ROMO MOTOR FESTIVAL in Denmark

Welcome to the home of Danish Beach Racing, some great times it looks like here in that Viking part of the world and fun times on the beach Racing all sorts of cool machinery.

For a long time it has been a dream to revive the history of Danish vintage motor racing and, in particular, beach racing.
In the years 1919-1924 the island of Fanø gave home to some of the most legendary riders and drivers Europe had to offer. Makers such as Mercedes, Citröen, Fiat, Opel and many more were represented, although almost all were in the hands of private daredevils.

Sadly the races on the beach of Fanø came to an end, with the tragic death of a 15 year old boy, by a tire loss from the wheel of Sir Malcolm Campbell’s Bluebird racer.
Campbell did, however, set records at over 130mph on the 1km stretch.

In the same years, races were being arranged on the west coast of Jutland, but was eventually shut down due to local regulations.

Fast forward to modern times, a group of enthusiasts in the Hot Rod & Custom community has finally succeeded in landing the necessary approvals for a vintage style race on the Island of Rømø.


Like Fanø it benefits from extremely wide and long beaches, with a hard and flat surface.
Naturally no speed records will be set, but it is our ambition to create a true time pocket with pre-ww2 cars and motorcycles in an up-to 1947 styling and engineering.
The modern version of our track will be a 1/8 mile drag strip.

Obviously we have TROG here but its no way as good as any of the European events, the spectators cant see hardly anything over here on the beach races but back home they seem to have it all figured out. Hopefully it will change here, as the more that come to watch, the more that may get into our Hobby?

So if you can get to Denmark, check out the Romo Motor festival, its a real trip of Nostalgia.

Plenty of long Sandy beach and people taking the 1/8th mile to relive what was done many years ago.

Model A above seems to be having such a great time on the beach and if this was in Black and white, you would think it was the late 1940’s.

Envious of this Flathead set up but what a great look, so 1940’s Post war, I love this Roadster.

Adrian Smith bought his Aluminum Speedster along from back home in England, for some good old fashion Sand spraying and he had a ball.

Nice to see Motorcycles against Hot Rods, just as it was way back, what a great experience this must be?

No Christmas tree Lights here, the good old traditional Flag start, thats the way to go and an awesome photo here of the Flag girl and the 5 window Model A just taking off.

This 196 Ci KK Special is so European Pre-war it is bang on the money and he raced it pretty hard by all accounts too.

You would swear this was Southern California by the Licence plate and Roadster, McCulloch Blown Flatty, what a sweet set up.

Love this 1929 Roadster, Hope to get a Top like that for mine eventually, really digging this Hot Rod as it takes off down the Beach in Denmark.

Photo credits from now on are from Stefan Sell of Vintage Photografie

But what a shot,  Really dig this snap, it captures what Community and commeraderie is all about in the Lifestyle that we are all a big part of, wether having a completed Hot Rod or Just a fan, this pic tells the story right there.

What a Killer shot, thats Love right there, a passion for sharing and enjoying this fantastic era of our own and this is one more superb capture of happiness for sure.

There goes the Red Oxide Roadster, a period built Hot Rod and throwing the sand up at the Racer behind, love these photos as at least it makes that you feel that your there.

Love this Model T Roadster and having a VHRA plaque is kinda cool to see as well as I too am an early member of this club.

 

More T Vicar? Love this Purple Roadster with nice back rolled valance and 1950 Pontiac Tail lights as he sets off on his 16 inch Firestone’s on a Channeled body.

Above, this geezer is checking out his competition as he lets go of the clutch in a race up the Danish beach, I cant see the tail pipe so maybe some short headers are the go?

I am totally into this Roadster, Supercharged Flatty is something I can only dream of but there is one right there on the beach, fella has old A2 Jacket and Chino pants, very cool ww2 look.

Come in number 12, your time is up, this AV8 is another period looking vehicle, a lot of time and effort goes into these machines and they sure look great, twin 97’s and raked windshield.

That’s a big dollar Roadster anywhere these days and so glad they took the Hot Rod out and raced it on the beach, Henry ford would love this sort of stuff 86 years later.

How cool is this Tank Shift Indian? I would love such a machine and Boy he sure mist of had fun with this on the sandy beach of Denmark at Romo.

It is always nice to see other rides too, I mean back in the day there would be everything competing and this Speedster really does look the part of the GOW crowd.

This Model T is pretty cool with Gina Huber and Marvin C Jensen at the Helm and, being so high, it gets out of the sand better than most.

Another rare early Harley, look at the rear sprocket, as big as a Ferris wheel, I bet that hooked up as the flag dropped? Nice job mate.

A reall sweet Indian and two buddies hanging out on the Beach, what a great day and look, even blue skies too.

Now thats cool to see these days, a Vintage Husqvarna, love this and would of liked to have wathed this race with the other machines up the 1/8th mile track.

Talk about Dapper Dan, what a get up this Geezer has and an awesome Indian there is nothing not to like at all, some great period machines made it to Romo.

The good old J.A.P. engines were super strong in endurance racing and of course, more famous for their Speedway motorcycles.

This Five Window Model A Coupe sits really well and the sneaky header turn outs just in front of the cowl is a very neat look.

Something for everyone and these 2 very different Roadster were cool to see, hope they raced each other, looks so So Cal eh?

Here we have Timo Mattmuller and his Girl by their 29 Sport Coupe with a neat ole 4 Banger.

Friends for life I should think thats a nice Harley, I am sure that they all had a blast here at Romo?

So much Vintage Tin at Romo, its a must for avid Nostalgia and one of these days Jenn and I hope to take the trip to Denmark, and see for ourselves.

Here is Sussanne Ruppel with her 30 Special and what a great rig this is as well, love seeing Women with their rides too, great job.

Looks like a stock 29 Roadster and having fun on the Danish beach with friends

No real info on this fun photo but the guy center and to the right are Fred and Greg, the Notorious Custom Surfers..

So, this is Greg with his Channeled Roadster, Scalloped too and like the color scheme to this Hot Rod.

An eerie look early in the morn as the dew and mist just start to clear and so reminiscent of the days when in So cal they lined up on the Dry Lakes to race everyone in the late 1940’s.

Adrian Smith had his Buckland Special he built with his own hands here, sitting next to Krister Lindblm with his Oxide painted Roadster, nice pic at the start line.

I have no information at all on this bloke on his Indian but he will not be left that clean for too long as soon as he clunks into gear and lets that clutch out on the beach, fun shot though.

All ages all sorts of machines, a great event for sure, a little far away from us but one day maybe ventue out to Denmark and check this Romo Event out.

Getting set to take on the sand and the other competitor of course but it looks to be a Happy event and am sure this will get bigger and bigger as the public I am sure become aware to it.

A Vintage extravaganza to be enjoyed by all.

Chrome Dome atop of his Noggin, Flight Goggles in place, this barnstormer is ready to take them all on in his 29 Model A.

Having fun is what it is all about, heck, bring your Beer Goggles along and enjoy the ride.

Thanks for reading my little Blog, I didn’t take the photos, you can thank Stefan Sell as he is a great photographer for these shots that I have shared. Have a Great weekend everybody.

Right, time to play with my very own 1928 Model A Roadster.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The Race of Gentlemen Wildwood New Jersey 2018 A fun weekend

Well, this may take a few days to add photos and describe some of the cool rides that we saw over there on the East Coast of the USA, I had never been to Wildwood and I was not disappointed at all, its so different from Southern California, the weather changed every 5 minutes, the houses were huge, the food was great and the Boardwalk was 2 Miles long.

The Race of Gentlemen is held on the Beach front in Wildwood and with the weather being so Humid, it took a while for my camera to stop fogging up, and when it did, the fog came in anyway. LOL!

 

Here is a video someone else did and I have shared it for you to see of what goes on here once a year in this Coastal town.

Jennifer and I walked up the 2 mile Boardwalk in Wilwood, it had a feeling of Coney Island to me, with the fair ground and Roller coaster full of screaming kids on vacation, halfway up the Boardwalk you could see that there were checkered Posts and markers on the beach, to show the Race lanes for the Race Of Gentlemen.

As we approached the TROG entrance, you could smell the Marvel Mystery oil and sometimes a hint of Race Fuel, as it wafted towards us with the warm humid air that filled the air around the vicinity of the Race Course.

The was a fun atmosphere that you could feel as you walked into the where there were some bleachers located, the unfortunate thing was that now that everybody knows about the Race of gentlemen, Everybody turned out for it, and it was almost impossible to see anything from the side lines of the beach and no chance of getting up into the sand dunes as that was already packed.

But-after standing on Tippy Toes, we decided to acquire some Pit passes and hang out in the area that I always dig anyway.

