What happened this weekend in Portugal is unprecedented in the history of European custom motorcycling. The Spanish businessman and builder Fran Manenfounder and CEO of Lord Drake Kustoms, has staged a historic performance in the European HOG Rally Custom Bike Showthe official Harley-Davidson custom motorcycle championship in Europe.
Without a doubt a fruitful weekend for the man from Malaga, in what is considered the most important Harley-Davidson meeting in Europe and one of the largest motorcycle events in the world, in which he has managed to win a total of six grand prizes. A mark until now unprecedented and never achieved by any other participant since the creation of the event more than three decades ago.
Lord Drake Kustoms emerges as winner of the European HOG Rally 2026
Lord Drake Kustoms competed four custom Harley-Davidson motorcycles against some of the best builders on the continent. The final result translates into four champion titles and two runners-up within the following categories:
- Best of Show (Best motorcycle of the entire event)
- People’s Choice (People’s Favorite Motorcycle)
- European Champion – Cruiser Category
- European Champion – Off Road Category
- European Runner-up – Off Road Category
- European Runner-up – Sportster Category
The great protagonist was Babylona motorcycle created exclusively for this competition. The bike not only won the title of European Champion in the Cruiser categoryconsidered the premier category of the championship, but was also chosen as the best motorcycle of the entire event by specialized judges and as the public’s favorite among all participating motorcycles.
Behind these recent successes in the European HOG Rally 2026 we have the figure of Fran Manen. After years of consolidating itself as one of the most recognized in the international motorcycle customization sector, since 2018 and until today it has held the title of Runner-up in the World of Customization of Harley-Davidson Custom Bike Building, a distinction that places it among the best builders on the planet.
His career also includes an achievement that very few professionals can display, since he is the only Spaniard who has managed to win at Daytona Bike Week in the USA, the most prestigious event in the world for custom motorcycle builders. And he hasn’t just achieved it once. He has achieved it three times, a figure within the reach of very few international trainers.
Throughout his career, Fran Manen has not only built internationally award-winning motorcycles. His creations and projects have sparked the interest of some of the best-known personalities in the world of music, film, television, fashion and business. Among the figures with whom he has maintained a professional relationship or who have trusted his work are names such as Antonio Banderas, Alejandro Sanz, Antonio Orozco or Ágatha Ruiz de la Prada
This international projection has made Lord Drake Kustoms a recognized reference far beyond the motorcycle sector, attracting high-profile clients from all over the world to its facilities. Founded in 2008, Lord Drake Kustoms began as a workshop specialized in artisanal motorcycle transformations in Miami USA and currently has offices there and in Vélez-Málaga (Málaga), the latter becoming its main headquarters for a few years and from where it exports all over the world.
Today their creations appear regularly in international media, participate in the main championships in the sector and are purchased by clients from different countries. The success achieved in the European HOG Rally 2026 represents a new milestone for a Spanish company that has managed to make its way in a market historically dominated by American, British and Central European manufacturers.
The most striking thing is that this international recognition does not come from a large multinational or a motorcycle manufacturing brand, but from an independent company born in Andalusia. The six major awards obtained by Fran Manen and Lord Drake Kustoms in Cascais are already part of the history of the European HOG Rally. After passing through the event, Manen declared:
“When Fran Manen took the stage in Cascais to collect his awards, he did so not only as a motorcycle builder. He did so as the only Spaniard who has conquered Daytona three times, current runner-up in the world of Harley-Davidson Custom Bike Building and, holder of 5 European championships, another 5 European runners-up…and from now on, the man who has set the biggest record in the history of the European HOG Rally.”
