Backroad BBQ Run IV

By: Lincoln InfIeld

The north Carolina Chopper scene is strong and

there is some good partying to be done. The Backroad BBQ Run IV in Trenton, NC was the site of the latest debauchery, and it was everything you want a motorcycle event to be. The forecast for the 200 mile ride down on Friday, May 7 wasn’t great, but Maggie and I had missed this event last year and damn sure weren’t going to miss it this year. The highway is for suckers, so we kept to the 2 lane roads as much as possible. It seemed we stayed right outta the hard rain, just catching some cloud sweat on occasion and running down some wet pavement.

By the time we rolled into the Trent River Campground we were ready to shed the leather and to start getting down. There was already a good crowd hanging out around the check in booth and setting up camp in the wooded area of the campground. Event organizers Luke and Ronni had their hands full checking everyone in, selling raffle tickets for all the stellar raffle items and hanging out with their friends, some of which rode for days to get to the party. The check in area was a great place to hang out and watch some of the action. The raffle table was hard to pass by. There were tons of awesome prizes waiting to be given out including two custom front ends, handle bars, custom painted helmets, shirts, hats, stickers, art, and all kinds of other treasures. The check in area was also home to the biggest Yeti cooler I have ever seen, and it was stacked full of 1000 FREE ice cold PBR’s. Needless to say, the lid of the cooler didn’t stay closed for long. It was a throng of chopper jockeys hanging out and right in front of the check in area there was a deep spot of good old southeast NC sand that made passing the booth exciting. To some it was a more of a challenge to see who could get through there the fastest and stay upright. Most made it through without incident and it made for a good time watching, laughing and a bit of shit talking between shot gunning PBR’s and catching up with new and old friends. This was an event where most everyone was familiar with each other by their Instagram handle, and you had to learn their real name. It wasn’t long before I saw Jerry Spencer of the Law Tigers roll in. Jerry is a hell of a good guy and when we first met at the OBX bike rally we found we were interested in the same biker type stuff, like the Backroad BBQ Run.

Once we got checked in and scored shirts, raffle tickets and snagged some PBR’s it was time to get set up! Good thing Zach Shipwash of The Rebel Spirit had already scouted us out a place to set up camp. We got the bike unpacked and the tent up in time to duck in there and wait out a quick rain. After our shower, we wandered back up to the check in area where the food truck was cause we were hongry! The poor food truck folks underestimated the size of the crowd and sold out of food in less than an hour. Good thing there was a grocery store right up the way and friends heading up that way! Between our #wrongcrowd friends Justin and Randal we had reinforcements on the way. Before dusk Kristin Shipwash rolled in to the campground with the Rebel Spirit van cooked us all dinner. Friday night was just a pre-party rager, more and more riders rolled in, the music went on with anticipation of the

Saturdays ride and the chopper king competition.

Saturday morning was absolutely beautiful, there is nothing like waking up in the woods with your motorcycle and your friends nearby. I mean, the weather was fine, but there was fresh coffee at the morning food truck and Kristin cooked us cinnamon buns and bacon and that makes for a great morning. We had enough time to shake off the last night’s party and make a few jokes before it was time for the afternoon ride. Seventy some choppers rolled out to ride the backroads of Maysville and Trenton in a loop that lead them back to the campground. The wooded area of the campground was packed with campsites and vendors, so we gave it a walk through and snagged some cool stuff and visited with other friends’ campsites waiting on the ride to get back. The afternoon brought the motorcycle / lifestyle competition to crown the Chopper King. The competition started with 20 or so challengers proving their worth through motorcycle skills, the slow race, board ride, and cone weave. The roped off course was lined with folks cheering on the competitors. Honestly, these guys did a hell of a job on bikes that aren’t easily handled, putting most of the guys to shame that play these games on stock bikes at other events. When the score was settled, there was a tie that could only be settled by chugging a cold Busch Light. The first to slam the beer and throw it down would move on to arm wrestle his way to victory.

I’m telling you, it was the best competition I have ever witnessed.

The Chopper King was crowned, leaving the BBQ feast and the raffle as the remaining features of the event. It had been a long hot day and snagging a plate of chopped BBQ, with a slab of chicken, slaw and beans was awesome. We chowed down at the #wrongcrowd compound, and regrouped for the raffle prizes. Man, it took Luke and Ronnie a solid hour to give away all the cool stuff they had for raffle prizes. Unfortunately, we didn’t win anything, but snagged a few cool stickers and went back to the camp. We lit a bonfire and talked shit till we were all ready to drop.

The Backroad BBQ Run was without a doubt one of the best events I have been to in a while. We met a lot of cool folks and had a blast all weekend long. I’m looking forward to next year’s event. I know that Luke and Ronni worked their asses off and it really paid off. Big nod to them, for sure. $1000 from the event was donated to BSA Troop 35 in memory of their friend Papa Joe, a true legend. Another $1000 was donated to the Swansboro Marine Corp League Detachment 1407. How cool is that? Check out our website fullthrottlemagazine. com to check out a ton of photos from the event.