It may be titled, the Race Of Gentlemen, but quite a few Ladies were in the Mix of racing, something I am super stoked about, My Girl loves Motorcycles and Hot Rods and would be more than eager to race me and probably beat me every time, which will be fine by me, I love watching Women Race.

What a Great little Roadster, this shorty Altered ran fast and hard all weekend and skinny tires was a plus in soft sand tracks and was great fun watching her beat the guys.

Two Orange County friends of mine made the trip, over 2500 Miles to attend this event, and are riding Early Harley’s at the Track, now there’s a couple of people that have a True passion for our industry and lifestyle, it was Hot, and very Humid, so 10 out of 10 being able to sport vintage style race Sweaters.

We chatted for a little while and as the heat started to take an impact, we left for a walk of the rest of the pit area of which was a hive of activity as racers rush to dial their machines in.

Really loved this 28 Roadster, it is my kind of style, has so much cool patina too and ran really well on the sand.

How cool is this, I have splash Aprons left on my Model A and hope to have something cool painted to the side, but the added coolness was the exhaust’s exited out of them.

I liked pretty much everything on this Roadster except the fan, but each to their own and loved the oil filter case and the Aircraft braided Plug wires too.

Lining up on the beach, Hot Rods and Motorcycles all gather to get ready for racing at the Tower and a Flag start gets them off to a flying start, just like back in the day.

Commercialism always catches up, that boat out in the distance had an LED display advertising board and kept cruising by, modern technology meets old I guess.

Little Flatheads and inline four Motorcycles squared off with each other, these were fun to watch and even though some of these machines are 70 years old, they sure started to get fast .

Everybody was really into the racing, be it Motorcycles or Hot Rods and, what an experience as this is how it was invented here in the States and boy was it exciting.

Sushi heads back from another race, unfortunately he took quite a tumble and was sent to the hospital but is on the road to recovery now and God Speed to you Sir!

Motorcycle clubs race each other and great commeraderie was seen.

Lisa English heads back from taking the 29 Roadster for a Hot Race on the beach, so great to see Girls getting into this and beating the guys too.

East Coast style, unchopped but channeled, I never see too many East Coast Hot Rods as I live on the West coast, so this was great to see for me and it ran string all day long.

I had no Idea this was Eli English, couldn’t get to see him in the Pits as he was busy but loved this coupe, Great Hot Rod Family too.

Tidy Three Window sat happily on the fine Sand at Wilwood, really nice looking rig, Chromed 32 grill shell, Dropped headlight Bar, BLC lights, 40 steelies on Firestones

It sure was humid on Saturday, before I went to the race, I looked at a few rides that  were scattered about the Beach, loved it all and many different styles and models to see.

This 30 Model A with what looks like a Dodge Truck grill shell set up seemed to have fun and received plenty of attention in the Pit area as I arrived here.

Really well built Roadster, Loved the Kelseys, the 48 Chevy tail lights and the push bar at the rear, as well as the marvel Mystery Oil catch can like I have on my Roadster.

Plenty of different styles of Hot Rods to look at and get really close too, that was a bonus for me, the day was going to be great.

Very tasty and sits so well on the sand, nothing I don’t like on this Roadster, its bang on the money in my eyes and was glad to be able to look over it as we walked around the Pits.

Great Minds think a like, I have Edelbrock heads where he has Offy but we have same intake and carbs and the same Catch tank too.

Nice to see people chlling and cacthing up, chatting about their machines and what they hope to do with it, this Triple 6  Model T Roadster looked like fun and it sure was.

This A Bone say really high but, was an advantage on the deep sand and he ran all weekend long too.

Love the Barney Navarro 21 stud heads, running triple carbs, not a fan of the Alternator but a great ride none the less.

The Pits were a buzz with activity and the smell of Castrol Oil or Marvel Mystery was definitely in the air when we arrived.

What a wicked Roadster, Love it all and the Flathead sounded so sharp and crisp too, I even loved the Color of the body too.

This old Fella in his Altered Model T rang hard and Long all weekend, showing the younger guys what Racing is all about, wearing a Buco style Crash Helmet this guy was serious about Racing.

Lining up in thePits to get ready to lanes  you Raced at the Wooden Surf Towers and then Flag started right there on the beach.

A couple of Five Window Coupes Pass like ships in the night one with steelies, one with wires, getting ready to do battle as the Races start to get a little closer here at Wilwood.

Awesome Roadster, NJ plates, Quick change and Flatty powered a real cool Period style Hot Rod.

See, what a fun sight, people hanging out and getting ready to take their own contraption for a blast along the sandy beach and go for all its worth at the Race Of Gentlemen.

This got my attention real quick, take a peel at this rail, Killer set up with the rear tank acting as a pressurized Radiator , some neat touches to this Jalopy for sure.

Tri- Carb powered, Alloy 24 stud heads, Crab Distributor and look how cool the tubing was that exited the water pumps and headed back to the tank at the rear of the chassis.

Take a look at the Banger, loved the Headers on this Model A, it was simplistic , functional and reliable too.

This is the fella from Gas Monkey Garage and he drove the rail in a few races and looked like he was having a lot of fun sitting on a bodyless Hot Rod.

Coupes are not just for Chickens and we saw many here at Wilwood, what I liked is that I had never seen these cars as they were mostly East Coast machines.

This Channeled 5 window is so East coast style and for me, great to see, they do say the reason so many were Channeled on the East Coast was many of the floors were rotted from the harsh weather conditions, so it made sense to channel the cars and also cut the rust out, sounds pretty feasible to me. This is Eli English who owns and runs Traditional Speed & Custom.

Early Plate on this Model A, I noticed many liked to use the single stop light in the middle, looks great and makes use of the three holes that are there from factory.

Sat in the Pits before entering the beach staging lanes, a hive of activity was going on but the Humidity was Killer on Saturday, I have never experienced that before but was so glad that we made the 2500 mile trip here to see this event take place in New Jersey.

Lisa in her Roadster, she was having a blast and not afraid of giving this 29 Roadsters Right pedal a hammering as she raced the guys all weekend.

Last puff of hos Cancer Stick before he hits the beach, Smoking is dangerous, racing Vintage Hot Rods is too but thats half the fun, racing Jalopy’s I mean as I dont smoke.

Hot Rods and Motorcycles out on the Beach at Wildwood, the Breeze helped thats for sure and I was surprised how fast the tide came in and, it came right up to where they were racing.

A different set of T&A’s on the Beach to what you lot normally see right?

People came from not only all over the States, but Globally, especially from Japan, so cool to see the Nostalgic culture is World Wide still and seems to be increasing, but any racing is dangerous and poor Sushi crashed his Harley, he rattled his head and went to hospital but I hear he is ok, just a little battered and bruised.

Believe it of not- This is Gene Winfield himself, I spoke to him and said what did he think of this meet, he said he loved it, I asked him if he had raced and he said hell yeah and was excited, he also informs me that This coming Saturday will be his 91st Birthday.

Gene wearing an old Patco style Race helmet drives back from a Run up the Beach, just look at that Blown Ardun Flathead motor, must be $100,000 in that Motor alone easily.

This 5 window looks to be an original Race car of the Jalopy Races era and un chopped too and great to see this racing once more.

Another unchopped 5 window, headlights covered up and hood sides fitted, this was a great traditional car thats daily driven.

Scott Sheehan ran strong all weekend, this Roadster is really dialed in, its not happy in the soft sand, but where it is a little more compacted, the A-Bone comes into its own and he was hard to beat.

Scott’s Ride is bang on the Money, a tough ride and tuned really well, it sounded awesome too.

Traditional Modified look Great in Suede Black and Red Kelsey Hayes, sat on the ground well and was a tough machine, loved the Flathead too.

Killer Roadster, I thought it was a California car as I saw Chino on the Hood, but East coast, and a great job done for sure on this 32 Special, ran hard and straight as well.

How cool is this 29 Roadster? I mean , it is right on the money here, Drilled I-Beam, Juice Brakes,Steelies with Firestones, Flathead mill 32 grill shell and Ox Blood interior, I loved this.

Loved the Patina on this Roadster as it came back from its run up the beach, the old boy was having a blast and probably said to his wife  first thing in the morning

. ” Just shooting up to the Pharmacy to pick up my prescription” LOL!

Making the turn into the pits to get ready for another run at TROG.

Bikes came back from there run, riding on the Beach is not as easy as you may think.

Easy Lad, Easy- the sand sure gives you a work out if you are using handlebars.

Everyone was having fun though at this event and thats the main thing, there was plenty to see thats for sure.

Loved the front springer and the bars on this Harley, sounded great as he went by me.

Wo Boy! This HD was starting to fight the rider all the way through the pits, must of been quite a work out and am sure was aching for a few days after the Races.

I really liked this Harley, it sat so well and was proportioned right on for me, great job number 143 thats a Killer machine right there.

