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The Race of Gentlemen West Coast

October 2016 | Pismo Beach, CA

By Kimberly Maroon

Stormy Seas Ahead

I landed in Los Angeles to blue skies and sunshine, hopped in a car, and charged up the PCH through its gorgeous ocean vistas, canyons, and rolling hills. This was my first time on the Central California Coast. I was headed to Pismo Beach for the Race of Gentlemen.

My lucky dose of reverse jet lag had me up at 5:30am Saturday to witness Mother Nature pulling into town. I’m no stranger to wet weather, in fact, I even wondered if I brought the weather with me from New England. For TROG’s West Coast debut, a full on typhoon (the West Coast version of a hurricane) was about to test everyone who came to race.

The storm surge overnight had brought unusually high tide which pushed back the start time. Crowds decked out in ponchos and umbrellas lined the beach access road and piled into the dune area to watch the cars and bikes make their way to the beach. Racers barreled down the hill through deep sand where they were greeted with pools of water just beyond the pit area. Everyone was waiting in anticipation as each car took their turn, cheering them on, hoping they didn’t get stuck.

Finally the tide let out enough and the first flag dropped. From then on, it was wet wild fun and laughs and ear to ear grins all afternoon through the rain, fog, and wind. Everyone brought their best to the track. It was surreal watching the cars and motorcycles take off in a fury of wet sand and disappear into the fog. I would hear the roar of the engines as they came back up the beach long before I could see their ghostly outlines.

I realized I was witnessing a band of people truly dedicated to the sport and the culture. If you love something hard enough, you’ll fight like hell for it, even through the most unsavory conditions.

Here is a collection of moments from the race.

Taka, photographer of Freewheelers and Company, Japan.

East meets West, flag girls Sara & Lindsey.

Lining Up

Watching cars and bikes pull onto the beach was an event in itself! There was a steep hill that bottomed out in deep sand, just deep enough to get stuck in. The crowd cheered whenever drivers made it.

The Starting Line

Racing in the Rain

Cars looked like ghosts and appeared to float in the fog engulfing the beach. As the tide started to creep back in, it turned the track to mud and left puddles along the edge.

Randy Cartlson's Stray Date, a '32 Packard.

Go Takamine and his '39 Indian leave Matt Walksler in the dust.

Wandering The Pits

Footnotes

Thanks to Mel, Bobby, Elrod, Oilers Car Club, and everyone who made it out to make TROG an amazing experience. No the matter rain, we all had a blast! | All images © Kimberly Maroon

Button Label

FootNotes

Thanks to Mel, Bobby, Elrod, Oilers Car Club, and everyone who made it out to make TROG an amazing experience. No the matter rain, we all had a blast! | All images © Kimberly Maroon

Luftegkühlt 8

The Race of Gentlemen West Coast

October 2016 | Pismo Beach, CA

FootNotes

Brouwerij West, San Pedro CA

Text by Lois Pryce | Photos by Kim Maroon

June 2022. The Catskills, New York

May 26^th, 2022

March 10^th, 2022

September 27^th, 2021

FootNotes

Brouwerij West, San Pedro CA

Text by Lois Pryce | Photos by Kim Maroon

June 2022. The Catskills, New York

May 26th, 2022

March 10th, 2022

September 27th, 2021

May 26^th, 2022

March 10^th, 2022

September 27^th, 2021