Traditional builds running the 1/10 Mile Sprint at Oarai Sun Beach Ibaraki, Japan.
Oarai Sun Beach has become a cornerstone event that brings together Japan’s tight-knit community of motorcycle and hot rod enthusiasts to celebrate engineering, style, subculture and above all, speed.
Before purpose-built tracks, beaches were the original proving grounds for speed. Early speed trials date back to 1902 at Ormond Beach, just north of Daytona Beach—hallowed ground in the history of automobile racing and widely regarded as the birthplace of organised sand racing. The long stretches of hard-packed sand and flat coastline made it a go-to location for land speed record attempts long before Bonneville took the reins.
That same spirit crossed the Pacific, where Japan’s own community of builders and riders drew inspiration from those early pioneers. Events like Sun Beach Sand Flats in Oarai and the Chirihama Sandflats on the Noto Peninsula carry that legacy forward—not as a mere imitation, but as a distinctly Japanese take on the same DIY ethos that has endured for over a century.
Bean Bandits
The Bean Bandits were founded in late 1940s San Diego, building and racing stripped-down Fords on dry lake beds and early drag strips. Known for their gritty, no-nonsense style they helped shape post-war hot rod culture. Decades on the club is synonymous with hot rodding, a true icon of the sport and culture.
Valley Auto
Takuro Yoneuchi of Valley Auto took 1st Place in the #30 four-door sedan, part of the legendary Bean Bandits out of San Diego. Last month Takuro and his team opened the new Pork Chop Garage Supply and Piggies Cafe in Yokohama.
Semba Motors
Shiego placed 2nd overall and competed against First Arrows designer Kazuya Ito and his HD 1948WR built by Semba Motors, an Osaka based Harley Davidson specialist store since 1947. The WR was specifically designed for AMA Class C racing (flat track, TT, dirt oval) in the post-war era hence the ‘R’ code designating it as a race model.
Tokyo Indians
The Tokyo Indians team featuring Nau Shima (TIMC founder / former designer at Neighborhood), Masaki Egawa (Trophy Clothing), and Shiego Doi (Valley Auto) all competed on their killer pre-war Sport Scouts.
✴︎
“Racing is life.
Anything before or after is just waiting.”
— Steve McQueen (Le Mans, 1971)