Plenty of Riders and Drivers got stuck or had a few little mechanical issues but- it was all resolved pretty fast to my surprise.

I loved that Belly tank that was on the Beach and it ran all weekend, must of been bumpy as hell.

A fun atmosphere at Wildwood, the people were all friendly and had a blast taking on all the other Hot Rods as they made their start up by the Wooden Tower, to a Flag start.

Keeping the Motorcycle up in Soft sand in the Pit area was a tad difficult at times but, some how they kept it pointing in the right direction and got to their service area.

My mate Jimmy White of Circle City Hot Rods in Orange, California came all the way up with his Machine.

Jimmy White makes the save as the soft sands kills power and steering, but he kept his cool as always and ploughed through this part of the pits as it gets pretty tore up in the area from all the traffic that was moving to and from the staging lanes all weekend.

Back on the Power and no worries as Jimmy heads into the Pit area for some refreshment and a little service work on this Humid day in New Jersey.

The Flat Bastard was running well all weekend too, these are not cheap machines let me tell you, some of these are worth in excess of $20K to get them right.

This old fella in his 30 Roadster ran a tight ship, the 255 ci flatty sounded strong, it sat well and handled the sandy beach pretty well.

Seeing this Model T was great, it was light as hell and rab pretty strong with the 4 Banger and I think surprised a lot of people on the track this weekend.

 

What is not to like about this Roadster, Canadian Heads, Thickston High rise alone made it great, sits well and sounded amazing as it drove by us in Wilwood.

Pulling in from racing on the beach, the pits were getting a little chopped up but that made it good for me to be able to take a few photos as they drove into the area.

I watched this 1928 Model A Run all weekend and loved the whole look of this Period machine, what a great Hot Rod, loved the lines and style, the guy was having a ball with that Jalopy.

28 Roadster sat high but looked great and seemed to handle the sand pretty good, maybe due to the height, still see the Running Board struts showing.

I tried a few different vantage points at the Pits but to be honest, it was so busy, if you moved, someone would jump in your place, so I stood fast for a while and took snaps when I thought it would make a good picture.

Everybody got a run but the wait time was too long to be honest and the humidity was up the Ying Yang.

Cleaner than any cats Arse, this Roadster was bang on, even the doors fitted well, my ones are about as close as I dare and could still stack pennies in the gap below, this machine was just put together meticulously and it showed and good on him for bringing it out for all of us to have a look at.

50’s style 5 window sat really well and had the Roundy Roundy Chicken wire windshield.

Some of the photos I have taken look similar to others but I assure you that these were on different races and times of the day, but hope these do not bore you as they do not me, I love looking at Hot Rods and even though each photo is almost 10 megabytes and takes ages to load onto my website, I believe its worth all the time and energy I have put into it to share with everyone.

Hurry Up and Wait was the order of the day but- I am sure all the races had something to chin wag about as they waited for the OK from the man in the Tuxedo and the Bird with the flag.

 

The T-Wrecker was pretty cool, bring Broken down Motorcycles back or towing Hot Rods down the beach and ran fine all weekend.

The good thing was there was plenty of people around to help if you got stuck in the boggy sand, but there really were too many people in the pits to be honest.

A cooler Breeze later helped big time and that tide started to move in real fast, then later the fog came in too but was still in the 80’s.

If you look hard enough, you can see Two Motorcycles that are 3/4 of the way up the track, guy on the right is getting down over the tank the best he can for the Win.

Mechanics and drivers all hung out between races to stratagise and come up with some sort of game plan to edge the other racer out, I think just Nail it and go would be my Philosophy.

A Hole Lot of Regerts?

Orange Turtle Deck T- Roadster makes its way up the beach, you can see someones drone trying to chase it.

Come in Number 416 your time is up, this was part of the Beach I could not walk on, but some people came to his rescue once they noticed he was struggling, ever tried to push a Motorcycle in the Sand? It’s bloody hard work.

Heading out, decent tire tread helps a lot and this geezer seems to be alright for the moment, as he makes his way to the staging lane.

Getting to the pits was a bit of a task in the afternoon but, most people got it sorted out. But this young Bloke seems to be well in control to be honest.

How thew hell was this bloke clean? I mean he lined up, raced, and then made the return and not a spec of sand on him.

Another super clean machine makes it back virtually unscathed, quite amazing!

Old Fella’s still having fun and getting a work out too, love seeing this and great job mate.

Getting a little bumpy now but a good area for me to take a few snaps as the bikes came back from their Races and return back to the pits once more.

Now I have no idea what a Scrubby Puffer is and not sure I want to either, as the dude in the super cool Yellow Sedan looks on.

This Blokes Indian wanted to stop for a breather as it was pretty Hot in the afternoon but he got it fired up after a bit of kicking and swearing and on his way.

How cool is this 29 Model A? Period car here and he has a blast in that all day.

Digging the Bars on this, looks like he is 2 up but thats another geezer on a bike right behind him.

Motorcycles and Hot Rods, a Super Combination if you ask me and everybody got along.

I think that is Mr Chin in his Roadster, this is an original built Hot Rod from back in the day, I saw this Race up at the RPM Nationals in Santa Margarita Ranch last year, a consistent machine for sure.

Theres a different angle shot I took of this super Nice 28 Roadster, what a really cool ride, great job mate I loved it.

I wanted the McCullogh Blower and intake oiff of this machine, it sounded wicked and you could tell the power difference right away.

A work out but something that you wont forget when you finally get home and the next day you have more aches than a set of infected teeth.

This Board Track Racer was consistent in running hard and did really well on the Sandy Conditions.

Model A Coupe bouncing its way back, making more noise than the waves crashing in behind him.

This 34 Roadster was really well built, sat well, drove hard and handle awesome, a nice Hot Rod there.

This inline Four Indian did well and he even rode it home, Loved seeing all these old bikes having a go on the Sand.

A Mixture of everything here, Mid engine Roadster Ran pretty Hard all weekend too.

If at first you dont exceed, feck it, leave it there.

Fog was coming in and it was Humid at the same time and, the tide was coming in too.

Gene Winfields Blown Ardun Powered Roadster, with the 90 year Old behind the wheel was just Epic.

Getting ready to line up and GO!!!!!

Gene will be 91 years Young This coming Saturday, how cool is that?

New Jersey Roadster sits patiently and waits for the go ahead to race.

See how sometimes it gets foggy from the humidity? it will then rain, then get even hotter, so weird to me.

Another Rail with a Flathead and clean as can be, this was really well built, so much time and detail in this creation too.

Lisa awaits her start as she sits in the 29 Roadster with everybody else.

Hey, Come on you lot, lets get this race underway, times a wasting and I got stuff to do.

Getting ready for the Big Off, almost ready to go as they all sit on the Beach getting Hot.

Come on lads, give us a push.

I took so many shots, I am trying to keep them as cool as I can, dont want you lot getting bored of the same car but these are pretty cool to look at.

Looks like at some point in time, this 28 Roadster had Schroder steering or a bell set up, as you can see the hole in the side for the pitman arm to exit the steering box.

This Bloke was having fun with his A-Bone all weekend.

This Roadster was just so right, loved everything I saw and it sounded really crisp too.

Evans Heads equipped with a Quad Intake Manifold, check the exhaust out too.

Plenty of activity later on in the day.

Jenn thought the Security Guard looked like The Big Lebowski, I must admit he does look like Jeff Bridges.

Some awesome Motorcycles here, not so sure on the cut front fender but the rest is on the money.

This Young Lady Ran all weekend and the Modified was super clean too.

In the Pits and Boy was it getting crowded in there.

I would love this for my Roadster, this had a unique sound of its own as he hit the Gas pedal.

Even Billy Lane turned up and Raced here.

People braved the Sea to get a free view of the Racing here at Wilwood.

Getting ready to line up against each other and head on up the beach , the geezer with the Penguin Suit on lines em up.

Trying to get as many races in before the Mist gets in, the tide gets in and the storm gets in.

Things seem to be rolling to a start a little faster now and thank god as I was sweating buckets and hoping my camera would not fog up with all this Humidity on the Beach.

The Tuxedo bloke reminded me a little of ED ROTH.

Our guy from the O.C. Grant Peterson jumps of his Checkered Harley and goes for it and wins.

East Coast special, Un-Chopped and Channeled and ready to Rock.

This school teacher had his Pupils build this, for shop class, how cool is that? Ran great too.

Heading on the Return from Racing, I liked this Model A and the lines were clean.

You can see that the tide is now getting closer to the shore.

What a Killer 3 Window Coupe.

I think the guy in the Leathers rode to the event.

Pit crews heading to the cars as the time gets closer to race.

There is that rail again, I wonder if he will be running with a body on it for next years event?

More drivers heading back for their final run.

How fun would this be eh? he must of been grinning all the way up the Beach.

The smell of Burnt Gas and oil, a great Combination.

