The Fourth Annual Race of Gentlemen: Waterfront History in the Making

"JGrabowMSt" (jgrabowmst) 10/13/2015 at 11:45 • Filed to: Race of Gentlemen, Wildwood, New Jersey, vintage, racing

16

21

For their fourth year running, third year in Wildwood specifically, the Oilers car club held their annual Race of Gentlemen event. Delayed by a full week due to hurricane Juaquin, the racing was pushed from the 3rd and 4th to the 10th and 11th of October, 2015.

!!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! , I had to hit the road myself extremely early to watch the kickoff of the races. I left my house at about 4:30am for the near 3 hour drive down to nearly the bottom of the state. After basically no traffic, and a gorgeous looking sunrise that I just arrived in time to catch, I had parked and started my trek down Atlantic Avenue, following the sounds and smells of vintage motorcycles, fire breathing four bangers and flathead V8s. The racing, though it didn’t even start yet, managed to lose one participant before the tide even rolled out.

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

The races officially changed forever when the flag dropped for the first time Saturday morning. Four years running, and for the first time ever, women were participating as racers in the event. Though women weren’t part of kicking off the races, there were several women who were preparing to line up and beginning work in the pits to get their cars ready. There were independent racers and famous sponsored entries. Together these women made history because The Race of Gentlemen was no longer Gentlemen alone.

Jessi Combs, one of the fastest women in motorsports, was invited and sponsored by Craftsman tools to race in one of the most unique vehicles to ever line up on the sand. Craftsman stretched a Model T frame and then stuck on not one, but two four bangers. From the hand built cars to the clean restorations that were seeing the sands for the first time in decades, the Model T with twin four bangers is by far among the most unique cars made for the event, and the car was built to be period correct for the early 1900’s.

Jessi wasn’t the only woman racing in the sands though. She was joined by around 6 or 7 other women who came to the sands to prove that all the toys of motorsports were for everyone. Whether the cars or bikes were purpose built or just the weekend toys that were taken out for just another adventure, everyone was there to have fun. Some of the women had strong motorsport ties, others like Vicki Scheller were out to experience the sands for the very first time. Many of the racers were returning from previous years, and they had a pretty good knowledge of how to launch when the flags dropped, while a good many more were out to experience the sands for the very first time. Everyone who was out there had spent both days of the races learning that the sands were a force to be reckoned with.

From the weekend prior, when racers were first arriving in the Wildwoods, they were struggling with Hurricane Juaquin and sands blowing everywhere. Most of the cars were doing well, but a good few were putting up a fight. Some of the racers who went out on the sands to put on a show for early photographers who had no other chance to get shots of racers on the sands had found themselves in quite unfavorable situations. Several racers had found their bikes in need of repair just a week before the races began. Three bikes went onto the sands on October 4, and three bikes ended up getting tucked into the bed of a pickup truck for a trip back to their motels for repairs.

Once the racing began though, most of the cars behaved. Traction problems aside, most were under control. Despite coming from so far with such a unique ride, Jessi Combs’ was kept in good spirit by a positive attitude that could only be matched by Mel Stultz, one of the organizers of the event. Talking to Jessi, she was incredibly honored to be invited to the event, and undoubtably called it the most unique event she has ever attended. The struggles with the twin engined Ford Model T were as bizarre as the steering wheel coming off, to as annoying as moisture affected carburetors, overheating and just tons of trouble getting the car to launch. All problems aside, she arrived to have an incredible time on the sands.

The sands may be tough, but the women are tougher.

The frustration in getting the car to launch however was completely pushed away when Jessi had taken the car for four passes on Saturday, just minutes before the tide began rolling in and putting a halt to the races for day one. That’s when she raced alongside one of the other women on a vintage motorcycle, she had the steering wheel come off on another pass, but overall she made some great passes in the car before the sands had another idea for how the rest of the weekend was going to go. After an early start to the day on Saturday, the twin engined Model T was putting up quite the fight. From the carburetor and battery issues the day before, Sunday left the twin engined T to a Model T with two motors, but only powered by one. The sands were not about to make the races easy for anyone. Jessi may have won events like King of the Hammers or even the Baja, but as she said herself, the sands of the Wildwood beaches were different in every direction, launching well in one area didn’t leave much of a benchmark for anywhere else.

