HALL OF FAME: Jimmy Ellis’ 1975 Can-Am 250

Mention “perfect season” with respect to AMA Motocross or Supercross, and most will think of Hall of Famer Ricky Carmichael’s 2002 and 2004 outdoor campaigns, or James Stewart’s 2008 triumph.

But long before, there was Jimmy Ellis and this 250cc Can-Am factory motocrosser. The 2012 Hall of Fame inductee, who was 19 at the time, swept the 1975 AMA Supercross Series. It was the second year of the series.

Ellis won races at the Houston Astrodome, Texas Stadium, Daytona International Speedway and the Los Angeles Coliseum to claim the AMA No. 1 plate and cement his Hall of Fame career.

The Can-Am was pioneering for its time. It was powered by a 247cc Rotax engine producing 36 horsepower. It used rotary valve induction for more precise intake timing, with the oil mixture modulated by oil injection instead of straight-mixed premix.

The chassis was MIG-welded chromoly steel, with a backbone oil tank for the oil injection and a unique triple clamp setup that allowed adjustments to the steering geometry.

While Ellis’ accomplishment came long before the modern era’s 17-round series, it remains a historic achievement in the history of what would become one of the most popular motorcycle racing series in the world.

Ellis’ 1975 Can-Am is on loan to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame by owner Dick Lague. You can see it, along with many other motorcycles that wrote the history of the sport in America, at the museum on the AMA’s campus in Pickerington, Ohio.