Running a little Rich there Sir?

I loved this shot, I shoulf of done it in Black n White for a period feel to it.

Gene Winfield getting ready for another run in the Blown Ardun Roadster.

Outta My Way Buddy, I’m in this next Race.

What are these Two Guys up to? Laying bets?

Getting set up to Race each other as the Tide comes in and the Waves start to crash towards them.

Loved this 4 Banger, the headers were Bloody awesome.

Oilers Mid Engine Roadster was way cool to see and watch it run and it ran hard all the way.

Camera men all over the place from all over the world.

Grant gets set up to race an Indian on the beach.

Grant Petersen almost touch the Sea.

The Mist is coming in and rain comes down but, only for a short while, I have never experienced weather like this before, even when I lived in Australia.

Coming in Hot, 13B aptly named Four Bits comes into the pits, keeping his speed on so he does not bog down in this silty, soft silver sand.

The Daytona Flyer heading back out to race again.

Hanging in there on his Henderson.

Marvel Mystery Oil T- Roadster had some Motor issues, the timing jumped a tooth on the gear sprocket, so they rebuilt the motor over night and ran, very cool.

How frigging Tough is this Coupe?

I loved this 5 Window, really mean looking ride with a great stance set up.

It sure turned heads I tell ya.

Pretty cool 5 Window Model A Coupe with Frenched Model A Tail Lights was a great looking set up.

How much fun would this be at El Mirage? Or anywhere for that matter.

 

Getting into it with as least wind resistance as possible.

That Throttle is turned as far as it can go on this blokes Sickle.

Having fun and pushing the boundries of your two wheeled machine,and experiencing something that was done many many years ago.

Both Rails going Hell for Leather and it was a fun race too.

The 34 Roadster takes the Win on this Race and by quite a margin too.

The Young lady was hauling ass and winning by a big gap, but the guy on the Indian did not give up and pushed as hard as he possibly good, never back off on a race at all at anytime.

 

This Girl was leading all the way and as she approached the Checkers, for some reason she backed off, to allow the guy on the Indian to take the win.

Cam snappers 28 Roadster was cool, but as a couple of Motorcycle guys crashed racing, the cops made everyone wear Modern DOT helmets, thats kinda ruined the event to be honest.

What a wicked 29 eh? I watched this all weekend and it sounded great out of them Lakester style headers.

BRAAAAAP!

 

Now thats some Close Racing right there and so enjoyable.

Good to watch these two battle it out and it was who wanted it the most, we all saw Lisa win but the tower gave it to the old fella, you should of heard the Crowd fire up.

Number 24 trying to position himself to get some good traction by laying his body weight over the rear tire.

Some neat racing that I will never forget.

Caught him up but Just missed out by a nose.

This fella looks as relaxed as hell but he was sure having a blast on that Indian Motorcycle.

Enjoying time in the saddle and I loved this machine.

Doesnt look fast but he was hauling balls to be honest, very cool Model A Roadster.

Next up is Scott Sheehan who hails from Bay City in Michigan its a city that in Bay County that is located near the base of the Saginaw Bay on Lake Huron. His Roadster is dialled in and on harder packed sand this would haul ass, winning 2 of the 3 races, he lost this race that I took photos of, because the rear end broke out, the sand was soft but, Scott kept the pedal hard to the steel and straightened it out but the other guy had managed to keep his straight to take the win. here are a few shots I took that I thought were pretty cool.

Digging in like a Tick on a Dog, but Scott keeps the Gas ploughed down.

Scotts hands are literally crossed over, fighting the girl all the way but not giving up, and thats the way to go on sand, as if you back off you will lose momentum.

People got a show this day and I was cheering him through my camera lens as I kept snapping pics of this epic race.

Flat out is the only way to go and persistence does pay dividends in the end but great to see to be honest, it just goes to show how unpredictable Sand can be.

You can see the Roadster has straightened out and is now in a perfect squat, getting power to the rear wheels and torqueing the rest of the way.

 

 

That was a Great Race and good entertainment for the Audience as well as onlookers in their Jalopy’s. Nice job there Scotty!

This Roadster has the Perfect stance, everything is great and I enjoyed watching it speed up and down the beach all weekend in Wilwood N.J.

How can you not have fun in partaking in an event such as this? I sure hope we get to do some more in Southern California.

Great times these two had, belting along the beach on their bikes and giving it all that it is worth.

Another Fine Model A and kept it on all four wheels the entire weekend too.

The Great lakes Special returns back down the beach, he had fun all the weekend.

Yet another Model A I liked, this 1929 Model was fun to watch and it sat really well.

Riding back to the start again, I could stop looking at the fella in the Pink lid, Cops made Competitors wear DOT lids on Sunday.

Killer 5 window, these #14 old Jalopy was tough as nails and warrants a couple of photos for sure on here.

There ya go, two different angles, what a cool piece of Hot Rod History right there.

I am glad I managed to grab some photos, I’m not a photographer as such but like to click away and see what I get when I go to shows and events as this is my passion and lifestyle, in that I mean Hot Rods and Motorcycles.

Hands up as he just loses out, but thats racing and he gave it his best shot. The Girly whooped his Arse!

Hot Rods, Sand, Sea and Surf, how cool.

That Model A is so right, could not stop watching it run up the track, just a well put together machine.

Great to see so many Roadsters and not one the same at all, that makes us all unique in this hobby and love what we do.

I wonder how much clean up this took when he got the chassis home? As I am sure it was ready for its new body.

This Young lady should of been named, Mrs Consistent, this ran well and enjoyed watching her take on the guys.

We also enjoyed watching this Tub race, yet another well put together Hot Rod and he had such a Blast racing .

I took this as he had finished the race and was heading back down the track to return to the pits.

Quad Carbed Roadster ran hard and sounded well dialled in, yet another cool machine that got a lot of attention .

How can you not like this Roadster, Epic build mate, well done.

29 Roadster with Kelseys and knock off Caps looked great with the T Wrecker next to him.

Hubba Hubba, just take a look at this 5 window, such a great example of a Hot Rod.

Model A on stock rims sits high but probably good in the soft sand.

Yes mate, sweet as a nut this ride, really is.

Boy did this sit high.

He was having fun and I guess if he broke down, at least you could easily crawl under it.

Was drawn to this Model A Roadster quite a bit, I have 36 Torque Tubes in storage that I want to use as exhausts and needed to see how loud these were by the doors.

But this has a 4 Banger in it so I could not gauge the noise level as a V8 will be way louder thats for sure, but really liked this Roadster.

The Oilers Turtle Deck slammed Roadster sounded great as it belted along the beach and was pretty fast too, but you would feel every bump being that low to the ground.

Tide was starting to come in but they still raced until it was almost at their tires and this was great to see these 2 rides on the Beach together.

These Boat Tail was just plain weird looking to me, not a fan at all to be honest but- Each to their own Right?

The Boat tail ran up to the end of the track after every heat of Races were complete and the drivers and riders would follow them back to the start line once more.

Giving it some Beans, the 34 Roadster Races the 5 window and the Roadster takes the Win.

This little Belly Tank was nuts, but loved it, how the fella hung on in there I do not know as the Torque of this motor would pull you out of the seat.

How wild is this? That’s the smallest drop tank I have seen, I had a P-38 version but way longer than that, albeit mine had a V8-60 motor, but this 4 Banger was Hopped Up!

Looks more like a Straight 6 Motor than a 4 Banger, the Tiny Drop tank must of been a small feat of Engineering genius to be able to get this to all piece together and a good job too.

I would drive it for sure but I am sure its a Bone Shaker, but, just like they would of built it back in the 40’s for sure.

Quick way of stopping the H2O from getting in as we got a few Sporadic rain flurries and the Humid Air didnt help all day for sure, look how clean this is and Loved the finned Intake.

How cool is this, 1936 5 Window Coupe was the Tow vehicle for the Belly tank, thats Priceless.

Check out the bigger Brother Drop Tank, this is one serious Piece of Kit too and ran well all weekend.

This was a greast piece of Nostalgia and loved watching it throughout the weekend, by the time I noticed it, I kept missing a photo opportunity, but not this time.

Check the 5 window and another Belly tank, complete with Cool Cockpit cowl, what a killer Duo.

The Tornados Club had some great machines Racing at TROG and glad I was able to see them.

Three More great Tornados club Hot Rods Park in the Pit Area.

The Pits was busy all day, it got too busy and the next day the Pit area was closed off to the public as people were getting in the way of the lane that goes out to the track.

People came up in their Hot Rods to watch the races and parked on the beach as there was a little Classic car show on.

Another Clean 28/29 Roadster cruises about and looked pretty sweet.

This Roadster was show quality and the Young Lady had a great heavy Right foot and was into it all weekend and beat many people, awesome job 533.

