36 replies to this topic

[D. Heimgartner]

Have their ever been races or speed record attempts on any of Europe's beaches like there have been in America: at Daytona or at the Salt Flats? If not, were did we Europeans push the speed barriers?

Thanks!

[Vitesse2]

Indeed there were. Pendine Sands in Wales was used for record attempts - JG Parry Thomas was killed there in "Babs", which was deliberately buried under the dunes after his accident.

http://www.llanegwad...eedpendine.html

You can still drive on the beach today, although there is theoretically a speed limit! (10 mph IIRC)

Sand racing was common in the UK between the wars and the La Baule GP in France was held on the beach in the thirties. Racer.demon and I were talking about this and it struck me as very odd that the Dutch never developed a beach racing tradition when you consider how many long flat sands they have!

[D. Heimgartner]

Yes, I suppose both Holland and the Netherlands have some great beaches for this sort of thing...

[scheivlak]

Originally posted by D. Heimgartner
Yes, I suppose both Holland and the Netherlands have some great beaches for this sort of thing...

In fact, in the year 1600 (!) a sailing chariot carrying 28 people, developed by the famous engineer Simon Stevin, reached a speed of 35 km/h on the beach near Scheveningen. Must be some kind of early land speed record.......
See http://user.online.b...ges/gravure.jpg
and http://www.oldwoodie...ure-history.htm

[Darren Galpin]

There have been several venues in the UK & Ireland used for beach racing:

Birkdale Sands, Southport
Brean Sands, Burnham
Magilligan Strand, Dublin
Pendine Sands
Redcar
Rosbeigh Strand, Dublin
Rosslare Strand, Dublin
Saltburn
Skegness
Velvet Strand, Dublin
Waterloo Sands, Wallasey
Weston-super-Mare

I'm sure that there were others, but finding information out about them can be tricky.

[Don Radbruch]

There were speed trials on Fano Beach in Denmark from 1919 to 1924. Malcolm Campbell went there with his Sunbeam racer in 1923. I think his best speed was 146 mph. A tire came off his car and killed a young boy and there are some reports that Campbell spent a bit of time in jail over this. I have a wonderful book on Fano Beach but since it is in Danish it is a bit tough for me to read.

[Doug Nye]

Originally posted by Don Radbruch
A tire came off his car and killed a young boy and there are some reports that Campbell spent a bit of time in jail over this.

Jail??? Not so.

DCN

[Tim Murray]

To add to Darren's list - Vazon Bay, Guernsey, Channel Isles. Racing was held there regularly when I lived in Guernsey in the '50's and '60s - I don't know whether it still happens. There was usually a class for the beach racers in the hill climbs at Val des Terres (Guernsey's British Championship hillclimb venue) and some weird and wonderful contraptions were produced.

[ghinzani]

Anyone got any pics of Channel Islands sand racers perchance?

[just me again]

I just found this on the net.

http://issuu.com/dvm...s/363_juni_1999

a small danish magazine with pictures from the speed trials at Fanø.

Bjørn

[wdm]

Adding to the list of British sand races: the West Sands at St Andrews (next to the golf course)

[Peter Leversedge]

Beach racing [sand racing] was conducted in New Zealand from the early days of racing up untill 1977
From 1949 untill 1977 the Assn of New Zealand Car Club, later called the Motor Sport Assn of New Zeland [MANZ] sanctioned the annual "New Zealand Beach Racing Championship" event
PS I raced the car in my avatar in several of these events

Edited by Peter Leversedge, 17 July 2009 - 11:27.

[Beech_boy]

I mentioned to a friend of mine a few weeks ago that i'd been to Wells (Norfolk) for a quick break and he said they used to race cars there in the 30's - is this true? I couldn't find anything on it so thought he might have misheard me and thought I said 'Wales'

[fuzzi]

I have not come across any mention of racing on the sands of Wells-next-the Sea. I should be starting to trawl the 1930s next month I'll keep a sharp eye out.

For sand racing in Wales there is this site:

http://www.sandspeed...co.uk/5907.html

[Pullman99]

There is a separate thread on the Darracq V8 that was the subject of a restoration / recreation over many years. This was supposed to make a return appearance at Saltburn-by-the-Sea in 2009 - one hundred years on from its exploits there. Anyone know more?

[David McKinney]

For sand racing in Wales there is this site:
http://www.sandspeed...co.uk/5907.html

Nope - can't see anything about sand racing there

[h4887]

In fact, in the year 1600 (!) a sailing chariot carrying 28 people, developed by the famous engineer Simon Stevin, reached a speed of 35 km/h on the beach near Scheveningen. Must be some kind of early land speed record.......

Pedant's point: when exactly was the kilometre invented?

[Giraffe]

Southport Sand Races, 20th July,1969.


By giraffe138 at 2009-07-17

John Akers, Porsche 911.

By giraffe138 at 2009-07-17

Ron Beswick, A.V.S.Imp.


By giraffe138 at 2009-07-17

Peter Riley, M.G.Midget.


By giraffe138 at 2009-07-17

Colin Wild, Westune Escort T/C.


