Bobby Ferro

Raised at Bud Ekins' Triumph motorcycle shop in Sherman Oaks CA, Bobby Ferro started working at the shop as a mechanic when he was just 16 years old. Working alongside Bud and Von Dutch (the legendary pinstriper), Ferro wrenched on bikes during the day and rode his Triumph TR-6 through the Santa Monica Mountains the rest of the time, long before it became so densely populated. Blasting along the fire roads and jumping his way through newly subdivided land in the hills, he honed his skills and raised his endurance on the motorcycle. Going riding with ISDE veteran Bud and the rest of the guys at the shop, and becoming a member of the fastest desert racing club The Checkers, he quickly started to win Desert Races in the AMA District 37. The likes of Steve McQueen, Keenan Wynn and others would come by the shop and ask Bud if he could go ride. Many times he was busy and would send them out with Bobby in the shop truck with bikes loaded, most often just ridden out the back of the shop down the alley and into the hills. And go he did, riding with these legendary actors out in Sun Valley, or up on Mulholland Dr. along the many miles of fire roads that traverse the mountain range many, many times. At 19, Ferro went off to Vietnam for a tour of duty with the US Army's Big Red 1 in 1968. Soon after his return from Vietnam in summer 1969 Ferro won the 1970 Worlds Championship Hare and Hound motorcycle race. Ferro bought a Wampus Kitty off road race car frame from Bud Ekins, built and ran it in the Baja 500 and the Mexican 1000 of 1970 (5th and 2nd place finishes respectively, that car was also later used in Disneys "Million Dollar Duck" with Ferro himself doing the driving stunts). With the results from 1970 Sandmaster Co. called and offered him a full time ride in one of their now legendary SS1 Funco off road race cars. For the next 10 years Ferro helped write the legend of Sandmaster Co., and the early days of off road racing, the move to Cars from motorcycles was permanent. Ferro won the 1971 Baja 500 overall, and the Mexican 1000 too!! In fact he had to petition the organizers of the 1000 to allow him to race SOLO. Not only did he win it, but he won the race SOLO without a co driver, the first man to do it. He went on to win the Baja 500 in 71,72,74,76. The Baja 1000 in 71 and 73, Overall. The overall victories were unprecedented and dominating for many years. Overall wins in the Mint 400-76,79. California 400 72,73,74. Firecracker 250 73,74,76. Snore 250 71,73,75,76. Oasis 400 1974. Baja 300 1973. Bonnie and Clyde 350. Adelanto 250 1974. Silverbird invitational 1978. W.R.A 1978. Mexicali 300 1978. He also raced formula 5000 cars for a time with longtime friend James Garner. The whole time he was doing this he was working on films/television doing motorcycle or car stunts, and doing new car commercials for Paisley Productions. Bobby Ferro can still be found to this day at the racetrack, he runs USAC sprint cars at West coast race tracks regularly.