Memories of Malcolm Smith effortlessly skirting the fence line and blowing past a 50 rider log jam, the cameo by Harvey Mushman a.k.a. Steve McQueen and hundreds of people racing in the city streets of Lake Elsinore, California are some of the Elsinore Grand Prix highlights immortalized by "On Any Sunday." Unfortunately, the legendary LEGP was just declared the latest COVID casualty.
“It saddens us to announce the 2020 LEGP, or what would have been the Historic LEGP 52, will be cancelled,” said Steve Miller, Dirt Series, LLC. “We will now focus all of our efforts on moving to the 2021 year so we come back stronger than ever and recapture the tradition and excitement of the annual LEGP.”
The Historic Lake Elsinore Grand Prix (LEGP) has been a fixture of City of Lake Elsinore for more than 50 years. However, amidst uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, promoters are forced to cancel this year’s event.
This annual dirt bike race is rooted in tradition since it was created back in the late 1960s. Although the great race hit a snag in the early 1970s, the LEGP has been held every year since the mid-1990s.
Each year, the LEGP brings in 1000s of racers, spectators and fans from all over the world. The major appeal of the festival has always been the “open” setting of the race course with local streets, historic land usage and spectator viewing. The efforts put forth to plan, execute and host this festival each year is no small task.
These efforts have been challenged this year. With State and County mandates changing weekly as well as uncertain and unforeseen potential issues and hurdles, the event’s promoter, Dirt Series, LLC, and the City of Lake Elsinore had to make this difficult decision.