Baja Ace Bruce Oglivie Passes Away
Monday April 27, 2009
Bruce Ogilvie passed away on April 13, 2009 after a two-year battle with cancer. Ogilvie fought the disease the same way he raced motorcycles all his life: with everything he had.
Most enthusiasts know Bruce Ogilvie as a master Baja racer - a champion whose personal victories in the San Felipe 250, Baja 500 and Baja 1000 were spread over four decades. The first was a Baja 500 win in 1975, with another victory in the 1000 later that year. Bruce was the only man in history to win the Baja 1000 overall in four different decades, and he posted his last overall win in 2003 at the age of 51. Bruce Ogilvie was as tough as they come.
Bruce O's talents and accomplishments behind a handlebar are indisputable and well known. But there was another side to Ogilvie that was equally impressive. For more than 20 years, Bruce was in charge of coordinating Honda's racing efforts in Baja. He led an army of racers and support team members for years.
In 1984, Bruce was hired full-time at American Honda. He served in many capacities over the years. In addition to being in charge of everything off-road at Honda, including motorcycle and ATV racing, Bruce was most recently the Senior Test Evaluator for Honda's Product Evaluation department. In this role, Bruce's contributions to the direction and development of all Honda's off-road and motocross products was unparalleled.
A Web site in honor of Bruce's life is in the works so people can contribute thoughts, stories and pictures. This tribute will allow all of us the opportunity to share our feelings and life memories we have had with him.
Bruce Ogilvie is survived by his wife Marcia, his 14-year-old son Nick and nine-year-old daughter Isabella. Because blood transfusions were so important to Bruce's battle with cancer for the past two years, the family has asked for people to donate blood in Bruce's honor. More information will be available about blood donations soon. Cards can be sent to American Honda, 1919 Torrance Blvd, Torrance, CA 90501, attention Bruce Ogilvie.