What a Blast this must be to Throttle this Mid Engine dry lake racer down the Beach for all its worth, a Real cool Lakester for sure.

This Roadster sits well, ran hard and is worth a pretty penny for sure, loved it.

Narrowed with Suicide front end, Schroder Steering and on Kelseys with Dirt tracker tires, this Japanese Special was so cool.

This geezer must of won something as he looks as happy as Larry! Maybe it is LARRY?

There is that Daytona Flyer once More, he sure enjoyed himself here at Wilwood.

Above, Gene Winfield in the Blown Ardun Roadster, this Motor sounded every $100,000 that was put into it, a phenomenal machine and guy.

Heading out to head to his Hotel, Gene Revved the Motor and it was music, purse Music.

Loved seeing the Rides heading on out of the Beach.

Hot Rain started to get a little thicker as a Storm was approaching, so it was a good time for us to make a move to our Bed & Breakfast where we can get changed and go eat.

These 5 windows were parked at the Car show on the beach, they couldnt race even if they wanted to, as they didnt have Flat heads or 4 Bangers, but looked cool in my eyes.

Dig the Nerf Bar and Vintage Hot Rod Trophy Topper on the Spreader Bar, two buddies having fun on the Beach.

There goes the Jalopy Racer, Great piece of American Hot Rod History right there and still running, and Racing today.

The little Silver Bullet heading back for some food and rest after a day of Sand and Sea.

Now that really is a well built 5 window on Deuce Rails and the Flatty sounded Gnarly, Great job #52.

This Old Fella had a smile all weekend and I know why in that machine, it ran really well too.

Handle Bars and flat caps were the order of the day, the Roadster ran well at Wilwood and is a good looking Hot Rod, always loved this Dark Blue Color.

T

This 4 Banger 5 Window was another Hot Rod that was right on the money, getting some of the cooler Breeze that was coming in from the storm approaching helped keep them happy.

Lisa brings home the Roadster after spending the day, teaching the Lads how to Race on the beach, loved this girl and she really has a passion for the Hot Rods, great to see this, well done Lisa.

The Toughest looking Coupe out there, this was a real head turner, the right stance and look, and great to see a coupe that has had a full chop and keeps the insert, not often you see this.

Another Ride that ran well through out the Race Of gentlemen was this 34 Roadster, so much more room than a Model A too.

As you can see, it was a little ride to be able to get off the Beach at Wilwood, but cool to  watch as the Hot Rods and Motorcycles headed out in line like Geese going to a Bread crumb Outlet, these ran all the way then under a tunnel that was beneath the Boardwalk.

The Girls also made them selves known, especially in this T- Roadster Modified, it was a great looking machine and was really consistent on the track, they sure had fun all weekend.

Mile High Model A Club was well represented here, no way could this get stuck in the mud.

This ole Fella ran all weekend but never lit that Cigar, but I saw him make quite a few runs in this Roadster and the Flathead sounded really healthy.

This East Coast Unchopped and Channeled Coupe is reminisent of all the old small format Hot Rod magazines I read Decades ago and was great for me to see for myself.

Service Car was another cool sight as you really never see these and to take it out on the beach and open it up was a real treat and glad he bought this along, great job Sir.

Having fun in the 28 with his Girl as they head out from the track to get some food for the night after spending time Racing, I am surprised how this has no Sand all over the body.

This 1928 Black Roadster was right in every-way, from Motor to Interior, I loved this look and have always Like Henry Fords Black lacquer Paint scheme.

This Bloke was having fun all weekend too, a great Vintage Harley that pulled pretty well and got up to a fair amount of speed in a short distance, sits well too.

Scott had a Blast all weekend in his Roadster, him and His Girly had such fun I am sure, this Roadster is dialed in and gave it all when he was under the flag.

This FORD 1936 Five Window with Ribbed Bumpers, Hollywood Flippers looked really cool.

Many people loved this Yellow 29 and I sure did too, a Timely piece that catches the spirit of Years of Drag Racing gone by to the present, a super example of Drag Racing.

Looking like this was a barn Find, this 28 got lotsa of great looks from spectators, I loved this A-Bone and he am sure enjoyed this weekend driving it.

Heading home with the Mrs and nice to see some Brit stuff Blapping around the Beach at Wilwood New Jersey.

Outta my way I’m coming through, this Rail was put together right and am looking forward to see this with a Body on top of the frame next time.

Hoping that we all get the chance to do this back in California again as we have as many Vintage Rides down here and so many more Beaches too, lets do it California!!!

Meaner than a scolded Cat, this 5 Window would look great anywhere, If Elmer did anything to this ride, then it would of been done right and, it looks right to me.

Another period Coupe and this time East Coast TY RODS 5 Window, amazing Historical HOT ROD and was stoked to be able to see this for myself.

Indian heading home after thrashing about in the sand.

Check this Harley out, looks the parts and rides really well, they sure love their Motorcycles out here on the East Side of the Country too.

Another fella on his Hawg and sitting well on the sand as he heads home to have a few Brewskis to get that sand taste from out of his mouth.

Trying to get back to their Hotel before the heavy Rain arrives as a Storm was indeed approaching.

Du’Vall and Hallock Windshield look great, but not so when they have a top up, just looks a little weird, but thats just me, each to their own, with out the top they look Killer.

The Rain was just starting and we knew it would down pour later so many people made sure they were on their way back before the storm took full effect here in New Jersey.

OH OH! Here comes the Rain- Take Cover !!!

Old School AV8 heading home as we were about to leave too.

This Lady Loved her Harley and had many Runs on the beach and seemed to enjoy it all, thats a cool Girl right there.

Unusual rear tail lights on the 29 as it sped passed me on its way home.

This Flathead sounded so mean, I listened to it idle and wished I had chatted to him as it was really a dialled in Flathead, Great job mate that made my day listening to it.

I have Always liked Indians and we were spoiled at the Race Of Gentlemen with plenty of them Racing the Harleys at Wildwood.

How bad ass is this Flathead Roadster, Super Bell axle, Roll bar and long Radius Rods made this a Nostalgic step back in time for me.

Louvered deck lid, Classic Push Bar, Moon caps and Firestones with a Roll bar, just a great HOT ROD that looked fast even when it was parked up.

Mom and Dad heading home, bet they never told the kids what they were up to this weekend.

Yellow Peril heading home after having the day driving up and down the Beach, so much room when they are not chopped eh?

Now thats a super Happy Face, the Double deuce heading South Bound.

Scott Sheehan heading back to the Hotel with his girl after a day of spraying Sand over everybody that watched him today.

Scott had a full day of get squirly and loved it, this is a great Roadster with a strong Flathead Motor for sure.

This 5 Window didnt race as it isnt a Flathead or 4 Banger but, sure a neat HOT ROD none the less and sits well on the sand.

So glad that Jennifer and I made the 2500 mile trip to the East side of the country to check out TROG, it sure was fun for us and enjoyed the whole 4 days away, I wasn’t sure what to expect and was pleasantly surprised at how much fun it was for us.  Thanks for reading the Blog, I didnt type much as I figured the photos would really speak for them selves, I know there is a lot of photos but- If you are like me and dig the Nostalgia Hot Rods and Motorcycles, then I am sure that you smiled at a few of the snaps I managed to take.

Thank you for reading and hope you follow me on here.  Hope to see you at an event, come up and say hello as it is always great meeting like minded people such as Me and Jennifer.

Race Of Gentlemen Tomorrow

Well, tomorrow we load our bags up and head to New Jersey, stopping of in Philadelphia to pick the car up, we head to Wilwood to watch TROG the Race Of Gentlemen, on the beach, just like they did in the 30-thru 60’s, this is a great event and looking forward to it.

Been a long time since I have been to the New Jersey, I think it was way back in 1990 when I met Lance Sorchik of jersey Suede fame and have been itching to head back out to the East side of the states ever since, I have never been to Wildwood and this will be an adventure for Jennifer and me, be great if we could both get early Hand shift Bikes later, we have the Post War model A Roadster but to have the 2 Old racers will be fun too, albeit we both have a Triumph each already. A fun weekend about to start for us and hope we get to meet some of you folk too.

Hope to see some of you there?

Jennifer and I are really looking forward to spectating this year, people come from all over the US to race their Hot Rods and Motorcycles, Flag Start, just like back in the day, what great fun.

I live for Hot Rods and Motorcycles and many like minded folk will be attending, it will be an epic meet and hope to take as many cool photos to share with you lot as I can.

See if you can make it to NEW JERSEY, head to Wilwood, you will smell the Gasoline right away.

Many people will be attending, there will be a party atmosphere and great evening entertainment too.

The weather will be warm, the surf will be crashing in the back ground and watching Hot Rods racing Hot Rods and Motorcycles will be so eventful this weekend.