Ed Scheller adjusting the handlebars on Vicki’s bike the weekend before the racing took place

One of the women motorcycle riders, Vicki Scheller had her first ride on the sands before the races were kicked off, as the riders were practicing on the completely unpredictable surface. With her husband and one man pit crew Ed Scheller, they traveled down from Butler, PA to join along with the mischief, mayhem and motorcycles on the beaches. Unfortunately for Vicki, she was unable to participate in the races because she took a nasty spill early Saturday morning, which resulted in a trip to the ER and four staples. Fortunately, Vicki was in good spirits and despite the situation, she spent Sunday walking around the event showing that the women would not be brought down easily. The sands may be tough, but the women are tougher.

Vicki Scheller’s 11:11 bike after an early morning spill on Saturday

Vicki Scheller and Jessi Combs Sunday afternoon

The weekend marked not just an incredible experience, but history in the making for The Race of Gentlemen. With many of the women who participated eager and waiting for next year to come back to the beaches and leave their mark once again. The racing was more than just about winning, the camaraderie and experience were worth more than anything else that anyone could have brought by to race. Visitors and special guests like Jessi Combs, Rick Petko, and even a star from Counting Cars make The Race of Gentlemen an evolving staple of New Jersey car culture, an event that should be considered a requirement for everyone who considers themselves an auto enthusiast on the east coast. The vintage metal, the straight piped bikes and the magic brought by the Oilers into Wildwood is one of the absolute best automotive events in the United States, if not the world.

For more information about the Oilers and The Race of Gentlemen, visit their website !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

More photos available on Flickr, !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! and !!!error: Indecipherable SUB-paragraph formatting!!! .

Flickr album coming soon

camaroboy68ss > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 11:51

0

Is there also a car show in conjunction with the race called customs by the sea? I though I read about it somewhere.

JGrabowMSt > camaroboy68ss 10/13/2015 at 11:56

0

Yes, this year the weather got in the way of it, but its a growing event, every year it gets larger and larger. Many custom cars did come, but I was back and forth Wildwood all weekend, and didnt see a formal gathering of show cars by the convention center where it was last year. A group of maybe 15-20 cars gathered right at the gates on the sand.

Pixel > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 12:06

1

Argh. One of these years I’ll get my shit together in time to make it to this. Probably the same year I finally get mt ‘64 pickup “done”.

JGrabowMSt > Pixel 10/13/2015 at 12:10

1

You’ll need something even older to race, but you could come by and have fun with the Oilers, no doubt about that!

Pixel > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 13:49

0

Yeah I know it wouldn’t be able to race, but it would be interesting to road trip down from RI in it.

JGrabowMSt > Pixel 10/13/2015 at 14:13

0

When you do, definitely let me know!

Popa Horton > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 15:20

0

Vicki was a real trooper, arriving early Tuesday before the hurricane delay, she was there helping out any way she could. So bummed she didn’t get to race, but she was kickin’ the sand on the impromptu barrel races. Her and Ed are great people, I enjoyed spending 12 days with them.

So glad you highlighted “some” of the ladies, though Brittney Olsen doesn’t get a mention? She’s sorta kinda famous. She ripped it up on Matt Walksler’s HD J Model’s built for the Frozen Few.

Jennifer Sheets also was bad to the bone on her Harley, even going up against her husband in his roadster. Lisa English was also part of a husband wife duel in the sun. It was a great time indeed!

Popa Horton > camaroboy68ss 10/13/2015 at 15:29

0

It was held on the beach this year and limited to pre ‘53 customs in keeping with the race parts cut-off. Sonja of Kustomramas couldn’t stay the extra week, about 30 cars participated in the customs by the sea, and rules were relaxed. Next year most likely the CBTS show will be split into to two, pre ‘53 on the beach and others same place as last year up by the balls.

JGrabowMSt > Popa Horton 10/13/2015 at 15:38

0

I highlighted the women I had a chance to talk with at length. I spent a lot of time with Vicki and Jessi and didnt want to do any rushed one line interviews, I wanted to make sure I got one biker and one driver.

