More than just a bike show, The Quail Motorcycle Gathering is something special. An ever-changing lineup of bikes in a beautiful setting on the greens of the Quail Lodge & Golf Club in Carmel, California, The Quail is the highlight of many a motorcyclists’ event calendar. This year the event takes place on Saturday, May 6.
One day earlier, on Friday, May 5, things kick off with The Quail Ride, a 100-mile jaunt from the Quail Lodge through the gorgeous scenic back roads of the Monterey Peninsula. It includes laps around WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, followed by lunch mid-day, and ends with an included evening dinner.
The ride is open to antique, vintage and modern motorcycles, and is limited to just 100 participants. Applications to participate can be found on the event website at Peninsula Signature Events.
Saturday is the big day, as the event opens at 10 a.m. More than 300 bikes are expected to be on the lawn competing in 11 regular classes including American, British, Italian, Japanese and more, plus the three featured classes this year: Italian and Single, 1970s Vintage Muscle, and Bring on the Baggers.
Another big highlight this year will be the participation of Flat Track legend Bubba Shobert, as he will be honored as the events’ 2023 Legend of the Sport. Shobert is a three-time AMA Grand National Flat Track champion (1985-1987). He earned 20 dirt track wins during that three-year period, and also his first AMA Superbike victory in 1987 at Laguna Seca Raceway. Continued success on the road courses led to him winning the 1988 AMA Superbike Championship. According to the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame, to which Shobert was inducted in 1998, “Shobert was considered the most versatile rider in AMA racing during the late 1980s. He won in all forms of Grand National competition: mile, half-mile, TT steeplechase, short track and road racing.”
During The Quail, attendees will get to enjoy an onstage chat with Shobert, which surely will lead to some interesting stories about his many successes in motorcycle racing.
I hope this is a classic motorcycle event that all of our readers get a chance to attend someday. It’s one not to miss!
Cheers,
Landon Hall
Originally published as “Head to The Quail” in the May/June 2023 issue of Motorcycle Classics magazine.