A few years ago, Roland and his team decided to take all of the things they loved; Art, Family, Motorcycles, Friends, Music, Surfing, Food, Racing, and combine them into a circus/party atmosphere. RSD's Superhooligan series and The Moto Classic events took shape and completely changed the landscape setting the new standard for what experiential Moto festival events have become. Roland has a firm grasp of what makes the motorcycle industry move forward and consistently redefines and acclimatizes motorcycle culture.
New riders are typically introduced to motorcycling one of a few ways. Commonly it's through a family member. Most likely, your dad, who till this day remains the most proficient motorcyclist you've ever seen, or maybe your eccentric mom escaped the entrapping societal box by way of two wheels. Perhaps it was your cool cousin, aunt, or uncle who likes to get bitcehn at the local MX track, random dirt lots, or back roads. Or maybe you had to seek it out, inspired by something you saw. A conversation you overheard. Or Something you can't quite put a finger on. Whatever it was planted the seed in your poetic daydreams eventually manifesting into accepting you were ready to to make your own decisions and bear the results. To literally straddled explosions and hurdle yourself at speed through the firmament. And like most of us, once you've felt the realization you never have to experience the world in the way you were told sets in, there's no turning back.
But it’s not just riding, it’s not just freedom, it’s the memories, experiences, and friendships that ride with you. Motorcycling movements manifest themselves through collectives, passions and communities. Marketing what you feel is the greatest thing since sliced bread is a unique challenge. MotoRanch was a practical exercise in what Roland and his team think experiential marketing should and will feel like in the near future. Currently, a lot of experiential motorcycle marketing feels like a culinary expo where you are only allowed to look at and smell the food. Motorcycling, much like food, requires all of the senses to be fully engaged. Like any good alchemist, when Roland is struck with a good idea, he usually tries it out on his friends first. Luckily he's pals with industry titans, racing royalty, doers, makers, filmers, builders, photographers, artists, and most importantly, Motorcyclists… the ones who get it, love it and want to help others understand WHY...So that's what he did. He gathered Motorcyclists from all different backgrounds and disciplines, invited the RSD sponsors, partners, corporate family and OEM's he knew would see value in participating and pushing the culture forward.
The RSD team took all of their experience they've gained from several large-scale consumer-facing activations and distilled them down into an intimate invite-only two-day tastemakers experience held in the heart of Southern California's Wine Country. The Moto Ranch Invitational had all the elements which have become the pillars of RSD's Moto Classic events, but in this instance was more of a come and do and less come and see. The primary intent was to provide a platform for exclusive brands, personalities, select media, and creators to come together and celebrate Moto culture.
The Doffo winery in Temecula, CA, was chosen as the epicenter of the Moto Ranch invitational. Marcello Doffo and his three children Damian, Samantha, and Brigitte, all run the winery and are HUGE motorsports enthusiasts. Their facility is the amalgamation of their passion for wine and go-fast machines and an immaculate reflection of that love. The Doffo Barrel room holds many of their many rare and historical motorcycles and memorabilia, with several other bikes sprinkled throughout the grounds and vineyard. The barrel room's vibe made it the natural meeting spot and hub where guests were able to utilize the meticulously kept and manicured vineyards as the back drop for commercial shoots and videography. Electric bike company Super73 built a quarter mile time trails course that zig-zagged through the vineyard, allowing guests to try and put down their quickest times and vying for a chance at a cash prize towards the Super73 model of their choice.
Indian, BMW, Triumph, Royal Enfield, and Ducati also used Doffo as the staging and starting point for autonomous demos through gorgeous Temecula valley on all their newest models. Triumph even used the opportunity to debut their latest model, the Trident. BMW brought several of their newly introduced R 18's for guests to try out. Indian had their entire MY20 lineup represented, including the Challenger, which was just crowned Motoamerica's King of the Baggers and essentially Prince of the Baggers as well. Ducati had their firey V4 Streetfighter leading their 2020 demos, as well as the very rare and very pricey Panigale V4 Superleggera on display in the elegant Doffo barrel room. Royal Enfield brought several of their GT & Himalayan models to demo as well as a bunch of customs, including their purpose built INT 650 Flat Track racer and the beautifully made Christian Sosa Continental GT. The FT & Sossa builds were displayed alongside other customs from world-renowned builders such as Earle Motors , Alan Stulberg (Revival Cycles), Analog Motorcyles, Jimmy Burnouts, Damian Doffo and even a few heritage builds from Roland Sands all prominently displayed in a concourse smack dab in the middle of the vineyard. A space usually reserved for wedding processions was transformed into the Luiseño art and bike show with artwork curated by Super73 featuring the works of Ewa Moss, Ryan Quickfall, Lucian Lee, Chris Nelson, SGT, and Andrea Bogdan, just to name a few.
Racing is a massive piece of the Moto Classic events and was a key component at the Moto Ranch invitational. Ever the innovator Roland decided to test a new format of Hooligan racing; instead of having an all-out bar to bar brawl to the checkers, Roland invited a handful of the quickest and steeziest riders in the Superhooligan series for a bracket-style matchup dubbed Superhooligan Speed & Style. In this format, it wasn't just the rider with all-out speed who would be crowned victor. It also had to be the rider who looked the most stylish doing it. The class was stacked with SHNC habitués such as Josh Sleigh, Andy DiBrino, AJ Kirkpatrick, Jeremy Toye, and Jordan Graham but also included Hooligan newcomers Johnny Lewis and Melissa Perris. In the end, Roland and a panel of judges awarded AFT pro and first-time Hooligan Johnny Lewis as the Speediest and Stylist rider of the day. As mentioned before, the point of the Moto Ranch Invitational was not just to come and watch but to actually get out there and do. So for the folks that had ever thought to themselves, "Hey man, I know how to ride a motorcycle, I even know how to turn left, I should give this Hooligan sh!t a try," the Moto Ranch invitational allowed those adventurous souls the opportunity to test that theory with the "You're A Hooligan Too" flat track school presented by American Supercamp. With coached drills and one on one tutorials, guests who had never had dirt experience before were backing'er in and cutting skids with the best of them by the end of the day.
Once the sun would start to set, the 805's and the vino would begin to flow, paired with fantastic food from the Doffo menu. Just before the live music of Boots Electric, Badd Wolf, Wargirl, and Movie Club kicked off, guests were treated to a spectacular display of Motorcycle aptitude by the king of two-wheeled entertainment Aaron Colton.
The Moto Ranch Invitational sought to bring together the truthers of contemporary motorcycle culture. Almost everyone there has transomed their passion for two wheels into a career of some sort, whether it's through racing, building, storytelling, or creating, motorcycles are the tie that binds. Motorcycling helps you hold on to or, in some cases, conceptualize the idea of you. However you find it, or in some cases it finds you, it's difficult not to evangelize yourself and immediately want to share this rad experience and seek out like-minded people who understand full well how it feels. The Moto Ranch Invitational set to create an idyllic “motorcyclist” getaway. The experiences we offered are out there waiting for you on the open road; they just made the journey shorter and perhaps the experiences a bit more vivid.
A huge shoutout goes to everyone that came out, participated, and added to the good times. And an even bigger thank you goes to the companies that came and supported. Indian, Dunlop, Motul, BMW, Super73, Royal Enfield, Triumph, FOX, Ducati, Bell, Lexin, and RokForm.