AMA Hall of Famer Ed Lojak passed away in his sleep at his home in Tarentum, Pennsylvania, on July 8 after a short illness. He was 63.
Lojak won the GNCC Championship nine times, earning the number-one plate from 1980-1984 and 1986-1989. He also won three AMA Hare Scrambles Championships. Lojak represented the U.S. in five International Six Days Enduros, earning two gold medals and two silver medals. In 1982, he was the top American finisher in Czechoslovakia, a race many regard as one of the toughest ISDEs ever. Speaking of tough, Lojak won the legendary Blackwater 100 cross-country race two times.
This year, the Lojak family is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its Lojak Cycle Sales business.
Lojak was inducted into the AMA Hall of Fame in 2017.
He was known for rising to the top when racing conditions were at their worst, and the longer the race the better. His niche, however, was GNCC racing.
“Back in the day, we actually got four, sometimes six hours of racing in GNCCs, and it was just something I enjoyed doing,” Lojak told the AMA when he was inducted into the HOF. “My uncles rode Blackwater [the famously difficult off-road race in West Virginia that was promoted by AMA Motorcycle Hall of Famer Dave Coombs Sr.], and one day Dave Sr. came into the shop and said he was going to start a series. We got hooked into that series, and Dave’s vision took it bigger than any of us expected.
“My uncles, Ron and Joe, were really into it and they got me riding and racing,” said Lojak, who added that his father, while supportive, chose to “work 16 hours a day, seven days a week” rather than ride motorcycles. “I give all the credit to them. If it wasn’t for those guys, I would never have done any of it.”
Lojak might have won even more if injuries hadn’t slowed him down for a couple of years. “There were a lot of broken bones and other things,” he said. “I always pushed it, though, which wasn’t always good. I was the type of guy who would cut the cast off in the garage when you weren’t supposed to. I’m paying for it now. The knees are the worst, though, because they get so bad it affects how you ride a motorcycle.”
A celebration of Ed’s life will be held on Friday from 4-8 PM at Fawn #1 Fire Hall. All are welcome. CN
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