Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/693447
13 JULY 2016 www.thunderpress.net THUNDER PRESS topic and kept the crowd chuckling with amusement. Having been the fi rst to ride the timed run from Tijuana to La Paz in under 40 hours, Ekins is a true pioneer. He won a gold medal in 1964 in the ISDT off-road race and he shared some of his misadventures from the days of riding a Honda CL72 Scrambler. Pridmore is known for winning the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship back in 1976, again in 1977, and followed by a third consecu- tive win in 1978. Folks wandered the grounds with fi sts full of free ice cream cones and discussed machines in between perfor- mances by musicians Delaney Ann and Vent. A booth was set up to entertain the wee ones and the relaxed, sub- dued atmosphere gave no indication whatsoever that 50 judges were busily inspecting machinery in an attempt to discern which owners would walk away with the highly coveted Tudor- sponsored awards. From the event's relatively "sleepy" beginnings, as founder Gordon McCall described the 2008 gathering, to what is now known as a high-end motorcycle show that draws folks from across the nation and includes entrants from museums, pri- vate collections and racing legends as well as premium vendors, it's become a bit of a who's who affair. Clifford Vaughs, the man recently credited with designing the bikes for the cult classic, Easy Riders, sat visiting with friends and members of the press as Keanu Reeves meandered among the motorcycles. Reeves seemed less than thrilled to be recognized, but patiently posed with enthusiastic fans anyway. A colorful guy in a pith helmet and a lady decked out in vintage garb rounded out the list of people worth watching while a variety of pets made their way along the lawns, but none as eye-opening as Charger, a Siberian husky, who arrived aboard the tank of a Zero motorcycle with her human at the helm. By midafternoon Somer Hooker, head judge, took the stage and shared that a motorcycle show is a lot like making music. He explained the com- parison by saying that it's the entrants that make the show rock, but it takes the judges to make it roll. Somer followed that with the statement that having to judge the Best of Show in particular is, "A great way to make a whole lot of enemies—but just one friend." If that be the case, Somer and Robb Talbot must be best friends by now as it was retired winemaker Talbott who won the top honor with his restored 1925 BMW race bike. The sexy little R37 also took the top award for the BMW Classics category. It was collector Talbott's soon-to-be-opened Carmel Valley motorcycle museum that riders on the Quail Ride stopped by at for a sneak peek during their ride on Friday. Talbott gushed about the excitement of opening the museum to the public soon and now getting to add the awards to the exhibit. He thanked McCall for the great gifts, especially the Tudor watch since he said he really needed a timepiece. But, as exciting as the bike awards were, it was the Lifetime Achievement award that brought the gathering to something much louder than a golf clap. The AMA was to present the Dudley Perkins Lifetime Achievement award to a deserving recipient and it was with that presentation that the crowd went wild. By the time entre- preneur and motorcycle designer Craig Vetter left the stage, folks were dabbing at their tear ducts. Vetter hit a deer last fall while riding, though, according to Craig's account, it was the deer that hit him. Either way, the impact left him hospitalized in a coma and his family praying at his bedside. The world of motorcycling took to manning the social media pages as his wife made regular posts about the See "Quail," page 38, column 4 Mark Leonard beams after winning First Place in the Antique category with his exquisite 1931 Moto Guzzi as the gallery from the Quail Lodge clubhouse cheers from above Somer Hooker and Paul d'Orleans look on as Rob Talbott shows off his Best of Show winning BMW The display of pre-1916s included some pristine examples of the old teenagers, and we found ourselves wondering how much it cost to return the lawns to original condition after man and machines moved on since bikes like these were total oil loss systems, meaning they leak a lot of oil. This example, however, looked like it hadn't seen a road in years. "Riders embraced their inner speed demon and took a lap on the nearby Laguna Seca racetrack before zipping their way through some beautiful scenery along narrow country roads."