By giraffe138 at 2009-07-17

These races were organised by Liverpool Motor Club and sponsored by Guards. They were run on Ainsdale Sands (tide permitting!)

[Giraffe]

An amusing story re. my experiences of Southport Sand Races; marshalling there could be a challenging experience if the weather was non too clement, and I often returned home as a 15 year old suffering from mild exposure.
At one such race in 1970, I was a Startline marshal, and having ushered cars into grid position, was stood in a virtual sandstorm when Lotus Cortina Mk2 driver Don Robinson beckoned me towards his car and invited me to shelter in the passenger seat for a bit of relief & shelter. I thanked him for his thoughtfulness, and we started chatting away. Suddenly, the car infront of us shot away; the ruddy flag had dropped! Don instinctively dropped the clutch, and unwittingly I was in my first motor race! Fortunately, conditions were so bad that the Clerk of the Course didn't spot me, and Don dropped me off after a lap, whilst in second position, much to the consternation of my fellow startline marshals, who were wondering where the hell I'd dissapeared to!

[scheivlak]

Pedant's point: when exactly was the kilometre invented?

Well, according to reports at the time he travelled with a large company on this big sailing chariot http://www.math.leid...aet/stevin.html from Scheveningen to Petten (nearly 80 kms) in 2 hours, so it should even be almost 40 km/h.
There are some doubts if it was really that fast, but the sailing chariot stayed in use for many years and there was no doubt among contemporary sources (among them a prisoned high officer of the Spanish army) that it was at least amazingly fast to them.

Don't forget that Simon Stevin was possibly the greatest engineer of his time, an expert mathematician and a pioneer in the science of surveying. Apart from that, he was -as a pioneering expert in fortifications- an important factor in the amazing succes of the Dutch army against the might of the Spanish Empire.

See also http://en.wikipedia....ki/Simon_Stevin "The carriage was propelled solely by the force of wind, and acquired a speed which exceeded that of horses."

Edited by scheivlak, 17 July 2009 - 22:10.

[NanningF1fan]

The following link provides an accessible starting point for the history of Southport which was probably the most important sand racing venue in Britain in the 1920s and 30s

http://www.bbc.co.uk...southport.shtml

But as far as I know the whole story of sand racing in the UK has yet to be written. It is part of a much larger topic of the search for venues and formats for motorised competition which resulted from Britain's restrictive laws governing use of public roads and which continued from 1896 right up until the early post war years. I started a research project on this some years ago but ran out of time. Now that I am living in China I have time but no access to the material. But I would love to see somebody better qualified attempt it.

There are thousands of references scattered through the motor racing magazines and local newspapers of the time but collating and organising them would be a massive task.

[OfficeLinebacker]

By giraffe138 at 2009-07-17

These races were organised by Liverpool Motor Club and sponsored by Guards. They were run on Ainsdale Sands (tide permitting!)

The Liverpool Motor Club needs to organize some NASCAR races! Nice variation on the oval.

[Beech_boy]

There is a separate thread on the Darracq V8 that was the subject of a restoration / recreation over many years. This was supposed to make a return appearance at Saltburn-by-the-Sea in 2009 - one hundred years on from its exploits there. Anyone know more?

I haven't seen the thread on it, but this website says that in 2006 it was sold to a VSCC member for competition events and demonstrations

http://www.darracq-v8.co.uk/

[onelung]

Speed record attempt ... Foresti - Djelmo - 1927 - Pendine. And others on the same site too.

click here

[Morris S]

Some pics from Southport in the mid 60's :

[Ray Bell]

At least the TVR wont suffer from rust in the bodywork...

To be honest, I can never understand people deliberately throwing salt all over metal components.

[Stephen W]

Have their ever been races or speed record attempts on any of Europe's beaches like there have been in America: at Daytona or at the Salt Flats? If not, were did we Europeans push the speed barriers?

Thanks!

There have been several venues in the UK & Ireland used for beach racing:

Birkdale Sands, Southport
Brean Sands, Burnham
Magilligan Strand, Dublin
Pendine Sands
Redcar
Rosbeigh Strand, Dublin
Rosslare Strand, Dublin
Saltburn
Skegness
Velvet Strand, Dublin
Waterloo Sands, Wallasey
Weston-super-Mare

I'm sure that there were others, but finding information out about them can be tricky.

The WORLD Land Speed Record was set in 1926 on Birkdale Sands, Southport.

The Liverpool Motor Club needs to organize some NASCAR races! Nice variation on the oval.

Liverpool MC have investigated the possible retuurn of sand racing to the beaches of Southport however the Health & Safety aspects mean that it will not happen. As for organizing some NASCAR races - if only we had a suitable venue!

[GazChed]

In reply to Tim's question from just over seventeen years ago the next meeting at Vazon Bay is on Saturday 31st August 2019 ...

Edited by GazChed, 18 August 2019 - 13:34.

