The Show Before The Show

“Pregaming” is a common phrase around college campuses today. If you’re unfamiliar with the term, it means to party before the actual party.

The same is happening in car culture (but without the alcohol and drugs). 

This leads to the introduction of the Bay Area Brakefast Rally; the show before the show. 

It’s hosted by enthusiasts for enthusiasts and they average somewhere between 100-­200 cars per rally. These rallies are held to gather enthusiasts before an event, such as 100|OCT’s Cars and Croissants or Cars and Coffee San Francisco, so that the group can drive into the event together. 

The Bay Area Brakefast Rally was started less than a year ago by Tim and Stephanie Booth. They’re avid enthusiasts and active in the Bay Area car community.

​If you’ve attended a Cars and Coffee event in the Bay Area over the last year, you’ve most likely seen Tim and his Viper (@5150vpr). 

“The rally started out as a few people riding together because it's boring to drive alone and then over time it has grown into what it is today. Tim does what he does because he enjoys seeing other people who share a common interest in cars and driving come together and have fun and talk and become friends. We chose the name ‘The Brakefast Rally’ as a play on ‘The Breakfast Club’ because the rally attracts people from all walks of life and all sorts of cars and they come together over their love and appreciation of cars.


We would like to give a shoutout to those who have been a part of the rally from the beginning (they know who they are) and to everyone else who joins us on the rallies because there would be no rally without everyone’s support.” ­  

- Stephanie Booth 

All makes and models were welcome -­ from Mitsubishi’s to Maserati’s. Everyone was respectful of the cars and the property the rally was staged at. That’s especially important today as social media has allowed us to witness the many “fails” of people attempting to show off at car meets.  Queue Mustang memes. 

​The rally provided a fun, laid-­back atmosphere for enthusiasts to get together and form new relationships. A big thanks to Tim and Stephanie for inviting us. 

Car shows in the Bay Area have been increasing in size exponentially -­ not always providing an opportunity to chat with the owners of the vehicles in attendance.  It was nice being able to ask about the exhaust on a Z06, the wheel specs on a Viper, and the history of a first generation NSX before hitting the road with them. 

Shortly before heading out, Tim thanked everyone one for coming and made the announcement that it was time to take over the freeway on the way to Cars and Coffee San Francisco. 

Tim and Stephanie host an event that embodies the spirit and mission of Downshift - bringing enthusiasts together in person. 

It’s not always easy coordinating, planning, and hosting an event or rally, but we appreciate those that do... 

...because they are the ones that help keep car culture alive.

Tim and Stephanie would also like to thank the photographers and videographers who volunteer their time and do whatever it takes to get the great shots that they do.  

I've seen what these photographers/videographers do to get the perfect shot - they're crazy in the best way possible.

Check out the Bay Area Brakefast Rally on Instagram:
​@bayarea_brakefast_rally

Cheers to Tim and Stephanie Booth for bringing enthusiasts together in their community!