On March 10th, 2007 something magical happened that can only be appreciated by those fortunate enough to own or have owned a piece of Honda history. On this beautiful sunny day in Glamis, CA the largest group of ATC 70s converged for a weekend of fun, food, friends, and ATC 70 debauchery. This was the weekend of the 3rd Annual Tres Regatta, and if you’ve never owned one of these little three-wheelers, then you’re truly missing out.

The annual Tres Regatta is the largest gathering of ATC 70s anywhere in the world, with over forty 70s in attendance. Ranging from mid-1970 models up to 1985 models, this event is a three wheeler wonderland. This year’s Tres Regatta was held at the Glamis Dunes Compound behind the Glamis Beach Store, a gated camping area with plenty of room for parking and letting loose on your 70cc-powered trike. All of the events took place within the compound and made it very nice for camping and getting your 3-wheeler to the event. I was able to attend this year’s Tres Regatta and, although I was not able to bring my personal ATC 70 this year due to some engine malfunctions the night prior to leaving, I was able to hop aboard some of the custom built 70s at the event.

I wanted to do something a little different for this article. Instead of me rambling on about how insanely awesome this event was, I thought I’d let the man who created this event and spawned a whole resurgence of ATC 70 loyalists, tell the story from his perspective. So I contacted Rob (AKA “TRES”) and asked if he would be interested in writing a little piece about his event and what he thought of it. Without a moment of hesitation Rob snapped back at me with a “hell yeah” and the next morning, I had the following story in my inbox. Thanks for your perspective, Rob, and look forward to getting out again next year. Hopefully I’ll have ol’ red up and running so I can show these guys what racing is all about.

ROBERT LUDWIG
You might have heard it—a low rumble that slowly grew into a mind-numbing roar. The date was March 10th, 2007 and if you were lucky enough to be out among our beloved Glamis dunes, it most certainly would have caught your attention. No, we are not talking about a practice run of the Blue Angels. This was the 2007 Tres Regatta, a gathering of stock, modified, and super-modified ATC 70s. Ok, so the engines may not rival the twin turbines of an F/A 18 Hornet, but to the collectors, enthusiasts, and just plain ATC 70 nuts, the sound is just as sweet.

This would mark the 3rd annual gathering of these historic trikes. The morning started off with a buy and sell lead by Tom Westling, Mr. Dune to all of the GlamisDunes.com faithful. Then came the slalom races. If you’ve never attended a 70 regatta, this event is pretty hard to describe. Picture a group of grown… um …. adults trying they’re hardest to get the best time they can around a twisty motocross-type course (complete with a stadium jump in the middle!) all while riding the timeless Honda ATC 70.

The competition was fierce. Taking the trophy in the stock division was Josh Brewer, who narrowly beat out Joey (Joe Myrick) and Mikey (Mike Powers of EPO fame). Next up, the modifieds took to the track. Travis Drew, owner of ATC70.com, won this event with a beautiful albeit pink 70 modified to an 88cc. The bike was screaming fast and, if memory serves me correctly, the time he turned in was faster than the super-modifieds! Last in the slalom division came the super-modified class. These fire-breathing, nitrous-spraying, twin-turboed (ok, so I’m stretching it a bit) trikes, put on a great show. The winner here was Joey on a converted 70 with a CR80 power plant.

Then to the Drag races. There are only two trophy events in the drag event: modified and super-modified. The modified drag race was won by Travis, again on his Pink Screaming 70. Super-modified was won by Joey, barely edging out the competition and costing Joey a new motor in the end.

The Show and Shine event did not disappoint either. The judges were hard-pressed to pick a winner among the pristine entries. I would name the judges, but they have already received death threats and have been forced to go into hiding in South America. Winners of the Show and Shine were: Best Restore - “TRX450Always” Sam Rogers; Most Original - Ron Baker, owner of PEP Shocks; and … Best Of Show went to … “Stonehenge” Bill Tranzow, a well-deserved win for one of the Godfathers of the 70 movement in Glamis. Congratulations to all the winners.

We had some great sponsors this year! Slappy at GlamisDunes.com, Gilmore’s Off-Road, DrATV, Sand Addiction Magazine, GlamisWarrior.com, and Accu-Dry Restoration. A huge “THANK YOU” to those folks as well as all of the hard-working volunteers who made the event possible.

To those who have an ATC 70 sitting in the corner of a garage, barn, storage shed, or – God forbid – the backyard, you may just want to drag that little icon of history out and start showing it some love. You may even want to come out and be a part of the 4th Annual Tres Regatta! Information on that event, as well as tips and ideas on restoring that three-wheeled mini-cruiser, can be found at www.GlamisDunes.com in the ATC70 Forum.

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