Larry Lawrence | July 3, 2018
Gavin Trippe 1940-2018
Gavin Trippe, a motorcycle racing promoter who produced the first United States Motocross Grand Prix in Carlsbad, California, in 1973, died Saturday, July 2, in an auto accident according to his former business partner Bruce Cox. Trippe’s son confirmed his passing.
Gavin Trippe 1940-2018
Gavin Trippe. (Courtesy Motorcycle Hall of Fame)
Trippe was one of the most important race promoters and publishers in motorcycling during the 1970s and ’80s. His company, Trippe/Cox Productions, produced the first United States Motocross Grand Prix in Carlsbad, California, in 1973. He also promoted the first AMA national road races at Ontario (California) Motor Speedway, the Champion Spark Plug 200. After the demise of the Speedway, he took that event to Laguna Seca Raceway to start the current history of motorcycle racing in Monterey.
Trippe was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2005.
“Over in England and just heard the news about Gavin’s passing in such awful circumstances,” Cox said in a Facebook post. “My sincerest condolences to his family. Our business paths diverged many years ago but we still kept in touch, however loosely, and only three days ago I had birthday wishes from him and we arranged to get together when I next visited California. We did so much together and he fully deserved his appointment to the AMA Hall of Fame. For my part i shall never forget that when I had the idea to start Motorcycle Weekly he was the only guy ready to take a chance with me. He gave up his job in the UK and moved to California just because he believed in my idea. I am glad that it all worked so well for him for so long.”
Trippe and his company was responsible for many motorcycle racing firsts in America.
In addition to the first MXGP, Trippe also helped dream up the concept of what is now called Supermoto racing. An ABC Sports producer named Bob Iger, who later became chairman of Disney and ABC, asked Trippe why riders like road racer Kenny Roberts, motocrosser Roger DeCoster and dirt track rider Jay Springsteen didn’t race against one another. Instead of going into a long explanation on the different forms of motorcycle racing the question sparked an idea in Trippe.
“I thought, ‘Why not bring together all of the best motocross, road racers, flat track and speedway riders?’ ” Trippe recalled. And with that he went to work bringing all the riders together on one track at one time and the Superbikers concept was born. Trippe built a track at Carlsbad Speedway with a 17-year-old Eddie Lawson as the guinea pig, utilizing the elements of road racing, motocross and flat track. He then worked out a set of rules that could maximize the number of manufacturers that could participate. He offered excellent start money for the riders and mechanics, in addition to national network television exposure that attracted the attention of the manufacturers. Thirty of the world’s biggest riders, on 750cc V-twin Harleys versus 500cc motocrossers lined up. The green flag dropped on an unknown quantity, the ultimate leap of faith for all concerned.
In addition, he and Cox saw the emerging production racing club scene of the early 1970s and were the first AMA national road race promoters to feature a new class called Superbike in the weekend schedule of a pro event. Within a few years the AMA Superbike Championship was launched and went on to become the premier form of road racing in America.
Trippe was also instrumental in promoting the annual Easter John Player Anglo-American Match Races in the 1970s and ’80s, which gave many American riders their first taste of international racing and started the American revolution in Grand Prix racing with Roberts, Rayborn, Nixon, Baker, Lawson and Spencer.
Motorcycle Weekly ceased publication in 1975 and Trippe’s long-time partner Bruce Cox moved back to England. Trippe continued promoting through most of the 1980s. Then he started a family and felt that continuing in the race promotion business was a bit too risky. He went on to work in the auto industry and later in computer software. But he never lost his love of motorcycling, and in 2005 he reemerged in the industry, founding a prestigious motorcycle auction that ran in conjunction with the U.S. Red Bull MotoGP in Monterey, California, and working in an advisory capacity in the U.S. NASMOTO Supermoto racing series. More recently he was the West Coast Operations Manager for Mecum Auctions.
Trippe will always be remembered as one of the premier promoters in the history of American motorcycle racing and an innovator who helped create an entirely new genre in the sport.
We will pass along additional information on funeral or memorial arrangements when they are made.
