Off-road great Manny Esquerra is posthumously receiving the highest honor someone in his sport can receive

August 6, 2008S — Off-road great Manny Esquerra is posthumously receiving the highest honor someone in his sport can receive. On Aug. 23, he will be inducted into the Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame in Reno, Nev. Esquerra died on Feb. 2, during the running of the BlueWater Resort & Casino/Best in the Desert Parker 425.

Esquerra was nominated for this honor by fellow racers Randy Merritt and Greg Foutz. On April 22, the selection committee unanimously selected Esquerra for induction.

During a career that spanned four decades, Esquerra won several season titles among the Class 7 trucks. He drove in many races, but was particularly fond of the Parker race.

Born in 1942, Esquerra, a Parker native, trained to be a mechanic. He worked at the Parker Motor Company, where he tried his hand at racing boats for Marion Beaver.

Esquerra went into off-road racing in 1976. He built his race truck and obtained sponsorship from his sister Delores and the Los Arcos Restaurant. In the SCORE Parker 400 that year, he placed first in his class.

That win was the first of many for Esquerra. He ran the Parker race some 30 times, and he won his class 13 times. The last time he won his class was in 2006. He and his brothers, Tudy and Gabriel, revived the old Los Arcos truck and, billing themselves at "Tres Hermanes," they won the 7100 class.

In addition to his wins in Parker, Esquerra won his class at the Las Vegas Mint 400 10 times. He was also SCORE's season points champion eight times. He was a member of Ford Motor Company's Rough Rider Team from 1982 to 1992.

Esquerra was able to bring large corporate sponsors to the sport. These included Ford, Motorcraft, Firestone, BF Goodrich, KC Hilites, 7-Eleven, and Southland Corporation. He became a member of the Screen Actors' Guild for all the television commercials he did.

After the 2006 Parker race, Esquerra announced he was retiring as a lead driver. He continued working with and mentoring young drivers, including Randy Merritt, Jim Beaver, Linc Gilbert, and Larry Tunnell Jr.

Esquerra's advice to young racers was, "A racer has to race the track, not the competition."

Sal Fish, president and CEO of SCORE, described Esquerra as a smart racer. He said he had a natural ability as a racer, and an understanding of what it took to reach the finish line. He knew how to get the most out of any vehicle.

Fish said that, when SCORE ran the Parker race, Esquerra was always ready to help out when asked. These sentiments were echoed by Casey Folks, president of Best in the Desert Racing Association, which has run the Parker race since 2003.

In addition to racing, Esquerra was an excellent cook. He had his own restaurant in Parker, Senor Manny's.

The induction ceremony begins at 3 p.m. on Aug. 23, and is by invitation only. The cost is $40 per person. To attend, contact Susan Medville at (970) 209-5664 or e-mail Susan@ormhof.org.

The Off-Road Motorsports Hall of Fame is located in the National Automobile Museum (The Harrah Collection), 10 South Lake Street, Reno.