor. The race begins (at about 2:20) and there is commentary by Craig Stewart and another man throughout. Race winner that year was famed rider Bud Ekins, with Don Hawley placing second and Hazen Bair third. All three rode on Triumphs, with Ekins on a trophy model. Bud Ekins led almost from the start to finish and knocked off ten minutes from Jim Johnson’s 1954 record for the course.
The Catalina Grand Prix ran from 1951-1958, and was an on and off-road event that spanned the city of Avalon and nearby fire roads and horse trails on the island. It was inspired by the Isle of Man TT. It typically ran over two days, with a 60-mile race for bikes up to 250cc, followed by a 100-mile race for larger motorcycles. Many of the bikes used were British, including makes by BSA and Triumph.
The racing days at Catalina came to a screeching halt in 1958 as a result of financial problems, and an ugly incident in which Mel Porter, owner of the Waikiki Bar (shown briefly at 1:57) and mayor of the city of Avalon, was assaulted during the event.
Race winner James Sherwin “Bud” Ekins (1930 – 2007) was a professional stuntman who worked on The Great Escape and Bullitt. He was the rider who performed what is considered to be one of the most famous motorcycle stunts ever performed in a movie in “The Great Escape”. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999.
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This film is part of the Periscope Film LLC archive, one of the largest historic military, transportation, and aviation stock footage collections in the USA. Entirely film backed, this material is available for licensing in 24p HD, 2k and 4k. For more information visit http://www.PeriscopeFilm.com
