Roland Sands: Moto Beach Classic, California

Standing on the sands of Bolsa Chica State beach, California, around 11am there is a sudden shift in the atmosphere. The clean salty air is laced with engine fumes, the sound of breaking tides is muted by the grind of flat track boots against the asphalt, and the laid-back excitement of the early morning surf competitions is amplified by the vibrations of the incoming ‘hooligans’ and their motorcycles. The gates to Roland Sands inaugural Moto Beach Classic festival were open.

Lens: @mikeluci

A beach front moto event is something the guys of Roland Sands Design had been dreaming of for years. The motorcycle, wares and apparel company; with deep roots in custom bike building and design, wanted to create a day that combined their love of life on two wheels with surf, art and music: “a lot of us that are into those things are into the other things as well”-(Roland Sands), and this year they decided to make that dream a reality.

Having kickstarted the day with ‘Fast Surfboards’ surf drags, the crowds began flooding in to witness the contenders getting in some last minute practice ahead of the races later that day. Until then, there was the opportunity to watch the ‘No Limits’ stunt show- even if stunt performances aren’t your thing; seeing the extent these guys go to and the risks they take really was quite impressive!

A selection of art installations inspired by the moto/surf culture were erected by Iron and Air Magazine; combining inspirations from the moto and surf scenes, art and music to create a visual exploration that sat alongside a small motorcycle show showcasing stunning builds from RSD, demo models and recent bike of the week winner- the 2016 RSD X Indian Scout build.

The larger scale events such as the BMW Salty Sprint Race- a straight 1/8 mile (approx) sprint race and the BMW Boxer Cup drag ran throughout the day, but the one event everyone was waiting for, the main race, was Indian’s Super Hooligan Race final. There was carnage, thrills and spills and the occasional close call as the 18 finalists fought it out (all in good nature) on the 110x300ft ocean-side track. The winner, Andy DiBrino was presented with a $50k Indian FTR race bike!!!

Dust, oil-stained sand and hot steel- not your quintessential so-cal beach party but definitely one we’ll be returning to next year!