This past weekend, BRP Can-Am Spyder roadster owners from all over North America rode to Los Angeles for the Ryde to the Red Carpet event. This year’s annual owner’s event – the second for Spyder – was in celebration of the Spyder roadster role in this summer’s blockbuster hit, Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen. Hollywood didn’t know what hit them, as 220 Spyder roadsters and 410 Spyder owners were parading around the Los Angeles and Hollywood streets for three straight days.
Most of the owners stayed at the host hotel, the Sheraton Universal. There was a buzz throughout the entire hotel as hundreds of Spyder owners were proud to spread the Spyder word. Roadsters even took over the parking garage as the whole first floor of the garage was for Spyder parking only! There were countless photos, stories and handshakes exchanged among the owners and their passengers.
The festivities started on Friday night, as more than 100 owners/riders on nearly 70 Spyder roadsters went to Bob’s Big Boy in Burbank for their famous car night. It was quite the sight as the Spyder Ryders expanded and took an entire section of the parking lot. Even Jay Leno made an appearance – not on his Spyder #001, but with a few friends in one of his many classic cars.
After a couple of hours at Bob’s Big Boy, a big group of owners rode to downtown Burbank – another hot spot for great food and good times. About half of the owners that were at Bob’s Big Boy wanted to head home to get an early start to Saturday’s events. But there were a number that stayed out to experience the sights and sounds of Burbank, Los Angeles and the other great surrounding towns.
Day two started early with owners heading to the festivities around 7:15 a.m. They were welcomed by the Universal CityWalk parking crew with VIP spaces, right next to the action! With the 200 plus Spyder roadsters parked together, it was an impressive sight.
Once owners were done promoting their custom paint jobs, aftermarkets parts and talking all things Spyder, they were treated to a hearty buffet breakfast at the famous Hard Rock Café.
After breakfast, BRP held a welcome presentation for all attendees outside of the AMC cinema. Vice President of Can-Am, Yves Leduc, and Director of Marketing Marc Lacroix acted as Masters of Ceremony and announced the winners of the esteemed BRP Spyder Awards.
Later many applause and "Go Spyder" chants, it was time to walk the red carpet for a photo op, grab some complimentary refreshments and cheer on their Spyder roadster make its movie debut in what some critics are claiming to be this summers blockbuster hit, Transformers 2: The Revenge of the Fallen.
After the Spyder owner’s private screening, the 200 plus Spyder owners hopped on the famous Rt. 2: Angeles Crest Highway and up through the canyons for an amazing ride and some of the best views in California! Even with the difficult Los Angeles traffic, the group stayed together very well considering its size and even pulled over to stop at a midpoint for a nice photo op. In all, the ride lasted about three hours, with beautiful sunny weather throughout and plenty of smiling faces at the end! Owners went at their own pace, with plenty of people taking aggressive corners and others taking a nice, slow "enjoy the scenery" pace.
Saturday concluded at Pickwick Gardens in Burbank, with a BBQ cookout and some final thanks to the attendees from BRP.
The final day saw many of the Spyder owners trying to get an early start home from an eventful week. But a nice size group stuck around to take part in a Spyder Poker Run and then for a special unveiling at the Peterson Automotive Museum.
For those that took part in the poker run, it started at 9 a.m. at the Sheraton Universal and stops consisted of five nearby dealerships: Jet World Powersports, Bert’s Mega Mall, Del Amo Motorsports, Honda of North Hollywood and Honda of Hollywood. Owner’s had a blast visiting the local dealerships which also had great sales for Spyder owners who were looking to pick up some parts and accessories.
The Poker Run ended at the Peterson Automotive Museum where Spyder owners, BRP Marketing Manager Philippe Normand and Peterson Automotive Museum Director, Dick Messner gathered for the induction of the Spyder roadster used in the Transformers 2: Revenge of the Fallen movie. The actual unit, a P2 prototype, was donated by BRP to the museum. BRP representatives rolled the Spyder roadster into its place where it will now live as part of the museum’s cinema collection.