So, hope you can make it out there, if you can, look out for us and say hi, be great to meet like minded people who share the Nostalgic lifestyle that we live.

Hopefully we can do this on our side of the country one day again as it is such a blast.
Watch these cool 3 stage videos of how Pro BMXer Heath Pinter builds his 8/29 Model A Flathead Powered Roadster and takes to Trog 2017.

How cool watching Girls race their machines and whooping the guys.

Image result

All sorts of great looking rides, all different and, thats what I love about Hot Rods.

Three Windows, 5 Windows, Roadsters, Tudors, sedans, Modifieds, Belly tankers lake styles, they will have it all, Flatheads, Bangers you name it.

Just healthy fun taking your ride along the sand in 1/8th mile sprint and see how you do.

So, stay tuned on my website as when I get back I shall Blog all about it, you can also see what I am up to on my Facebook, Carpys Cafe Racers or Carpys Garage and on instagram Carpys garage and will try and live stream a little if I have a signal.

All the fun of the fair in NJ, beach and surf one side and fairgrounds on the other.

Even the Choppers came up from Burbank to make this event.

So, stay tuned and when I get back I will add photos that I took and let you know how it went on the East Side of the Country.

 

Thrill seekers land speed record attempt at Pendine Sands

 

World land speed records are being attempted on a Carmarthenshire beach this weekend.

Custom-built vehicles and powerful motorbikes are attempting world and European best times at Pendine Sands, on Carmarthen Bay’s shore.

Pendine became synonymous with land speed attempts since Sir Malcolm Campbell broke the record in the legendary Blue Bird in the 1920s.

pendine bluebird

Welshman JG Parry-Thomas died trying to break the record at Pendine in 1927.

A businessman who said he nearly died in a high-speed motorcycle crash at an event last September raced for the first time on Saturday since suffering life-threatening injuries.

Zef Eisenberg, founder of the Maximuscle nutrition brand, broke 11 bones in the crash. Now thats gotta Smart?

pendine bike

Below, giving the thumbs up to recovery as Zef gets put back together like the Bionic man and hopes to be back up on 2 wheels again soon.

pendine bike2

He attempted to break the existing sand speed record of 184mph (296 km/h) on his gas turbine bike.

“Pendine Sands marks the next significant milestone in my recovery following last year’s death defying 230mph crash,” Mr Eisenberg, an entrepreneur from Guernsey, said ahead of the attempt.

The event, by Straightliners, takes place at Pendine Sands on Saturday and Sunday and speeds will need to be officially verified.

A sleeping Machine gets awoken as Parry Thomas car is Dug out of pendine sands back in 1969 below, no narration but great to see.

 

In March 1927, John Parry Thomas was making an attempt on the Land Speed Record, when his car crashed and he was killed. The car, known as ‘Babs’, lay buried in the sand for over 40 years, until Mr Owen Wyn Owen decided to rescue and restore her. Fifty years to the day after the crash, ‘Babs’ runs again on Pendine Sands.

Here is the infamous BABS being started once more and running a little more on an even Keel.

Great to see it restored.

Hope to visit one of these days and see some of this for myself as I have been to most of the Dry lakes in the USA, so a bucket list tick for sure.

Napier-Campbell Bluebird
Napier-Campbell Bluebird

Pendine Sands 2016 Speed Trials

This is one of the best places in the world to experience Hot Rodding at its very best, sat on the far west side of Britain, Pendine Sands in Wales has so much racing history on this infamous beach.

 

 

I just had to post some photos I saw and will credit those who took them. the Sidewinders put this annual event on and a lot of work it needs to get to where it is, so when you get a chance, drop them a line than thank them for all their hard work.

Steve foster photo.

Photo: Steve Foster

This is an old mat of mine Matt Farrant and he posted the fasted time of 117 miles and hour with his flatty powered Roadster pick up and was the fasted man on the sand for the second year running, great job Matt.

Photo. S. Foster

I see my mate Melissa with the Bandanna on her noggin and she drove her ride on the beach faster than her old mans Hot ROD.

Photo. Steve Foster.

Photo : S. Foster

Mat Farrant giving it his best on the beach with a recorded speed of 117 , thats awesome.

Checking out the program  as these 2 Nostalgically dressed girlies enjoy the day. photo. S. Foster

Photo. S. Foster

OMG-Scot Blown Flatty, would love that myself, great job and shot.

Photo. Steve Foster

Love this shot of the roadsters on the beach lining up for their run.

Photo. Steve Foster.

My mate Sarah Bradley gets ready to run her roadster up the beach.

Photo Steve Foster.

Waiting for the flag to give them the go ahead to light them up and make the pass up the beach.

Photo. Steve Foster

Great shot here, love the Duvall style windshield and the frog mouths.

Photo S. Foster

Channeled 5 window looked Bad ass.

Photo. S. Foster

Braaap!

Photo. Steve Foster.

This looks so much fun.

Photo. S Foster

How can this not be fun?

Photo. S. Foster

This 29 Roadster is all set for his run at the speed trials.

Photo. S. Foster

As old timey as it gets, this bobbed fendered Roadster is itching to go.

Photo. S. Foster

T Roadster gets a helping hand.

Photo. S. Foster

Wishing him luck.

photo. S. Foster

Frigging amazing set up.

Photo. S. Foster

Number 362 gets a good start on his run up the Welsh beach of Pendine Sands.

Photo. S. Foster

Getting as much traction as they can as they start their run.

Photo. S. Foster

How low can you go?

Photo S. Foster

Great shot.

Photo. S. Foster

Another roadster heading out.

Photo. Martin Stockton

Heading into Pendine.

Photo. Martin Stockton

Chilling with everyone on the beach.

Photo. Martin Stockton

Lets see who is the fastest the.

Photo: Martin Stockton.

Where it all happens from the start to finish.

Photo: Martin Stockton 

A set of hungry Quads

Photo. Martin Stockton

Great shot on the line.

Photo. Martin Stockton

We shall meet you on the Beaches.

Photo. Martin Stockton

This 29 is almost ready for the take off.

Photo. Martin Stockton

5 window looks sweet.

Photo. Martin Stockton

This is a really cool shot, love the whole frame, the color is awesome.

Photo. Martin Stockton.

And we are off!!!

Photo. martin Stockton

Roadster Pickup is having some fun here.

Photo. martin StocktonAnother great shot looking through a model A window.

Photo. martin Stockton

Epic photo of the start line.

photo. Martin Stockton

Another cool capture of the start.

Photo. martin Stockton.

Taking it all in.

Photo. Martin Stockton

Putting the Modified through its paces.

Photo. Martin Stockton

Matt Farrant takes off on his 117 MPH Flatty, great job Matt.

Photo. Martin Stockton

Great photo and the geezer is having a blast.

Photo. Martin Stockton

My mate Sarah Bradley ,cruises the Beach.

Photo. Martin Stockton

Matt Farrant, giving it his best shot and winning the fastest flatty of the weekend at 117 MPH, Sweet.

Photo. martin Stockton

The VHRA official filling station.

Photo. Martin StocktonMatt Farrant, getting geared up and going through his check list procedure so he is calm and collected for his run.

Photo. Martin Stockton

Epic panoramic view of the run.

Photo. Martin Stockton

Awesome machine.

My Mate Martin Grossmith in his A Bone and now in the 100mph club.

Martin is sat and ready to wind it on at Pendine Sands.

Great photos here of some mates I know from back home, must of been fantastic experience.

Below is a vide of Dean Lowes Roadster pick up at Pendine.

 

 

These sands have been raced on for many many years, even in 1951 the motorcycles all took part in racing.

So, with over 150 entries at Pendine, this only seems to get bigger and better.

photo credit. Elie Rose and my mate Mel Gee driving.

Photo: Elie Rose photography with Mel in her ride.

Photo credit: Stefan Marjoram.com

Stefan Marjoram|Art & Photography.

 

Photo Credit: Stefan Morjoram. With Sarah Bradley in her Roadster.

Stefan Marjoram|Art & Photography

Stefan Marjoram|Art & Photography

Photo: Stefan Marjoram.com

Photo: Stefan Marjoram.com

Photo: Stefan Marjoram.com “The Lads”

Photo: Stefan Marjoram.com

Photo: Stefan Marjoram.com

 

 

 

PENDINE SANDS IN SOUTH WALES HAS AWESOME HOT ROD TURN OUT.

    WHAT A GREAT EXHIBITION OF SUPER COOL HOT RODS AND VINTAGE TIN !

Here is all the news of the up and coming day and I have also added vids and other people write ups for you all to have a look at.

 

The Vintage Hot Rod Association presents:

Pendine Sands – Amateur Hot Rod Races

Racing is planned to commence at 11am on the 7th September

This is the big one! For years it has been discussed about taking hot rods to Pendine Sands, but until now it has not been a reality. We are so very proud to announce that the Vintage Hot Rod Association will be hosting the First Annual Hot Rod Races at Pendine Sands on Saturday, 7th September 2013.

