Beach racing is a motorsport offshoot of

enduro Enduro is a form of motorcycle sport run on extended cross-country, off-road courses. Enduro consists of many different obstacles and challenges. The main type of enduro event, and the format to which the World Enduro Championship is run, is ...

and

motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competiti ...

racing. As the name implies, riders on solo

motorcycles A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...

quad bikes An all-terrain vehicle (ATV), also known as a light utility vehicle (LUV), a quad bike, or simply a quad, as defined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI); is a vehicle that travels on low-pressure tires, with a seat that is stra ...

, or

sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...

combinations compete on a course marked out on a

beach A beach is a landform alongside a body of water which consists of loose particles. The particles composing a beach are typically made from rock, such as sand, gravel, shingle, pebbles, etc., or biological sources, such as mollusc sh ...

, often with man made jumps and sand dunes being constructed to make the course tougher. Beach races are usually held annually, generally at seaside resorts with large beaches. Typically, beach races follow the format of hare scrambles, with riders competing on a circuit of 1–3 miles (1.5–5 km) in length, usually for a time period of 1–3 hours. Due to their unique nature, beach races tend to be very popular with riders and spectators, with some of the larger races attracting several hundred riders. However beach racing is known to be very tough on motorcycles, small sand particles can damage wheel bearings, chains and sprockets, and the soft, sandy surface increases the demand on engines and clutches. Experienced beach racers typically follow meticulous bike maintenance prior to the event in order to ensure their bike will not fail. Beach races are generally held in early spring or late autumn. This is because seasonal tourist trade at seaside resorts is low during these periods, there is more space for riders and competitors to park, and local authorities are more willing to allow their beaches to be closed off and used as a motorcycle course, due to the extra trade brought by riders, families and spectators.

Popular beach races

Sellicks Beach, South Australia __NOTOC__ Sellicks Beach, formerly spelt Sellick's Beach, is a suburb in the Australian state of South Australia located within Adelaide metropolitan area about from the Adelaide city centre. It is an outer southern suburb of Adelaide and ...

has organised motorcycle racing on the beach and was held as early as 1917 with annual speed trials being held during summer until 1953 and with re-enactments in both 1986 and 1992. Annual racing resumed in 2017 after a 20 year period of no activity. The Enduropale (formerly named the Enduro du Touquet) has been held every spring since 1975 at the seaside town of

Le Touquet Le Touquet-Paris-Plage (; pcd, Ech Toutchet-Paris-Plache; vls, 't Oekske, older nl, Het Hoekske), commonly referred to as Le Touquet (), is a commune near Étaples, in the Pas-de-Calais department, northern France. It has a population of ...

with some 1,000 motorbikes, Quad bikes and 250,000 spectators. The event attracts riders and spectators from across Europe. From 1981 to 1991 the Veronica Beach Race was held in Scheveningen, The Netherlands. The event which features quad, sidecar and motorbikes races was broadcast in more than 15 countries. Since 2006 the Red Bull Knock Out beach race will take place in Scheveningen, only for motorbikes. New Red Bull Knock Out editions are scheduled in 2018, 2020 and 2022. Beach races are popular in the United Kingdom, and one of the most famous beach races is the Weston Beach Race, (previously known as the Weston Enduro) held on

Weston-super-Mare Weston-super-Mare, also known simply as Weston, is a seaside town in North Somerset, England. It lies by the Bristol Channel south-west of Bristol between Worlebury Hill and Bleadon Hill. It includes the suburbs of Mead Vale, Milton, Oldmix ...

beach in

Somerset ( en, All The People of Somerset) , locator_map = , coordinates = , region = South West England , established_date = Ancient , established_by = , preceded_by = , origin = , lord_lieutenant_office =Lord Lieutenant of Somerset , lord_ ...

. The event which features quad, sidecar, solo and junior races, has been held since 1983, and regularly attracts entries of over 1,000 riders, with crowds of up to 100,000 watching the event over the weekend. In addition to Weston Beach Race the Amateur Motor Cycle Association run the Skegness Beach Race, this event attracts 25,000 spectators over the weekend. Beach races are held each year from October to March in

Mablethorpe Mablethorpe is a seaside town in the East Lindsey district of Lincolnshire, England, part of the civil parish of Mablethorpe and Sutton.OS Explorer map 283:Louth and Mablethorpe: (1:25 000): The population including nearby Sutton-on-Sea was 12, ...

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a Counties of England, county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-we ...

on the east coast of England. The events, organised by the Mablethorpe Sandracing Club, cover a number of different solo and quad classes. A beach race is also held in Weymouth, with proceeds from the event being donated to a local charity. In recent years, a popular beach race has been held at Barmouth, Wales, however this event differs as it is run along the lines of a

event, on a shorter, motocross style circuit. Beach Cross Racing is also taking place twice a year, usually in March and October, at

Margate Margate is a seaside town on the north coast of Kent in south-east England. The town is estimated to be 1.5 miles long, north-east of Canterbury and includes Cliftonville, Garlinge, Palm Bay and Westbrook. The town has been a significan ...

Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...

, and known as Margate Beach Cross. The event which is organized by QRAUK, in conjunction with Island Events and Thanet District Council has proven to be popular with not only British riders but with a huge number of riders from the Continent. The event has both Quads and Solos racing around a specially prepared course on Margate's main sands and it attracts many thousands of visitors.

References

External links

Weston Beach RaceAMCA - Skegness Beach RaceMablethorpe Sandracing ClubQRA - BXUK Series
{{DEFAULTSORT:Beach racing Dirt biking Motorcycle racing by type Off-road racing Sports originating in Australia Sports originating in New Zealand