Editing Lake Elsinore, California (section)

===Elsinore Grand Prix===

The Elsinore Grand Prix is a dirt-bike race that takes place in and around the Lake Elsinore area. The annual race is usually held in mid-November. The popularity of the event hit its apex in the late 1960s and early 1970s, drawing the likes of dirt-bike greats such as [[Malcolm Smith (motorcyclist)|Malcolm Smith]] and [[Steve McQueen]], to name a few. The race has always been set as an "open" format, meaning anyone can ride; usually only about 200 or so take this event seriously, whereas the rest use it as an opportunity to have fun. In 1971, the documentary movie ''[[On Any Sunday]]'' by Bruce Brown included scenes from the grand prix.<ref name="Richard Backus">{{cite web|url=http://www.motorcycleclassics.com/touring-destination/2007-03-01/lake-elsinore-calif-via-the-ortega-hwy.aspx|title=Lake Elsinore, Calif., via the Ortega Highway|publisher=Motorcycle Classics|access-date=August 12, 2009|date=March–April 2007|author=Richard Backus}}</ref>

In the mid-1970s the Elsinore Grand Prix hit a snag, none of the big riders were participating, and the event was drawing the wrong crowd, mostly violent motorcycle gangs. The race was cancelled indefinitely soon afterwards. In 1996, several dirt-bike riders, with a hint of nostalgia, decided to lobby the city of Lake Elsinore to revive the Grand Prix. Promising that the violent motorcycle gang crowd drawn to the Grand Prix in the 1970s had gone and that dirt-bike motorcycle riding was more of a family event, the city allowed the event to resume on a provisional basis.

In 1973, Honda named its [[Honda CR250M|CR250M]] Elsinore—the first motorcycle designed by Honda for the dirt rather than a modified street bike{{Citation needed|reason=This part is not supported by the ref that covers the end of the sentence|date=March 2019}}—after the Elsinore GP race venue.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.hondamuseum.com/hallOfFame.asp?bike=HCR250M&name=1973%20CR250M|title=1973 CR250M by Honda - Bike Museum at Bob Logue Motorsports|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101031085111/http://hondamuseum.com/hallOfFame.asp?pg=general&bike=HCR250M&name=1973%20CR250M|archive-date=October 31, 2010|access-date=March 18, 2019}}</ref>

Lake Elsinore is also a popular destination for motorcyclists riding east from [[San Juan Capistrano]] along the {{convert|33|mi|km|adj=on}} long Ortega Highway.<ref name="Richard Backus"/>
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