Monday 20 January 2014

Mablethorpe Beach Races, 2014 Report

Sunday mornings are normally taken up watching my boy play football, but this week's was cancelled due to a waterlogged pitch, so we trucked up to Mablethorpe for our annual beach racing pilgrimage. There were plenty of neat bikes, like this Honda XL250 (I think) below.
This DT125 was a favourite too.
Camera-shy Carl of CFM (who has built all Sideburn's project bikes) on his all-conquering TDR250. He won his class again yesterday. He'll be 250 road bike champ this season.
 Family affair.
The grasstracker class is impressive.
The 200 road bike class. There are a bunch of road bike classes up to the mutants in the unlimited class. 
There are classes for everything on the beach including MX bikes. I liked this older gen Kawasaki. Some of the MX fellas get a bit carried away with it all, though. There was a 20-man brawl in the pits just before the end of the meeting (not involving anyone in these photos). Knobheads. 
Unlimited road bike sand racers are like no other race bike in the UK. Built for nothing and raced on the cheap. It's as close as I've seen to punk rock motorcycle racing anywhere in the world. They really don't give a f***.
 
Neil Tuxworth, boss of Honda Racing UK, raced on the beach for decades and his neat Honda XL250 spawned a bunch of replicas and racers inspired by his bike, including these.
Young Tom was flying on his Africa Twin, built by CFM. Full gas, full lock.
Our mate Russ was back from Afghanistan and straight into another potentially dangerous sandy situation. This one a little colder.
Russ wheelieing. Carl clearing off.
 Mablethorpe. Where the sea meets the sky.

11 comments:

Harley said...

Always a cracking day out (a Jota powered sidecar from many years ago is stamped indelibly into my memory banks), but fisticuffs? At Mablethorpe? Really? I despair.

Sideburn Magazine said...

They don't race sidecars at Mablethorpe now. I don't remember ever seeing them there. And this was the first fight I've seen. I don't know why, but I knew it would be the MX lot as soon as it kicked off, not the road bike fellas. Why did I presume that? Dunno, but I was right. G

Mick P said...

It's utterly brilliant that this goes on year after year. Big respect for all involved.

Dan said...

Cleethorpe Beach Patrol? Mabo loves a seaside scrap, but I've never seen anything but smiles at the races.
Always a terrific day out, well worth supporting.

OILY RAG said...

bollocks. why don't i ever here about these things till they are over?

Sideburn Magazine said...

Oily, you haven't missed it. It's not a one-off, the season runs from October to March, with two races per month or so.

For more info go here

http://xtreme-action-images.com/sandrace/index.html

OILY RAG said...

Thankyou

Marcus @ MarcusMotoDesign said...

COOL bikes! Sounds like a great event!

Unknown said...

Not Raced on the sand for a while now due to other things getting in the way ..this is a most excellent event run by true 100% dedicated motorsport folk ( they are incredible folk )..I truly am at a loss to know how a fight in the pits happened 20 idiots ??..sad day when these things happen..at any event lets hope we never hear of it again ...

Sideburn Magazine said...

Jon, two or three idiots, then 20 getting dragged in to stop or feel they get their two penneth worth in. It's like Sunday morning pub football attitude. Handbags.
Shouldn't put anyone off going, but I've only ever seen scrapping at speedway, no other bike sport. G

Unknown said...

Racing a lime green gpz on the edge of the universe, epic time travelling!!!.