Larry Roeseler is an

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

professional

off-road Off-roading is the activity of driving or riding in a vehicle on unpaved surfaces such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain. Types of off-roading range in intensity, from leisure drives with unmodified vehicl ...

racer. He is notable for having won the prestigious

Baja 1000 The Baja 1000 is an annual Mexican off-road motorsport race held on the Baja California Peninsula. It is one of the most prestigious off-road races in the world, having attracted competitors from six continents. The race was founded by Ed Pearl ...

desert race a record 13 times, the most of any competitor since the race's inception in 1967. His victories made him one of the most accomplished multi-discipline desert racers in off-road racing history. Roeseler began his racing career on two wheels, racing off-road motorcycles to numerous victories before switching to four wheels. He won the Baja 1000 race ten times on motorcycles then, won the event three more times driving in the

open-wheel An open-wheel single-seater (often known as formula car) is a car with the wheels outside the car's main body, and usually having only one seat. Open-wheel cars contrast with street cars, sports cars, stock cars, and touring cars, which have thei ...

and

trophy truck A trophy truck, also known as a Baja truck or trick truck, is a vehicle used in high-speed off-road racing. This is an open production class and all components are considered legal unless specifically restricted. Although any truck that meets t ...

classes for a record 13 Overall Baja 1000 Wins. He was also a successful motorcycle

enduro Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is a ...

competitor, winning 10 gold medals in the

International Six Days Enduro The International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), formerly known as the International Six Days Trial (ISDT), is the oldest 'off-road' motorcycle event on the FIM Calendar. The ISDT was first held in 1913 at Carlisle, England. It has occurred annually, ap ...

. Roeseler was inducted into the AMA

Motorcycle Hall of Fame The AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame Museum is an offshoot of the American Motorcyclist Association, recognizing individuals who have contributed to motorcycle sport, motorcycle construction, or motorcycling in general. It also displays motorcycles ...

in 1999 and, the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2012.

Off-road racing career

Motorcycle racing

Roeseler began his off-road racing career in the California desert racing a

Harley-Davidson Harley-Davidson, Inc. (H-D, or simply Harley) is an American motorcycle manufacturer headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1903, it is one of two major American motorcycle manufacturers to survive the Great Depressi ...

. He soon moved on Husqvarna motorcycles and became one of the top AMA desert racers competing in desert races including

hare scrambles Hare scramble is a form of off-road motorcycle racing that varies in distance and time, with the riders completing multiple laps around a marked course through wooded or other rugged natural terrain. Course Hare scrambles are conducted on closed ...

and Hare and Hound races. Roeseler won his first Baja 1000 in 1976 with teammate Mitch Mayes on a Husqvarna. Roeseler was adept at competing in both high speed desert racing as well as relatively slow enduro races. He represented the United States at the

which, is a form of off-road motorcycle Olympics and the oldest annual competition sanctioned by the

FIM FIM may refer to: Organizations and companies * Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme, the International Motorcycling Federation * Flint Institute of Music, in Michigan, United States * Fox Interactive Media, now News Corp. Digital Media * ...

dating back to 1913. Roeseler's riding skills took him to 10 Gold Medals in ISDE competition. He became a member of the Kawasaki factory racing team in 1987. He won the AMA National Enduro Reliability Series in 1990. Roeseler retired from motorcycle racing in 1994 at the age of 37.

Four-wheel racing

In 2007, Roeseler drove the Terrible Herbst

Truggy A truggy is a type of high performance off-road racing vehicle that combines features from two older existing categories of off-road racing vehicles, trucks and buggies. The first truggies were built for racing in the SCORE and BITD off-road d ...

to win the 2007 Baja 250. In 2008 Roeseler joined

Larry Ragland Larry Ragland is an American professional offroad racing competitor and 5 time SCORE International Baja 1000 Trophy Truck overall winner. "Lightning" Larry Ragland is the second most winning driver in desert racing's history and a Trophy Truck exper ...

and

Rhys Millen Rhys Millen (born 6 September 1972) is a New Zealand-born racing driver. Nephew of IMSA GTS driver Steve Millen, son of Rodney and older brother of Ryan, is one of the America's top competitors in drifting. Prior to that he was a top rall ...

on the

Norman Motorsports Norman Motorsports is the professional Trophy Truck #8 offroad racing team based in San Diego, California. It is owned and operated by Roger Norman. The team races in numerous off-road circuits, including SCORE/Tecate Baja series and Best In The D ...

team as co-driver of Trophy Truck #8. In September 2008, Roeseler won his second

Trophy Truck A trophy truck, also known as a Baja truck or trick truck, is a vehicle used in high-speed off-road racing. This is an open production class and all components are considered legal unless specifically restricted. Although any truck that meets t ...

race with a 10-minute lead for the Overall Win at the

Primm 300 Terrible's SCORE Primm 300 is an off-road race that takes place yearly in Primm, Nevada in September. The Primm 300 is part of a series of races that include the Baja 1000, Baja 500 and San Felipe 250. The event includes various types of vehicle ...

driving the first three of four laps in the #8 Norman Motorsports Ford F-150 race truck, capturing the overall and SCORE Trophy Truck victory at the 13th Annual SCORE Terrible's Primm 300 desert race. As of 2015 in

SCORE International SCORE International (Southern California Off Road Enthusiasts) is an off-road racing sanctioning body in the sport of desert racing. Founded by Mickey Thompson in 1973, SCORE International was purchased from Sal Fish in late 2012. and is run by i ...

competition, Roeseler has 39 Class Wins, 26 Overall Wins, 11 Overall

Baja 500 The Baja 500 is a Mexican off-road motorsport race on the Baja California Peninsula that is sanctioned by SCORE International. The course has remained relatively the same over the years with the majority of events being a loop race starting and f ...

Wins, and a record 13 Overall Baja 1000 Wins, the most of all time.

Film Credits

Roeseler was featured in Dana Brown's 2004 Film of the Baja 1000, '

Dust to Glory ''Dust to Glory'' is a 2005 documentary film about the Baja 1000 off-road race. Filming occurred throughout the 2003 event. The film is directed by Dana Brown of '' Step Into Liquid'' fame. The film was edited in Adobe Premiere Pro. The film score ...

'.2008 ''NYTimes.com'
Larry Roeseler in 'Dust to Glory'
/ref>

Notes

External links

Larry Roeseler at the Motorcycle Hall of FameLarry Roeseler at the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of FameNorman MotorsportsLarry Roeseler Google VideosYouTube Team VideosFacebook Team Page
{{DEFAULTSORT:Roeseler, Larry Year of birth missing (living people) Living people Sportspeople from Irvine, California People from Hesperia, California American motorcycle racers Off-road motorcycle racers Off-road racing drivers Enduro riders