I also tried to avoid the textbook interview, I wanted to watch as things happened rather than try to make up for missing the action. The Craftsman photographers would always seem to ask Jessi to repeat a pose, or pose a certain way, I never wanted her to feel like she was being doctored up. I got the shot or I didnt.

Having only so much access put me in a position to make a choice, so since I was able to meet and talk with Vicki and Ed the week before, they were a huge focus for me. Given Jessi’s position in the world of motorsports, I couldnt miss the chance to talk with her and shadow some of what she was doing. If I had a team of people and more access to the event, it certainly would have been different, but alas, I am one man, and I did my best to cover what I felt was the most interesting and important part of the event.

Even thinking forward to next year, Vicki and Ed are on the list of people that will be heard about again.

It was my third year down at the event, my third year covering it, and Ill keep that going. If I had full press access and I didnt have to get up at 4am to drive down Saturday, I would have loved to get more people involved. At least I got pictures of as many of the women as I could get to include here.

Popa Horton > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 16:44

0

yikes, didn’t mean it as a dig. The article is fantastic. Vicki and Ed are great people, I enjoyed my time with them also. Not sure if we met but seems like we must have though I’m bad at names.

JGrabowMSt > Popa Horton 10/13/2015 at 16:51

0

No offense taken, it’s all good, seeing as this is FP stuff, I just want other readers to be aware of the how/why I made the decisions.

I was the photographer running around with the houndstooth pattern camera strap, and I had an absolutely massive backpack with spare equipment.

BKRM3 > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 16:55

0

I ALMOST drove down for this but decided to be responsible and get a bunch of projects done instead. Really going to keep an eye on it and plan farther in advance for next year. It looks WILDLY cool, seems like you had a blast!

JGrabowMSt > BKRM3 10/13/2015 at 16:57

0

Projects are projects for a reason, they’re ongoing. Events like this just can’t be missed. If you head down next year, stay in touch!

Blondude > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 17:30

0

Hell yes

Pickup_man > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 17:37

0

Awesome write up. I would love to make it to this sometime, it sounds like my perfect auto/motorcycle event. Nice write up about the women too, I’m glad to see them getting attention and I’m glad that they were involved in this event. They are some truly amazing people and should be inspirations to everyone involved in motorsports.

jarrett-brown > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 17:59

0

And I just found a new wallpaper.

FlowPhotographyKY > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 20:22

0

I wish the weather had not affected the original planned date. I would have been able to go. Definitely making sure I can attend next year. Love all these vintage events now that I moved to the area.

TheStraightSixKid > JGrabowMSt 10/13/2015 at 22:32

0

Dose any one no why they wont let 60’s cars and bikes (American) race or other american cars and bikes from the same time period for that matter? Don’t Get me wrong i love it, but i would love to bring a 59 Packard with an I8 and a three speed.

JGrabowMSt > TheStraightSixKid 10/13/2015 at 23:15

0

To the best of my understanding, the event is aiming to reenact what a soldier or marine would have done when they returned home from WWII. The entered cars are not strictly Fords, last year there was a Chevy hot rod with a straight 6, this year a vintage Cadillac was racing on the sands.

There are car classes as well as grudge matches, so the bracket happens along with just whoever wants to race whoever. This year a hot rod from Texas was racing, and it was fully restored with a beautiful paint job. If someone entered a Packard in their age limit, I dont see why they wouldnt allow it, but the cars all run on skinny tires because of the sands. American muscle cars would struggle to get to the starting line, much less make a pass anything short of the flight of the bumblebee.

These races are held right at the edge of the water, the little hot rods are light and dont get up to threatening speeds like cars from the 60s would in comparison.

BKRM3 > JGrabowMSt 10/14/2015 at 11:43

0

Hahaha yeah, this ended up being a full day of wrenching on my truck. Had to do it while I had the time and good weather. I see a lot of race cars these days (I’m into club racing), but old gassers and street rods like at TROG. Going to make it my business to get down there next year, will try to find you! I have a ‘31 model A 5-window coupe that I’d love to bring down (has a chevy 400 small block in it) if I really planned the logistics in advance. I’m following the TROG instagram now and the content is just great. So much character.

JGrabowMSt > BKRM3 10/14/2015 at 12:07

1

Find yourself an old drivetrain to swap in for the races! We could make an Oppo team and make vintage coveralls for it!