Thrills, spills and closer encounters of the third kind, The Race of Gentlemen is an event that focuses on camaraderie. Well over 200 people came together this year to race vintage iron on the sands, helping each other get the cars and bikes running and race ready. For the past 5 years, the event has gone without accident or injury on the sands, no small feat for racing on an unpredictable surface. After 5 years of incredible racing, luck seemed to be running out.
Friday night was an adventure and a half. The Oilers and racers were set up on Atlantic Avenue, directly next to the Starlux Motel with a full lot and closed street because of the sheer number of cars, bikes, and people wandering between them all. With vintage hot rodders and bikers like Gene Winfield, “Panhead” Billy Burrows, TV and movie stars like Aaron Kaufman, Rick Petko, Josh Kurpius and the whole TROG Crew, they spent the evening hamming the cameras and catching up on each others’ travels since the previous year.
Saturday Morning I caught the tail end of the drivers’ meeting as I rushed myself down the road to catch Mel getting the drivers up to speed on the rules and changes since the last year. One of the few things I caught was Mel telling the racers, “This isn’t my event, this isn’t your event. It’s our event.” I’ve caught drivers meetings before, but this year had simply felt different. The event had a significantly larger pool of racers, with just shy of 100 cars and an equal number bikes. After trudging through the sand and seeing the setup on the beach, it was immediately apparent that the pits were much smaller and the media access had completely changed this year. With two massive lines of people on the beach waiting to enter the event, only time would tell how the 48 hours would go.
The races had a different atmosphere about it compared to previous years. Rain threatened the weekend, racers and TROG Crew were more stressed, and you could feel the tension in the air. Aaron Kaufman, previously on Gas Monkey Garage, was racing and brought a film crew with him from the Discovery Channel to film his new show Shifting Gears. There were racers attending from France that also brought film crews, paired with several magazines all pushing for special access, which just added to the already high levels of frustration for the TROG Crew. Cars stacked four deep in the staging lanes, and mass amounts of people beginning to enter the pits made it obvious that the two days of racing were going to be difficult at best. Racers could barely walk, much less move their cars through the sea of spectators or the deep sand in the pit area.
That afternoon came the fog, a thick, soupy fog that came in and lightly covered the races. The finish line was barely a blur from the starting line, and racers were taking note. After the rain came in and swept away many of the spectators and several racers, the fog had lifted and racing resumed. Five years without incident, and the tension in the air had reached critical mass. The first victim the sands had gotten was Jeremiah Armenta, from Phoenix, Arizona. He was rushed to the hospital after a hard spill, suffering a couple of breaks and a bruised ego.
High winds later that evening caused the Wildwood Fire Department to call off the bonfire, turning it into a small ring of barrel fires. Event staff were stressed and showing it. In previous years, Mel had been extremely friendly, cheerful and the life of the party, but not then. He wasn’t able to catch a break, and with the first injuries of the event looming, he was having a hard time being himself, but the show had to go on. The pits were to be closed to spectators, media access had been further restricted, but the bonfire night was open to anyone who decided to come out.
On Sunday, as the races continued, the air had remained stressed and full of tension. If anyone had attended races previously, it would have been obvious, this wasn’t the best example of what The Race of Gentlemen can be. As the bracket races began, the races were close and everyone was pushing hard. Well into the afternoon as races were going, catastrophe was nearing. As bikes began to get faster and faster, the cars were following suit. There was a break in the races to prep the sand once again, in an effort to keep the track safer for everyone. Then the races continued.
First timer Aaron Kaufman, despite having plenty of experience behind the wheel, had a bad luck streak on the sands. Learning the ropes isn’t easy, but even the veterans encounter their share of struggles. Atsushi Yasui, “Sushi,” as he is nicknamed, is the “Man from Japan” and has been attending TROG for years. He has easily become one of the fastest racers, on the heels of Josh Kohn at these races, and continues to pursue even more speed. Knowing this, and watching him nearly run out of room to stop in the Number 6 car after the finish line, it was no question that he was going to take the Number 6 bike as fast as he could.
Crystal clear through the viewfinder of my camera, myself and other photographers watched Sushi sail past the halfway mark of the track and it began. The front of the bike began to wobble left to right, increasing in violence at an alarming rate by the ¾ mark. Before anyone could compose a thought, the entire crowd collectively gasped and went silent. Sushi had been thrown from the Number 6 Harley Davidson. He flew through the air, his goggles went one way, and he slammed into the sand. No one had any time to process what hundreds of people saw that never imagined would happen.
Emergency crew members were running towards him from the moment they saw him leave the seat, and were trying to get a response from him for what felt like an eternity. The crowd was silent, and not a soul had moved an inch. Sushi was placed on a stretcher after a couple restless minutes and was given a ride around to an ambulance. Mel had been shaken, he was visibly upset, and had a hard time keeping his composure. As he was crying into the microphone, it was a heartbreaking call to say that the races may be continuing, but less than 10 minutes later the decision was final. Without any announcement the finish line markers were pulled in, banners were taken down, and the pits were quietly emptying. There was no trophy ceremony, the races were stopped, and the spectators began to disperse. The 6th Annual Race of Gentlemen had been cut short. A roller coaster of emotions, thrills and unfortunately spills. The event has proved for yet another year that you can’t take your eyes off the action for even a moment. Racing is dangerous, the sand is volatile, and no matter how much experience you have, unpredictable sands yield for no man.
2,303 Likes, 59 Comments - Race Of Gentlemen (@theraceofgentlemen) on Instagram: "Good people.......... it's ALIVE!!! Just got the news, surgery was a success!!! Our prayers have..."
6,390 Likes, 165 Comments - Race Of Gentlemen (@theraceofgentlemen) on Instagram: "More great news!!! We sprung him... used the HD bread truck for a quick getaway!!! #trog #family...."
259 Likes, 1 Comments - Girard Fox (@road_oiler) on Instagram: "No words.......just ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️ to Sushi & Jeremiah !!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️"
7,560 Likes, 393 Comments - Race Of Gentlemen (@theraceofgentlemen) on Instagram: "Announcing our TROG WINNERS this year! Sorry all... but there are only two WINNERS this year...."
Sushi was released from the hospital after two days spent close to Jeremiah. He was beat up, but escaped with only a cut near his eye from his helmet and a few bruises. He flew back to Japan a day later, and safely made it home to Tokyo. Jeremiah had a successful surgery and should be able to continue working on motorcycles after physical therapy, and has been surrounded by his family. A massive thank you to event staff, emergency responders and fellow racers for making this event safe, possible, and enjoyable year after year.