[Steve99]

Just read today, oddly, that there was a planned attempt at the LSR by SF Edge at Mablethorpe speed trials one year, but the weather put paid to it. (Incidentally bike races are still held on the sands)

[Steve L]

I'm at Mablethorpe with the kids soon! Never knew there was a speed trial. Are there any details/photos anywhere please?

[Tim Murray]

In reply to Tim's question from just over seventeen years ago the next meeting at Vazon Bay is on Saturday 31st August 2019 ...

Thanks Gaz. The beach racing at Vazon would have been my first experience of motor racing, as a small child. That led to my lifelong love of motor sport. Glad to know it’s still going strong.

[Tim Murray]

I'm at Mablethorpe with the kids soon! Never knew there was a speed trial. Are there any details/photos anywhere please?

There was only one official speed trial at Mablethorpe, held on 19th August 1905. According to Tim Nicholson in Speed there were two handicap events, both run over a kilometre with a standing start. One was run with a distance allowance, the other with a time allowance, and both events were won by Captain Newsum’s 30/40 hp Daimler.

Julian Hunt in Motorsport Explorer says that the area used was the north sands towards Saltfleetby, where the beach was wide, the sand hard and dry, and the area not close to houses. A second event was planned for 21st July 1906, but was cancelled due to lack of entries. Sand racing for motorcycles on an oval track still continues on alternate Sundays through the winter.

[kayemod]

Thanks Gaz. The beach racing at Vazon would have been my first experience of motor racing, as a small child. That led to my lifelong love of motor sport. Glad to know it’s still going strong.

 

 

 

I was spending a few days in Guernsey some time around 2005/6, and heard the unmistakable sound of revving un-silenced racing engines while at breakfast in our hotel. We hurried over to Vazon as soon as we could, and this is what we found, weird-looking stretched rear-engined things, quite unlike anything I'd ever seen before, I think the one on the photo has a Rover V8 or something similar. Unusual sand on many Channel Island beaches, after the tide goes out, it's hard almost like concrete, you can't leave footprints, but these powerful machines really chewed up the surface at the ends of the oval course. Quite fun to watch, but similar to speedway, in that the first away from the start invariably seems to be the winner. Imps seemed to be popular choices for the saloon events, but there were also specials like rear-engined Escorts and the like as well, and of course Minis.

 

There are tarmac hill-climbs on Jersey & Guernsey as well, and a few of these type of cars have been entered. The aero add-ons seem to be a bit optimistic, especially for sand racing, and the wheelbase must make them a bit of a handful on the tight bends on the main road out of St Peter Port. If the cars on the sand were fitted with silencers like the one in the photo, then they weren't very effective!

Edited by kayemod, 18 August 2019 - 17:43.

[Geoff E]

A sand racer similar to that used to race at Prescott https://forums.autos...-6#entry2476851

[Lee Nicolle]

The WORLD Land Speed Record was set in 1926 on Birkdale Sands, Southport.


Liverpool MC have investigated the possible retuurn of sand racing to the beaches of Southport however the Health & Safety aspects mean that it will not happen. As for organizing some NASCAR races - if only we had a suitable venue!

Having spent a week at Southport there is a lot of mud and not much sand, and at times water as well. Do have a record of about 5mph while parking on the beach.

And I can understand elfnsafety as it would be quite hard to police. 

[Stephen W]

 

 

I was spending a few days in Guernsey some time around 2005/6, and heard the unmistakable sound of revving un-silenced racing engines while at breakfast in our hotel. We hurried over to Vazon as soon as we could, and this is what we found, weird-looking stretched rear-engined things, quite unlike anything I'd ever seen before, I think the one on the photo has a Rover V8 or something similar. Unusual sand on many Channel Island beaches, after the tide goes out, it's hard almost like concrete, you can't leave footprints, but these powerful machines really chewed up the surface at the ends of the oval course. Quite fun to watch, but similar to speedway, in that the first away from the start invariably seems to be the winner. Imps seemed to be popular choices for the saloon events, but there were also specials like rear-engined Escorts and the like as well, and of course Minis.

 

There are tarmac hill-climbs on Jersey & Guernsey as well, and a few of these type of cars have been entered. The aero add-ons seem to be a bit optimistic, especially for sand racing, and the wheelbase must make them a bit of a handful on the tight bends on the main road out of St Peter Port. If the cars on the sand were fitted with silencers like the one in the photo, then they weren't very effective!

 

The one in your photograph actually has an 8.2 litre Chevrolet V8 stuffed into the back. It is also Road Legal and driven to events in the Channel Islands. The "Specialist Racing Cars" (they are not sand-racers but used to be!) also make a couple of trips a year to the mainland. They were in attendance at Harewood for the BHC meeting earlier in the year and also pop over for a Gurston Down meeting. Several years ago they even went for a week-end to Anglesey Racing Circuit for the BSC week-end in July. 

[moffspeed]

Porthcawl in South Wales can be added to this list, it is still a good place to play golf...

 

I believe there were also a couple of motorcycle meetings on the sands on the beautiful Oxwich bay (Gower peninsula). The stately home on the hill behind Oxwich bay (Penrice) enjoyed a brief period as a speed hillclimb venue in the 1970's.