This year's Cannonball we are honored to dedicate to our friend Bud Ekins. Aside from an accomplished racer and stuntman, Bud loved pre-1916 motorcycles and rode them every chance he got. He always encouraged me to make the cannonball a reality. He was a pioneer, a hero, and just one of the guys.

Lonnie

Bud Ekins (May 11, 1930 – October 6, 2007) was one of the foremost stuntmen of his generation. Born James Sherwin Ekins in Hollywood, California, he is known to most as the actor who jumped the fence on a disguised Triumph TR6 Trophy 650cc motorcycle in The Great Escape, and who drove the Ford Mustang 390 GT in Bullitt. He also coordinated the stunts for the popular 1970s motorcycle cop show CHiPs.

For years, movie fans believed that the star Steve McQueen made the big barbed-wire fence jump at the finale of The Great Escape but the stunt was actually performed by Ekins. Although McQueen undertook the rest of the bike work in the film, the film's producers were too nervous to allow him to make the iconic jump himself. Five years later, McQueen was given a late call to the Bullitt set one day, and found Ekins with his hair sprayed blond performing the most dangerous stunts around the streets of San Francisco. McQueen then shouted "you did it to me again!" referring to the earlier scene-stealing from The Great Escape. Ekins regularly contributed to documentaries and biographies on Steve McQueen with some authority, given their close friendship until the actor's death in 1980.

After a successful foray into British motorcycle sport, upon his return stateside, Ekins ran a very successful Triumph dealership for many years, counting many Hollywood stars as clients. Eventually, and to his stated regret, Ekins switched to selling Hondas.

Ekins won four Gold Medals and a Silver at the International Six Day Trials during the 1960s

He rode a 650cc Triumph TR6 Trophy as did Steve McQueen in the USA International Six Day Trial team for 1964 held in East Germany. The team, mounted on Triumphs they personally collected from the Meriden factory, also included his brother Dave Ekins, who rode a 500cc Triumph T100 Tiger, winning, along with teammate Cliff Coleman, a gold medal in the process.

He received a gold medal at the 1962 International Six Days Trials, and was part of the US ISDT team of 1964 with John Steen, Cliff Coleman, Dave Ekins, and Steve McQueen. In 1965, again on Triumphs, the team competed at the ISDT on the Isle of Man, McQueen being replaced by Ed Kretz, Jr.

Other race success included winning the Big Bear Endurance Run three times, the Catalina Grand Prix, and winning the Southern California's District Number One Plate seven times.

In addition to motorcycle racing, Ekins was active in off-road truck racing. He participated in most of the early off-road racing events including the Mint 400 and Stardust 7-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada. He notably raced Vic Hickey's prototype "Baja Bug" in the first Baja 500 in 1973.

He is a member of the Motorcycle Hall of Fame and Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame.