There is no other race like The Race of Gentlemen, aka TROG. Each TROG event is a time travel of sorts, to a time when things were simple and racers were gentlemen, or so we thought anyway, and cars and motorcycles were an absolute icon. This year the staff at TROG decided that they were going to bring their certain brand of fun to the west coast, Santa Barbara to be specific, by bringing a hand selected group out to race on the streets just off the beach in Santa Barbara. Sounds pretty bitchin doesn’t it? Well it was, and luckily for you there is proof in the form of this great video from BRISCO Media and it just reinforces the fact that we really need to get out to one of these TROG events.
All the cars and bikes you’ll see at at TROG event are Pre and early Post War and absolutely as authentic to the times as is reasonable. Seeing these things hauls ass down the sand at the original TROG events is great, but in Santa Barbara the event is a little different. Just a few feet off the sand the event will be racing on the streets to mimic just how it was done back in the day before all these sanctioned dragstrips popped up.
This is the Santa Barbara Drags!
What happened to the beach? I suppose some folks in Cali. don’t like motor vehicles on the beach. And I thought it was a “grass roots ,cheap” racing event. There were a few high dollar vehicles racing there.Still a very cool event.And a slow turn in a drag strip. But still cool.
I am amazed that they allowed this event in Santa Barbara! Pretty cool stuff there.
” TROG decided by bringing a hand selected group out to race on the streets.” other words, rich and famous.
that’s not was TROG is about. I guess the money part is more important than the history. cross TROG off my bucket list.
the east coast we still do airport racing for nostalgia w/o the ‘chosen few’
Well, I wondered how long until the Calitards ripped off the Joisy boys.
I was lucky enough to get to race in Pismo in 2016. I’m definitely not a high dollar guy! Quite a few people I raced in Pismo raced in Santa Barbara. Many were not high dollar either. The first legal drag race was on a street in Goleta held by the Santa Barbara acceleration association in 49. I think they definitely had that in mind. I’m still amazed the Oilers club pulled this off!
I started watching the video and turned it off after a few minutes. Not like the Wildwood event at all. Disappointing.
Low buck is relative….it’s Santa Barbara after all (where the *average* home sells for north of 1M$)
They should have opened it up to all, rather than just pick a few friends to race.