Moto Beach Classic & Super Hooligan Finale Recap
Fast & furious flat-track action, badass custom bikes, and rockers Unwritten Law made SoCal rally one of the best moto events of the year.
The theme song from On Any Sunday rang through our head as we walked the outskirts of The Moto Beach Classic and “Super Hooligan 2017 Series Finale” race on Oct. 14 at Bolsa Chica State Beach near Huntington Beach, California. Dust clouded the air and left a warm, yellow glow through the sky. Sounds of V-twins rumbled through the sand. The sites of bars banging and custom motorcycles were plentiful. And SoCal hit-maker’s Unwritten Law rocked the main stage. It was an event to fill all the senses.
California is a beautiful place for the motorcycling faithful. It’s mid-October with mid-80 temps and sunny skies. Roland Sands and crew like Cameron Brewer dreamt up a beach-front event a while back, and somehow made it happen.
Our only guess is there’s a politician or park ranger somewhere who rides a Sportster, because how else did they convince the park to allow a big group of Hooligans to race around on a Saturday?
The event was simple, with dirt packed atop the asphalt that lines the beach, and plastic guard rails and a squared-off fencing for the pits. Outside of that was a mini-moto track and behind that, BMW set up drag races on demo bikes.
Back up the beach was the beer garden and bands, and beyond that vendors from Progressive Suspension to Pacifico beer were on display. There was even an area for custom bikes, art work, and live paintings scattered throughout. For such a small area, it was hard to take it all in. But for us, we remained glued to the flat track all day for racing.
The centerpiece of the mayhem was the Super Hooligan 2017 Series Finale race. Dozens of riders showed up just for the chance to race beach front. Many of the So-Cal local Harley-Davidson Hooligan riders were in attendance, like Chris Wiggins on his Sportster flat tracker and Scott Jones of Noise Cycles riding a hand-shift bike along with his Noise Racing team on Sportsters.
There were also folks from Suicide Machine Company on their custom built Sportsters and a new Indian Scout. Even Pros like American Flat Track Grand National event winner Joe Kopp, who had been to many of the Super Hooligan events, was in the field (on a Triumph).
Frankie Garcia took home the main event win on a customized Ducati Scrambler, while Andy DiBrino, took home the big prize, the national championship for the first-ever full-season of the Super Hooligan. Racing a customized Street XG750 built by Portland-based shop See See Motorcycles, DiBrino won cash and a new Indian FTR750.
No official word yet if the Super Hooligans are set to run a full season next year, but chances are good that they will. The crowds that showed up for most of the season’s races speak volumes in what we want to see. Attendance was also high for the pros in American Flat Track this season, with broadcasting on NBC and new tracks. So, what will next year’s dirt track racing programs look like? Head to H-D Forums and discuss your opinions, then check back in for news updates about the 2018 Moto Beach Classic. In the meantime, check out our exclusive photo gallery covering all the action at this year’s rally.
Photos: Jesse Kiser