It took 52 years, but motorcycle racing finally returned to Catalina Island this weekend for the Red Bull Catalina Grand Prix. It was an historic occasion as some of the original racers who rode at Catalina from 1951-1958 came out to give one last go around the island course.
Homer Knapp brought out his 1920's Harley Davidson, which he raced at Catalina in the 1950's, to race on Saturday. Knapp was joined by racing veterans like Preston Petty, John Rice, and Bob Sandregen, who acted as the Grand Marshall for the weekend. But the event on Catalina Island wasn't just a time for the old-timers to reminisce about the days of old. Young riders like Travis Pastrana, Kurt Caselli, Ronnie Renner, Jessy Nelson, Johnny Campbell and Quinn Cody also came out to re-christen Catalina Island.
The main even was won by Kendall Norman, who also won the Baja 1000 for the fifth time this year. Norman joins an elite group of only 7 riders that can call themselves champions of Catalina. Norman joins Walt Fulton (1951), Nick Nicholson (1952), John McLaughlin (1953), Jim Johnson (1954), Bud Ekins (1955), Chuck “Feets” Minert (1956) and Bob Sandgren (1957 and 1958) as a champion of Catalina.
“The race was awesome today - it was pretty heated, and people were really battling it out,” said Norman. “The whole experience was amazing: the island, the course, the vibe, everything. I’ve won a lot of races this year, but this is definitely one of my favorites. I’m honored that I was able make a little history today.”
Here is a short documentary about how racing finally returned to Catalina.
Catalina GP Short Documentary PART 1 from bike spray on Vimeo.
Catalina GP Short Documentary PART 2 from bike spray on Vimeo.
