Malcolm Smith grew up with a fascination for mechanical things, and from the first time he rode his Labretta motor scooter in 1954 he was hooked! By 1956 he entered his first race on a 1949 Matchless. Since then he has tried just about every kind of racing.

Malcolm is a six-time winner – three times on a motorcycle and three times in a car – of the Baja 1000, off-road racing’s version of the Indy 500; a four-time winner of the Baja 500; a two-time winner of the Mint 400; and a two-time winner of the Roof of Africa Rallye. As a tune-up for the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1987 he won the 1987 Rallye D’Atlas in Morocco in an off-road buggy.

One of the world’s premier off-road motorcycle racers, Malcolm won eight gold medals (see below) between 1966 and 1976 in the International Six Day Trials, the European cross-country event considered the Olympics of motorcycling.

1966 Sweden Silver

1967 Poland Gold

1969 Germany Gold

1970 Spain Gold

1971 Isle of Mann Gold

1973 USA Gold

1974 Italy Gold 1975 Isle of Mann Gold

1976 Austria Gold

Malcolm’s talent on two-wheels earned him a co-starring role in Bruce Brown’s 1970’s classic motorcycle epic, On Any Sunday with Steve McQueen. A serious motorcycle accident laid Malcolm up long enough to have him take a serious look at racing four-wheeled vehicles. He immediately rose to the top of that field.

Twice Malcolm participated in the Paris-Dakar Rally, a 22-day event in Northern Africa – “the most miserable piece of work an off-road racer will ever see”. Only 151 of the 603 cars, trucks and motorcycles starting the race made it to the finish in 1988. Entering in 1986 as Press Corp, and then in 1988 as a driver for the Camel Racing Service/Range Rover/Elf Racing Team. Smith and his navigator, Alain Fieuw, piloted their specially prepared Range Rover to a forth-place finish – the highest ever for an American at that time.

Malcolm served as a consultant for Range Rover of North America’s Great Divide Expedition, the first-ever continuous journey by motor vehicle along the Continental Divide in the rugged Colorado Rockies. A spectacular 14-day 1,000 mile trek through North America’s most vigorous terrain.

Touring Colorado’s Rockies is second nature for Smith, who is a trail leader in the famous Colorado 500 motorcycle ride for more than a decade. When he is not racing, he splits his time between Malcolm Smith Motorsports, a large motorcycle dealership and off-road accessory store in his hometown of Riverside, California, and his Sunshine Ranch high in the mountains of Colorado near St. Elmo.

His newest endeavor, Malcolm Smith Adventures, Inc. grew out of the numerous requests Malcolm had to lead motorcyclists down the Baja peninsula, traversing some of the legendary Baja 1000 trails. This annual charity event has grown to include 75 riders and support crew and has spawned several smaller rides in North and South America. To date the annual Six Days of Baja ride has contributed over $50,000 to orphanages in Mexico.

Malcolm was immortalized in the film On Any Sunday, and this notoriety elevated him to legendary status. Yet his modest demeanor and "Ah shucks" attitude is what contributed most to his folk hero stature.

He opened a relatively modest motorcycle dealer and repair shop in Riverside, California in 1970. After steady growth it was moved next door to the current location at 7599 Indiana Avenue near Madison and the 91 freeway. The current location opened November 2006 as Southern California's premier motorsports destination.

Today, Malcolm is still a talented motorcyclist, and can leave much younger riders in the dust – as evidenced by his recent veteran class win in the SCORE Baja 1000 race.

Malcolm's lifetime of experience has influenced and shaped motorcycle design and riding gear to this day. He leads selected groups of riders on his Malcolm Smith Adventures to exotic places around the world, such as South America, Africa and New Zealand. Click the photo for more information.