MALLE BEACH RACE
– IF KING CANUTE WENT BEACH RACING…
“COME TO MARGATE” THEY SAID. “RACE ON THE BEACH” THEY SAID. “IT’LL BE FUN!” THEY SAID… WELL, TO BE FAIR, IT WAS AN ABSOLUTE BLAST, BUT WHAT THEY FORGOT TO WARN US ABOUT WAS THAT IT’D BE BITTERLY COLD, VERY WET, AND WE’D BE RACING IN 40MPH+ WINDS!
Robert and Jonny at Malle London’d originally organised their first ever beach race on the sands at Margate for 2nd May 2020 but, due to the whole Covid shenanigans, it was postponed and eventually staged in September and, despite a late Indian summer, the weather was anything but ideal. With 250 bikes of all shapes and sizes, from Honda Cubs to classic HarleyDavidsons, it was always going to be a mammoth task to get them all racing on the eighth-mile course, especially as we were at the mercy of the tide. Sadly, the horrible weather did affect racing and only the lightweight class (under 250cc) was able to complete their full race card, but that didn’t really put anyone off too much.
Following their knockout stage, won by Dane O’Reilly on a 250 KTM, the weather really turned for the worse, and the diehards that were left on the beach had a bit of a free-for-all to decide the eventual winner for the day. Eventual winner was Guy Horner, on a modified Triumph Bonneville, who went home with an awesome trophy made by Margate’s own rag n’ bone man, Paul Firbank. If you’re ever
in the Margate area, go check out his workshop – it’s well worth a visit!
If you’ve never raced on sand before, trust me when I say it does take some balls to go flat-out on the soft surface, but there really isn’t anything better than a heads-up drag race, regardless of the surface. The Malle event, once the practice heats’d been completed, was a simple winner-stays-on affair with, as per their other events, the lefthand-on-the-helmet starts so, once the flag drops, it’s a case of clutch in, slam into gear, and off you go! Traction is all but non-existent at the start due to the soft sand but, once underway, the bike almost skims across the surface – get your weight as far back as possible, pin the throttle, and point it in the direction of the finish line!
This type of beach race seems to be growing in popularity, with similar events taking place in Bridlington, Pendine, and also across the water in France and Spain. If you get the chance to enter, and you don’t mind spending a few days cleaning sand and salt water out of every crevice (and those of your bike too…), then it really is great fun and well worth the effort.
Hats off once again to Robert and Jonny, and the entire Malle team who really did go above and beyond what was necessary to stage the event, not only due to Covid, but also the awful weather conditions, to give everyone as much track time as possible. Word is that the event’ll return later this year so keep an eye out for entry details across their social media pages or at www. mallelondon.com