‘Cafe Racing’ Bikers Roar Off Before Dragnet

The California Highway Patrol’s attempt Saturday to crack down on a group of motorcyclists who allegedly race illegally along Ortega Highway apparently was spoiled because the bikers were aware of the officers’ “secret” plan.

Except for a few stray bikers, the narrow, winding highway--normally abuzz with the thunderous sounds of up to 300 motorcycles on both sides of the Orange-Riverside county line every Saturday and Sunday, residents and police say--was quiet and clear.

For residents along the 10-mile corridor between the Lookout Roadhouse and Restaurant in Riverside County to the Ortega Oaks Campground and Candy Store in Orange County, the silence was long overdue.

“The noise from the bikes is horrendous,” said El Cariso Village resident Annie Shurtz, who says the racket has awakened her each weekend for the past five years. In addition to the noise, Shurtz, a member of the village’s volunteer Fire Department, says she has seen first-hand the destruction the racing can cause.

“Every week or so we have an accident out here,” she said. “Fatalities are a way of life on this road.”

The motorcyclists who frequent the stretch in the predawn hours each weekend participate in a sport called “cafe racing,” which originated in Europe, where bikers raced between the numerous cafes.

On Saturday, a special patrol team, made up of seven CHP officers from San Juan Capistrano and Rancho California, assembled at 5 a.m. to catch the cafe racers in action. Instead, they found the narrow, winding highway nearly barren.

One of the few bikers there, Robert Lansens, wished he had stayed home Saturday.

Riding one of the high-tech “cafe racers” bearing the license plate “WHY LOSE,” Lansens, 25, of Mission Viejo was pulled over and cited for an expired license plate, no proof of insurance and for not notifying the Department of Motor Vehicles that he had purchased the bike.

“Everybody knows it’s dangerous to race,” said Lansens, decked out in a full leather body suit, padded gloves and helmet. He conceded that more than 100 bikers gather on the highway on weekends to “ride the curves.”

Another ticketed biker, John D. Hilton Jr. of Dana Point, seemed to sum up the feelings of the other motorcyclists Saturday. “We might as well just go home now. You guys have spoiled the fun,” he said as he received a citation for riding without license plates and turn signals and for failing to produce proof of insurance.