T.R.O.G. | WILDWOOD | NEW JERSEY

A TASTE OF ALABAMA | ALABAMA

WILDWOOD | NEW JERSEY How Gentlemen get Beached in Wildwood

trog sounds like a soda or a character in a fantasy movie, but it’s not. It stands for: The Race Of Gentlemen. The men and women of trog are probably all gentle, but there is nothing gentle about the beasts they are racing in on the beaches of New Jersey. Our very own German Gentleman, Johannes Huwe, knows all about it.

PHOTOS AND WORDS BY JOHANNES HUWE

THE RACE OF GENTLEMEN | WILDWOOD | NEW JERSEY There are loud engine noises coming off what looks like a cast-iron bathtub on wheels. It’s a 1934 Ford Hot Rod heading towards the beach in Wildwood, New Jersey. Meanwhile, the rules of the race are being announced to the spectators and riders from a lifeguard tower.

Many have come from far and wide to participate in “The Race of Gentlemen” (aka TROG bringing their pre1935 American cars. These vintage cars are also further restricted to replacement or add-on parts dating from the early 1950s at the latest in order to qualify for racing. Meanwhile, the motorcycles all date from before 1947.

BEING LIGHT FOOTED Along the wide sandy beach, the hot rods line up at the starting line in side-by-side pairs. All eyes are on the flag girl, a barefooted woman with blonde hair wearing white Harley-Davidson service overalls, albeit now cut into short shorts. She’s got the checkered flag in her hand, ready to signal the start of the race. The engines roar and the tension on the beach rises. Then, the flag girl jumps a good two feet into the air and lowers the flag.

The sand flies as the gentlemen floor the gas pedals in their vintage sportsters. A lot of gas, but not too much, because otherwise the tires will just dig a hole for themselves in the sand and they’ll become bogged down.

Despite keeping their racing cars in the best possible shape, the drivers still have to reckon with everything else that can be thrown at them in this 1/8 mile sprint along the Atlantic shore. Jessie Combs, the world’s fastest woman, for example, found that her steering wheel had come loose from the dash in one race! Somehow, she skillfully navigated her vehicle to the finish line, but not at anywhere near the 435-mph speed with which she had broken the 48-year-old land speed record back in October 2013.

A DAY AT THE BEACH On top of the thrill of the race, the beach atmosphere provides plenty of fun for grilling and chilling. Back in the 1940’s and 50s, hot-rodders had already started coming together on the beaches of the east and west coasts of the United States to compete against each other in sprints like the TROG. The 2015 event at Wildwood was organized for the fourth time by the Oilers Car Club, one of the 1949 co-founders of the National Hot Rod Association (NHRA), and organizer of some of the first hot rod competitions ever. It’s no wonder that it’s this organization which is bringing back this spectacle for today’s audiences.

With typical Vegas-style neon signs on the motels and restaurants straight out of the 1950’s, Wildwood is the perfect spot for such racing matchups of historic cars and motorcycles. Motel after motel lines the four miles stretch called Atlantic Avenue. The Surfcomber Motel hosted a pre-race party the night before as the racers’ cars and motorcycles lined the streets to the delight of the many visitors.

Everyone celebrated the next day’s Race of Gentlemen, complete with the flag girl and her acrobatic jumps, all a part of the 1950’s charm of Wildwood.

On the following pages you can admire Johannes Huwes stunning photos from a wild weekend in Wildwood. At americantrailsmag.com you can see more and get info about the event.