 

Pendine Sands is a seven mile long, arrow straight beach in South West Wales and was the go to place in the 1920’s for land speed record attempts. Back then it drew big names such as Malcolm Campbell driving Bluebird, along with Parry Thomas piloting Babs, both hitting speeds in excess 170 miles per hour. It was following a terrible accident in 1927 when Thomas was decapitated that racing at Pendine Sands was called to a halt. For a little history lesson we recommend you take a look at the film below, the BBC tell it so much better then we do!

 

This is a chance for us here in the UK to at last have a go at what the US has taken for granted for many years, although ironically, those heroes of a bygone time were doing it here on Pendine Sands way before the hot rodders found their way to Muroc, El Mirage and Bonneville.

Racing Classes

 

V – Vintage – Pre 54 engines, inclusive of all Ford flathead V8’s

L – Late – Post 54 engines

 

4 – 4 Cylinder

6 – 6 Cylinder

8 – 8 Cylinder

U – Unlimited Cylinders

 

B – Blown – Supercharger or Turbo

 

F – Flathead – ALL valves in block, no OHV conversions

 

R – Roadster – Open top factory cars. Roof chops allowed, top must be down.

C – Closed Car – Fixed roof factory cars. Roof chops allowed.

M – Modified – Special & shortened bodies including any non factory bodies.

K – Full Body – Factory cars post 1934. All  body styles, roof chops allowed. Full fenders must be fitted.

 

To give a few examples, if you run a 1932 roadster with a blown flathead, you’ll be running in V8BF/R. A 4 banger with an OHV conversion in a T speedster would be in V4/M, and a 1940 Ford custom running a Thunderbird engine would be L8/K. So as you can see, there are plenty of permutations and lots of opportunities to set class records.

 

Entry Conditions

 

Cars will be timed over a flying quarter mile and racing is open to all members of the VHRA and their VHRA eligible cars. To compete on the sand the cost is £30. Pit crew can sign on and have full access for a further £10 a head. If you have a car that won’t be competing, then to gain access to the pit area it’s £10 for each person in the car. Pit entry on foot is £10 per person. All these options will gain you access to the after race party. Please note that there is a cut off of pre-49 for racing, and up to 1954 for cars in the pit area and they do have to be “in period”. There is a maximum of around 100 competing cars and also a limit on pit passes available, with places going to VHRA members first. So, if you don’t want to miss out on this unique opportunity, print off the application form and get it back to us post haste. – PLEASE NOTE THAT AS OF 8th AUGUST ALL RACE & PIT PASSES HAVE BEEN SOLD. NO FURTHER BOOKINGS ARE BEING TAKEN.

 

If you just wish to come and spectate, then there is a fee of £3 payable on the day, which does allow you access to the beach in your car in the public car park, but it will not permit you to enter the pit or race areas, nor will you be have access to the after race party on Saturday night. No pre-booking is required.

Accommodation

 

For those wishing to stay nearby there are a number of options. If you are quick then the Parkdean Caravan Park across the road is the place to stay. Call 0844 335 3580 ask to book for the Vintage Hot Rod Rally at Pendine Sands, quote reference U9976857 and receive a 5% discount. Bookings are done on a short break basis and start from less than £200 for a 6 berth caravan. Check out their website for details of the accommodation available. Alternatively there will be camping available on site and nearby, bookable via the VHRA, at £10 per pitch for Friday and Saturday nights and is only available to those booking race or pit passes. There are also hotels and B&B’s in the area, just search on Google for more information!

Since it was exhumed, Babs has undergone a full restoration and will be on display at the Museum of Speed which is just a stones throw from where all the action is taking place, as will be the Racer’s Party in the museum grounds on the Saturday night, where we can all tell tales of how next year we will all be so much faster! However the main event is traditional hot rods being timed flat out in such a historic and important place. With a suitable rum up, cars will then be timed over a flying quarter mile in a variety of classes. With this being the first event, many records will be set and many egos boosted! A full race card will be available on the day from the VHRA stand. Racing is planned to commence at 11am, but if we are able to get the pits and course in place sooner, then it may start a little earlier.

CLICK HERE FOR BOOKING FORM

RACE AND PIT PASSES SOLD OUT
 
 Here are some of the videos that I have taken from you tube and the like, as well as other websites whos names I have left on their work, just great to see this all happening, when I had my 3 window Deuce back in the 80’s there were only a few of us and now it has become a great part of British motoring with an American flare.
Pendine has a 7 Mile straight away on the beach, where many people have been there to attempt land speed records back in the 1920’s.

 So, sit back and enjoy the sights and sounds of these marvelous Hot Rods and their owners, some I have not seen in almost 20 years, so great for me to see this too.

 

Martin Grossmith and his A-Bone that he has had for about 13 years, I remember when he found the Original car out here in SoCal, so glad he is STILL having fun with that machine.
Grabbing sand and digging in as the little side valve shows what it can do on the 7 mile straight.
Awesome cars came from all over for the Special occasion.
More fun that watching frogs lap dance.
Plenty for spectators to see on this day and boy wish I could of been there.
Of course, the obligatory Moustache had to be applied on Matins Bubble Visor.

There are legends and folklore that surround most things we are passionate about. But with the passing of time you can often miss the original point of what you initially found so interesting and so captivating – points lost in recreation and poor interpretation. For that reason I often wish I had a time machine. No, I’m not some sort of unrealistic day dreamer and in no way do I want to turn back time, but once in a while I really think that it would be fascinating to head back and immerse yourself in a bygone culture; to eat the best steak in the world instead of cooking it from a set of instructions.

That’s why I’m here at Pendine Sands in South Wales, because there’s a chance that the best automotive meat I’ve ever tasted is going to be served up here pretty soon. First up you need some history to understand what I’m talking about though.

Simple question first: what’s happening here today? Speed trials on a beach in short, but that’s only about 10 per cent of the story. The sand we’re stood on here at Pendine in South Wales is sacred to those in the know. It’s one of many motorsport venues in Great Britain that have long faded from the mainstream consciousness, although having read that back I’d question whether it even registered in the mainstream at all…

There’s a museum for the many achievements witnessed here and some day I’ll come back and show you more of this #templeofspeed. Right now you’ll have to trust me though. In the British Isles we have very few places to try and go as fast we can. In fact, we’re limited to two second world war airfields and the sand here at Pendine. So in the early 1900s anything fast and pre-war was tested here when the roads became less able to contain the speeds and the smooth, seven-mile long expanse of sand made higher mph possible. Two tales stand out for me: the first is of Malcolm Campbell who was the first person to use Pendine for a world land speed record attempt. He successfully achieved a speed of 146.16mph here almost exactly 90 years ago on September 25th, 1924.

A battle ensued over the next few years and Welshman J.G Parry-Thomas lost his life here in March 1927 when his car Babs rolled at roughly 170mph, killing him instantly. His friends buried the mangled wreckage in the dunes and there it remained until it was dug up in 1969 and restored. Today she sits in a large glass window in the front of the museum. That’s the building on the left, looking out over the assembled throng of hot rods assembled here to chase the dream across the sand.

The real magic dawns on me very quickly as I see the tide ebbing slowly back towards the horizon. This isn’t like Brooklands or a decayed and forgotten Spanish race track. Everyday there is a fresh track, a fresh line. This scene can never get old, because every day it’s new. It sends a small shake up my spine as I feel the anticipation in the air – this is special stuff. But we have to be patient and wait for the water to do its own thing, just like it has for millions of years prior to this day.

Up here on the high ground are the weapons of today’s land speed warriors. Numbers have been limited to just 100 cars, which is actually quite a lot, all things considered. This is an event that’s never run before, that couldn’t be set up the day before, and pretty much everyone here has never driven at high speed on sand. Anything could happen.

Everybody is part of the Vintage Hot Rod Association, so they’re use to dealing with old hot rods. In order to compete, vehicles needed to be of pre-1949 construction and be using original or vintage-type suspension and engine components. Keeping it period in other words, and doing it as it would have been done back in the day in America.

With the water retreating, the clock is now ticking. It’s around 10am when we start to make our way down onto the beach. The entire course needs walking and any debris that’s been left by the outward tide needs to be removed, so it’s all hands on deck to to give it a clean sweep. The head of the pack in the distance is pretty much where the pit area will be.

And soon enough that area is filling up nicely. Although you can see in the background here that the sand was still a little soft; the big Chevy pickup getting bogged down in the borrowed ground.

