Surfing and motorcycles may seem like two different worlds, but in coastal Southern California, they are pastimes that can co-exist and are being enjoyed together this weekend just steps from the ocean.
The Moto Beach Classic, which started in 2017, is back at Bolsa Chica State Beach in Huntington Beach on Saturday, Oct. 14, an event that combines motorcycle enthusiasts with beachgoers in a unique setting.
“We’re going to throw a big party on the beach,” event creator Roland Sands said.
Sands grew up in nearby Long Beach, surfing anywhere between the Huntington Beach Pier and Seal Beach, but he also found a passion for motorcycles, developing a big following in the two-wheel culture as a racer and bike designer.
“And I would have never dreamed we would have been doing motorcycle races at Bolsa Chica, I’ll tell you that,” he said.
Sands said it was Dana Point filmmaker Bruce Brown – he created the surf-cult classic “Endless Summer” and “On Any Sunday,” a motorcycle film nominated in 1972 for an Academy Award – who showed the two are harmonious because of their sense of adventure.
“We’re just living out that fantasy, still,” Sands said.
Thousands of people are expected to show up for the races on Saturday at the north end of Bolsa Chica State Beach near Warner Avenue and Pacific Coast Highway.
Last year’s event was held further south at Huntington State Beach and was combined with the Red Bull Straight Rhythm, which brought dirt bikes that did flips and tricks alongside Sands’ event.
“It may happen again in the future, maybe every other year,” Sands said of the massive undertaking pulling off both events.
This year’s Moto Beach Classic, which is free to the public, involves an oval flat track where the Super Hooligan street bike race will be held, an area called the Moto Classic Bike Show where custom motorcycles will be showcased, a vendor village and an art area called the Architects of Inspiration with live…
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