Capturing the Race of Gentlemen: A Photographer's Dream

Post & Images by Jack McIntyre

The Race of Gentlemen (TROG) is a unique and visually striking event that holds great appeal to photographers. It’s an annual race, typically held on the beaches of Wildwood, New Jersey, featuring pre- and post-World War II era cars and motorcycles, all styled to evoke the look and feel of the early 20th century. For photographers, the event offers a wide array of compelling subjects to capture, including:

Vintage Cars and Motorcycles: The vehicles are meticulously restored and customized to resemble or replicate classic hot rods and motorcycles from the 1930s-50s. The intricate details, aged textures, and craftsmanship of the cars make for fantastic close-up shots.
Beach Setting: The races take place on sand, adding a nostalgic, almost cinematic quality to the event. The beach, with its open skies, crashing waves, and the texture of the sand flying up as the vehicles speed by, creates dynamic scenes for action shots.
Authentic Costumes and Style: Participants and spectators dress in period-accurate clothing, adding a layer of vintage aesthetic to the experience. Photographers can capture people in classic racing uniforms, leather jackets, aviator goggles, and other period apparel, adding to the authenticity of the event.
Action and Speed: Since it’s a racing event, there are plenty of opportunities to capture vehicles in motion—whether it’s the cars and motorcycles tearing down the sandy track or the energy of the crowd. Shots of sand flying behind wheels, the roaring engines, and the physical tension between competitors are all prime material for dynamic action photography.
Rustic, Gritty Atmosphere: The Race of Gentlemen has a raw, stripped-down aesthetic—focused on simplicity, machinery, and the culture of old-school racing. Photographers can capture moments of mechanical preparation, oil-stained hands, and intimate behind-the-scenes shots of the participants tuning their engines.
Golden Light and Shadows: Given the open setting on the beach, photographers have the opportunity to play with natural lighting during sunrise or sunset. The way light interacts with the vintage machines and the ocean backdrop can create dramatic and artistic compositions.

For a photographer, The Race of Gentlemen offers a nostalgic and high-energy environment full of texture, action, and history—making it a dream for capturing timeless and powerful images.

TROG’s Mel Stutz at the Race of Gentlemen. Wildwood, NJ, USA. The man himself, he runs a tight ship.

***Mel Stutz watching his racers, and the rest of all that is going on. Honestly, I don’t know how he does it all… Jack McIntyre Photo***

Let me set the scene, Friday afternoon at the swap meet, Friday evening at the Lazy Bass Bar & Grill for the TROG Chopper Show, then onto a very early Saturday morning on the Wildwood, NJ Beach. There are a lot of images to this gallery. I tried to remove many, and believe me, I did, but this gallery is down to my favorites & unfortunately there are many…

So, with that said, he’s a few from the early morning beach scene, then I’ll get back to Friday’s swap meet which was incredible, and to the evening Chopper Show at the Lazy Bass.

The beginning of a stellar day…

As you can see above, and please open the images for a glance, it’s a spectacular place to shoot & the weather was with us this year! Now, on to the Friday afternoon swap meet. This is where the drivers gathered for the drivers meeting, press passes were issued, and so really cool stuff was on display.

What a gathering of vehicles of all types, and especially the people. Super friendly event, everyone was just happy to be there and it showed. As I stood & listened, especially on the beach Saturday morning, so many different languages could be heard from France to Japan, Germany, Spain, Mexico, Russia, Vietnam, and many more.

From here I left for the Lazy Bass as they prepared for The Night of the Troglodytes, the TROG Chopper Show.

Let’s get to the races Saturday morning. Even though we all arrived to the beach extremely early, the tide wasn’t on our side. We had to wait for it to go out, so the races really didn’t get started until about 10:30 am or so, and through the day, the track became wider. I had some afternoon commitments, so below you will see what I captured from 6:00 am until 1:00 pm.

First, the gals that start off these races. If I were them… I’d watch my feet, you’ll see why.

From here on out it’s vehicles, motorcycles, and the races (and a few more flag girls…). Thanks for sticking with me this far, I hope you are enjoying the pictures.

**THIS POST IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE MOTORCYCLE SAFETY LAWYERS.**

A lot of time went into this post and the capturing of the images. I hope that you all enjoyed them & if this terrific race returns to Wildwood, NJ in 2025, please consider the trip. It’s WELL worth the time.

Thanks.

Jack