I have always been a sucker for a party on the beach and every year when the Moto Beach Classic comes to town with a few vintage motorcycle races, 20,000 spectators, the world's top supercross racers in the Red Bull Straight Rhythm, all of which, happens on the sand in my hometown of Huntington Beach. You know that I get into my party pants faster than a fart blows in the wind.
This year was exactly the same but different as years past. One constant though, Roland Sands, the motorcycle circus ringmaster. He once again bought his mobile circus, an array of two wheeled freaks and phenoms, traveling the country jumping, wheelieing, sliding and crashing for the masses. Brand new this year was the Straight Rhythm event. A supercross track stretched out into a straight line. No turns or corners. Simply jumps, whoops and rhythm sections all added up to over a 1km long drag race of sorts. Head to Head racing, with bracket style elimination where the top supercross racers in the world battle it out and only one will be crowned the king!
Now as much as we would have loved to give this a shot… Sipping ice cold beverages track side was a close ranked second option. Of course, Roland Sands gave us the call to join in on the circus and bring out our best vintage two wheeled motocrossers to spin left and race in circles for the Moto Beach Classic Flat track event, coined the Deus “Vintage Air Cooled” class. Ciaran, Naran and I, being the good circus monkeys that we are, picked up a pair of Lapaglia Racing’s 1970’s CZ’s; a 250cc & a 400cc. Massive thanks to Bike Mike Lapaglia! We made the “big drive” of 1km from our houses to the race track. Damn, I wish that sort of short commute was always the case…
The race program at Moto Beach is loose and the racing looser. The crowd loves a good pass, stuff, and who doesn't enjoy a crash now and then? After missing the morning registration, Ciaran and I rolled up to the line and slid in where we could fit in. A few heats later, some sketchy racing, screaming crowds, and the main event came around. Ciaran jumped out front into turn one with only one person in between us sitting me in 3rd place. Six laps later and more than a dozen “ohh shit” moments for the dude in front of me, who was hanging it all out as if his life depended on that race, and it was Ciaran taking the checkered flag!
The Deus wrecking crew stayed rubber side down and miraculously didn't break any motorcycles, for once.
Photos by @johnryanhebert & @martyrobertson
Video by @cody_pokorny
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