San Juan Bautista
– San Diego-based promoter Full Throttle Events has dropped its
plans to hold a motorcycle rally in the Mission City to complement
Hollister’s larger event.
By Anthony Ha
Staff Writer
San Juan Bautista – San Diego-based promoter Full Throttle Events has dropped its plans to hold a motorcycle rally in the Mission City to complement Hollister’s larger event.
“It wasn’t going to be economically feasible,” Full Throttle President Harry Schwartz said.
Full Throttle’s scrapped plans included vendors, music, entertainment and food. According to Schwartz, the company decided against organizing the rally after learning that public safety costs would total nearly $50,000.
“It would have taken 75 percent of our revenue to cover law enforcement,” he said.
However, Schwartz emphasized that law enforcement isn’t the only issue, just “the last piece of the puzzle.” To meet overall costs, he said, Full Throttle would need to sign up many more vendors and sponsors than possible for the event’s first year.
“We are disappointed,” Schwartz said. “We thought it could be a unique addition to the Hollister rally and grow the event in general.”
This year, Hollister’s motorcycle rally is scheduled to last from July 6 to 8. The event has its roots in the Hollister motorcycle invasion of the late 1940s and normally draws more than 100,000 bikers to town. Hollister’s City Council voted to cancel the rally in 2006 because of uncertain finances and increasing public safety costs.
The rally’s new organizer, Seth Doulton of Horse Power Promotions, said he hopes eventually to turn the rally into a regional event. Full Throttle’s departure is a blow to those long-term plans.
“(Full Throttle) is like the best there is,” Doulton said. And organized rally or not, Doulton believes bikers will be riding through San Juan Bautista.
“They make that stop anyways,” he said.
The San Juan Bautista City Council voted to support Full Throttle’s plans earlier this year, and Schwartz said city leaders have been cooperative and receptive throughout the process.
McClintock said the city hasn’t heard from any other promoters. When asked if the rally could still happen, McClintock said, “Not unless someone comes to us real quickly with an event.”
Anthony Ha covers local government for the Free Lance. Reach him at 831-637-5566 ext. 330 or [email protected].