But what borrowed ground it is. I like the fact nature doesn’t let us play here whenever we want. Like the planning of this event, time has had to be taken and all the elements come together for one very special day to happen. Marco Warren in car #3 took the honours of getting the ball rolling, and this is the first run of the day. Organiser Neil Fretwell took #2, but #1 wasn’t assigned. There were classes for 4/6/8 and unlimited cylinders in case any 12s turned up, with seperate designations of ‘B’ for blown (either supercharger or turbo), ‘F’ for flathead. Body classes were as follows: ‘R’ for roadster, ‘C’ for closed cars, ‘M’ for modified and ‘K’ for full body.

When I woke up around 6am there was rain pouring down on the roof of my B&B; millions of tiny wet reminders that after a beautiful British summer we’re dancing with bigger powers here. Racing has started though, so I don’t hang around the pits for any more than five minutes. I want to see the action out there on the sand. This is Paul Beamish’s gorgeous ’34 Coupe driving off the line, running a blown flathead V8.

This is not a drag race though, and even though some people break traction away from the start there’s a mile or so to build up to speed before you enter a timed section.The sand is solid, but ultimately it’s just sand. I know the salt at Bonneville is a crust, but it’s still much firmer than this surface which was under water a couple of hours ago.

Walking up the dune line, I turn to take in every run. I don’t want to miss anything. As the stripped-down, hopped-up rods appear from the mass of people on the start line – building speed and bearing down on that timed area – you start to lose a sense of perspective.

They’re almost frozen in time, growing in stature instead of coming at me.

Here’s Keith Harman in his ’34 five-window coupe. In this shot you can just make out in the foreground the first bamboo pole signifying the start of a corridor each competitor had to pass through…

… tripping the beam at one end to start their timed run.

After talking to a couple of drivers later in the day I realised just how hard it was to pin the location before there was a clear path of tyre tracks.

The speeds were impressive, but maybe more so was the courage of the drivers. I thank my lucky stars that large governing bodies hadn’t smudged the event with monstrous safety stipulations and ugly additional, modern day equipment. It might sound naive, and yes I know accidents can happen, but you know what? Everybody here is a consenting adult who knows what they’re getting into and nobody is pushing them. This is about men and women driving as fast as they dared, however they wanted to do it.

I’ll show you more of this T in another post, but its induction set-up had me smiling all the way back in the pits. Driver Kevin Helsdown is seen here hunkering down for added aero/hero points.

The drivers then had another mile or so to slow down; the surface not really lending itself to a hard application of brakes.

Mike Pickup in his Ford Sedan winds down after one of roughly three or four runs each driver had during the day. As I sit watching them I’m getting very envious. The drivers all say that the surface is skittish though; skinny crossply tyres not really cutting into it and as the wind dries the sand out even more they tell me that as the speed builds you feel like you have less and less control. Many are fearful that any sort of sudden movement will prompt a wheel to dig in and flip the car.

The collection area at the top end must have been awash with drivers swapping notes on the surface and how to handle it. Sure, there’s been a little research here and there and I speak to a few drivers who’ve had words with American friends who have run at places like El Mirage. After all, this event is also harking back to the halycon days of southern California’s dry lakebed time trials. But largely they’re just out there seeing how it feels and making it up as they go along. For me, this only adds another element of authenticity.

With trials halted for a few minutes, the first batch of drivers head back down to the pits and I get to sit and watch as they rumble by. Like I said, this event isn’t trying to recreate anything because it’s never been done before. It’s very much in the spirit of bygone land speed racing though.

For this and the last picture – no digital watches, modern helmets, bolt on DSLR cameras or anything else to foul the scene.

As I head back to the pits, I look across and catch some of my friends digging the scene on my 400mm lens. Although the limited number of pit passes sold out months ago, public access was free and plenty took advantage of it.

Looking back up the line, where you can see the two larger white vehicles on the far side is where the timed area is. The slightly darker line being the racers’ only guide as to where the numbers get counted.

There was a cut off date for all vehicles in the pits too, but seeing as it was 1954 it meant there were some gorgeous kustoms around to mix it up with the rods.

There was a wide spread of early Ford tin present, as you’d expect. With this Model A  pick up here on the left and T showing two different approaches to a similar body style.

Interiors were largely sparse affairs, and the flathead V8 seemed to be the motor of choice. That’s to be expected given the large numbers it was produced in, tuning potential and the period perfection it adds too.

As was common in California back in the day, Fords naturally made up the largest percentage of entries.

I’ve always preferred the Model B though. There’s just something extra about that kicked-up rear and smaller front end that gets me going. I was raised by a father who did illogical things so that he could buy, build and race pre-war cars. So it’s inevitable that at some stage I will own something from this era. The closest I’ve come so far was a ’47 Ford Tudor, which from the bulkhead back is essentially a ’39 Ford. It was quite popular for moonshine running given it’s large boot/trunk space. So if it’s good enough for Junior Johnson who went on to become a NASCAR legend, it’s good enough for me.

You might be wondering just how fast is fast then? Around mid-afternoon I found out that this flathead-powered special was running around 115mph. Sure, that might not sound a lot to a generation who’ve grown up on turbocharged Japanese metal, but consider this – you’re looking at technology older than your parents and quite possibly older than your grandparents. Can you see the drilled chassis for weight saving?

A musician called David Lee-Roth, who you might have heard of, once said, “It’s not how well you do, it’s how good you look whilst doing it.” Well this is about doing something well…

… and looking good whilst doing it. What you’re looking at here is a tweed jacket with a leather flying jerkin over the top and a cravat around the neck. I know a few characters like Neil Bennett and they’ve been doing this sort of thing for longer than I’ve been on this earth. I doff my cap to them all. His speed of 114.56mph is the fastest of the day…

Hanging around the start line I see organisor Neil Fretwell enjoying the scene. Gripped in his right hand is the radio that links him to the small white box (the timing van) in the distance, which relays back times and speeds…

… and passes on information as to when the course is clear for the next competitor to get underway. Because we don’t have all day…

The sea will have all of this covered long before the evening’s entertainment gets into full swing, so we’d better get some more runs in.

Back in the pits, Neil gathers everybody around and tells us it’s just about possible for one more run if everybody lines up and goes off and then returns in one full group.

Nobody needs telling twice. Marco who started the proceedings gets his helmet on with quick pace.

And it wasn’t like Neil was going to miss out either, quickly lining up in his 3in subtly chopped Model A.

In fact, everything that could make a run, did. The surfboard was probably worth 10 per cent across the rev range.

With the sea rapidly returning, it was a timely reminder that there was no time to get too comfortable.

Its unstoppable march was going to stop play, but that also compacted the excitement for me. This isn’t like Bonneville where you have days. We had hours. Sure, we could come back tomorrow, but the finality of seeing the course wash away was just too much. I’ve no doubt that this event will happen again though – it just has to.

But right now there’s a full line up of hot rods with a combined age approaching 8000 years sat at the end of the timed zone and waiting to return en masse one last time.

The hot rods are coming! This short film shows it better than my picture; it was a very cool couple of minutes.

As they come in to land there are smiles and hand shakes everywhere, and a definite sense of release and relief in the air. It’s been done. Nothing went wrong and now it’s time to relax.

Some people may have decided to do some circle work and celebrate.

But others preferred to take the opportunity for a photo or two with the dramatic backdrop of what looks like a heavy storm.

And as the car park merged with the pits…

… people returned to the higher ground. I was left standing alone, wanting more.

Chances were taken here today, and rewards have been reaped because of that gamble. Given the American orientation to this event, it makes me smile that Amy Johnson took off from this very same beach to make her non-stop flight to America in 1933. So does this also signal the start of something big? Whatever the future holds, good things happened here today – very good things. The only trace of them will be in the memories – no amount of tyre tracks in the sand or flags planted triumphantly will mark this landscape.

In fact it’s quite the opposite – it marks you. The sand might physically get everywhere, but it will also get under your skin too.

Pendine has witnessed some incredible things over the years, and although today may not have seen any records broken, it will rest for a long time in the minds of all the people here.

But then again maybe I’m reading too much in to it – thinking about it too much. Let’s just keep it simple eh? Maybe it’s all about going fast… really fast.

A massive thank you to everybody at the Vintage Hot Rod Association for putting together such a good day. I’ll have more in Part two where I look at the people and details that made this event so good.

There will be a book available showcasing the exploits of the day available through the Vintage Hot Rod Association website, you’ll find the details there from autumn 2013 onwards

Bryn Musselwhite
Instagram Speedhunters_Bryn
bryn@speedhunters.com

 

More hot rod stories on Speedhunters
More land speed stories on Speedhunters

 

1920x1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine  Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920×1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine
Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920x1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine  Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920×1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine
Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920x1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920x1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920x1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine  Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920×1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine
Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920x1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine  Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920×1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine
Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920x1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine  Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920×1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine
Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920x1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine  Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920×1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine
Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920x1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine  Picture by Bryn Musselwhite
1920×1200 VHRA Speed Trials Pendine
Picture by Bryn Musselwhite