Winning Sitting Still.

Good Times at The Quail MotoFest 2025

While it wasn't originally on our calendar of events for a jam-packed 2025, a last-minute invite back in May turned into something special and a highlight for our year. Who knew we could win a trophy without ever having to swap a tire?!

A unique opportunity to get dressed up, show off our hard work, and admire some beautiful machines on the lawn of the Quail Golf Course in Carmel, CA. Photo: Tucker Swanson

The Quail MotoFest is a now bi-annual event to showcase both historic and modern motorcycles on the lawn of the Quail golf course in Carmel, California (where Wayne Rainey lives). The event is invite only for the bikes on display, but open to public with a ticket purchase and a really great event for enthusiasts. It's essentially the Pebble-beach event for Motorcycles. The venue is beautiful, the food and drinks are great, and the little town of Carmel is gem to walk through and check out the shops.

Being used to early mornings for racing, we rolled up to the venue before most other bike builders or vendors showed up. We snagged a great spot on the lawn in the "Competition Road Race" section and not too far from a display of beautiful Ducati superbikes and the Yoshimura road race bikes. The typical morning mist of the Monterey Bay made the morning damp, but by mid-morning, the mist had lifted, and we were set for an epic day.

While I wish I could say I spent the day admiring all the amazing motorcycles on display, I actually ended up stuck near the Lightfighter all day answering questions and talking to those interested in the bike and our story. It was invigorating to hear an outside perspective on what we've built and meet so many that were enthusiastic about our program.

We were judged for an award in the Competition Road Racing category and while we weren't optimistic at our chances given the amazing machines in the traditional judging categories, we were surprised to find an award tag hanging on the bike when we returned from lunch. The "Why We Ride" Award was being presented by the film maker as a sort of People's choice award. There was a 10-12 year old boy that was so enamored with the Lightfighter that he convinced them that our bike deserved the award. It helped that Tucker showed him how the bike keyed on and let him "rev it up" on the lawn. It was clearly an eye-opening experience for the kid and I could hear him anxious to tell his Dad about the experience as he ran off... "Dad! Dad! They let me..."

It was an unplanned event for us, but I'm so glad we found the time to attend. We met a lot of great people that showed a real interest in what Lightfighter is all about and were able to appreciate the bike not as a counter to all the other amazing vehicles on display, but instead as a part of the story of motorcycling. The news came recently that they'll be switching this to a bi-annual event, but I'm hopeful we get the chance to participate again in 2027. By then, we'll see if V4 is able to match its predecessor in static display trophies... ;)

-Brian.