Wheels & Wake 2026 – Sand in My Shoes, Laughter in My Head
Ammerland in September, just short of East Frisia. I’m standing outside my rented camper van in the morning, shaking out my shoes for the third time, and there is still sand coming out. Next door, someone is already laughing. Three guys from the north, my neighbours for the weekend, have clearly decided that the day starts in a good mood. For the next few days, they were right. Wheels and Wake at Nethen Beach is not a place you end up by accident. The drive from the south is long, very long. But after a few hours it was clear that every kilometer had been worth it.
The People
I came for the motorcycles. What stayed with me were the people. I have rarely met so many incredibly friendly people in one place, and even more rarely so many who love to laugh. You end up talking without planning to, at the fence, at a food stall, between two races. And in the evenings at the camper, it got later than planned with my neighbours more than once. For a photographer who wants to photograph people, that is a gift. Nobody poses. Everyone is simply there.
Taken Seriously: Flat Track in Moorwinkelsdamm
As relaxed as the beach is, things get serious on Friday night in Moorwinkelsdamm. On the track of MSC Moorwinkelsdamm, the German Flat Track Cup runs its final, and on the track there is nothing left of the festival mood. Sideways into every corner, spray and dirt in the air, full concentration. And it rained, properly. I was standing in the infield, right in the middle of it, and within minutes I was soaked to the bone.
On the beach, it is a 1/32 mile instead, a few seconds of full throttle in the sand. Serious racing, serious people. Mostly.
Sand Everywhere
What I brought home from Wheels & Wake: lots of pictures, lots of faces, and sand. In my shoes, in my camera bag, in the camper, in places where I still find it today. That is part of it. A beach festival where you stay clean would be doing something wrong.
Conclusion: I’ll Be Back
Wheels & Wake is worth it, even if you travel a long way. For the racing, for the bikes, but above all for the people and the atmosphere. Next year, from 9 to 12 September 2027, I will be there again. The sand comes with it.
More faces from Wheels and Wake on Instagram: @olafkoester
