Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame Class of 2024 revealed

The 2024 class of the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame features twelve names across a variety of disciplines from desert racing to rally. The inductees were nominated in March before a commitee reviews their qualifications and makes a final decision in June.

The induction ceremony will take place on 3 November at South Point Hotel, Casino & Spa in Las Vegas.

Sorted alphabetically by surname

Ken Block: Block needs little introduction as one of the biggest motorsport icons in history. Prior to his untimely passing in January 2023, Block was a multi-time American rally and rallycross champion whose impact on racing as a whole remains to this day.

Marlin Czajkowski: Nicknamed “Marlin Crawler”, Czajkowski innovated a multitude of technology for off-roading and particularly rock crawling such as the on-board welder, and the axle joint and crossover steering link for Toyota. Czajkowski died in March 2023, though his son Mike still oversees his company Marlin Crawler Off-Road.

Johnny Greaves: When you’re watching a Championship Off-Road race, always keep an eye out for the #22 Monster Energy Pro 4 truck. The Greaves family is a dynasty in short course off-road racing, and Johnny in particular has enjoyed over 200 victories in the discipline. Even at 58 years old, he is still winning races and is currently second in points behind his son C.J.

Jimmy Lewis: Before he was running the Jimmy Lewis Off-Road Riding School or being the motorcycle race director for NORRA, Lewis was making history as a rider. He helped the Americans win the FIM International Six Days Enduro’s Junior Trophy for the first time in two decades and won the Baja 1000 overall, then shined as a BMW factory rally raider when he became just the second American to finish on the podium at the Paris–Dakar Rally. Since then, he has helped train others to get into off-road racing, earning him the Impact Award from the ORMHOF in 2017.

Rod Millen: Hailing from New Zealand, Millen raced in a variety of disciplines both off and on roads. He starred in rallying before breaking into hillclimbing, where he won the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb five times, while also claiming a title in Mickey Thompson’s stadium series. Millen seemed to find success wherever he went, whether it be short course or desert racing in Baja or even in the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona and touring cars.

Jon Nelson: Nelson, who passed away in March after a cancer battle, left behind a legacy as one of the most iconic fabricators in off-road truck racing. His Class 8 and Trophy Trucks served as a springboard to stardom for those like Steve Kelley, Parnelli Jones, Larry Ragland, and Ricky Johnson, while Jimmie Johnson’s path to NASCAR legend was opened thanks to Nelson’s handiwork.

Mike Pearlman: In 1967, Pearlman’s father Ed founded NORRA with the inaugural Mexican 1000 before its transformation into the modern-day Baja 1000 under SCORE International sanction, followed by creating the ORMHOF. Over four decades later, the younger Pearlman reformed NORRA in 2009 and grew it into the top vintage off-road desert racing series. Many attribute the creation of the term “off-road” to Pearlman, who has been involved with the discipline’s growth since its genesis in the late sixties.

John Rettie: Inducted as a media pioneer, Rettie worked to cover races like the Mexican 1000 in the seventies and was a contributor to Hot VWs magazine. From there, he grew into one of the most prominent off-road photographers covering WRC events and rally raids including the Dakar. He passed in June just days after being informed of his induction into the ORMHOF.

Jimmy Smith: In 1984, Smith co-founded Ultra Wheel Company which has become one of the most prominent aftermarket wheel producers. He was one of SCORE’s top Class 1 drivers in the early 1990s before winning the Baja 1000 in 1994. From there, he broke into NASCAR as well by helping to create what is now the Craftsman Truck Series, while his Ultra Motorsports team won the 2005 Truck Series title with Ted Musgrave. Smith continues to be involved in off-roading today, albeit as a sponsor.

Pete Sohren: Sohren knew how to win on both four and three wheels. After making his racing début on a three-wheeler in the 1980s, he went on to win thrice at the San Felipe 250 in trucks. He later started Speedway Indoor Karting, which also provided service for his own racing career, and Baja Racing Adventures, creator of the Bajalite truck line.

Scott Steinberger: Stuck in a jam at a SCORE race? Call up Weatherman. Steinberger is the head of PCI Race Radios, which racers and their crews rely upon for communications when competing in SCORE, Ultra4, and the Mint 400, after taking over from his father Bob. Scott himself raced too in the 1990s, winning SCORE class titles during the decade and early 2000s.

Evelyn Tallman-Duceshi: Tallman-Duceshi’s contributions stretch from the local beaches in California to the Moon. After helping to organising dune buggy races in Pismo Beach, California, during the 1960s, she collaborated with 1978 ORMHOF inductee Vic Hickey to redesign General Motors’ Lunar Roving Vehicle before it joined the Apollo missions. She also helped found the California Off-Road Vehicle Association and even provided dune advisory for movies filmed in the state.