In 1955 Ekins won the Catalina Grand Prix, and in 1959 became the third three-time winner of the prestigious Big Bear Hare & Hound desert race, which at the time was the largest off-road event in the country [REF].
He participated in many of the early off-road racing events including the Mint 400 and the Stardust 7-11 in Las Vegas, Nevada.