RHL BEACH RACE 2010 IS COMING!
The Beach Race is alive and kicking – that’s the message from owner Gareth Hockey as he starts the countdown to what will be the 28th running of this traditional closer to the dirt bike competition season, on October 15-17.
We could argue that we should be reporting, ‘Gareth Hockey’s alive and kicking’ after the troubled last 12 months he’s endured. Last year the main race at the Weston had to abandoned after a serious accident at the start – the start of months of controversy and speculation as to the future of the event. Then Hockey’s plans for his third British GP to be held this June ran off the rails as land issues – at one time seemingly rescued by the Chepstow Racecourse – became insurmountable. The GP fixture was eventually relocated to the USA and Hockey, for the first time in years, fell off the radar.
Well, he’s back now and he’s talking to TM+X.
"No question this last year has been the worst of my life,"says Hockey. "The GP was always a difficult job, a massive drain on resources and a huge financial risk for me. With the events of the last Weston as well, in all it has been a tough time that’s hit me both financially and personally.
"I took the opportunity – once the decision to stop on the GP was made – to take a step back and review what I’ve been doing. There was little reason to be continuing with a high profile, answering to everyone’s theories and speculation as after you reach a certain point no good is ever going to come of that. Instead it was important to take time out and look at what was good and what wasn’t and determine a sound plan for the future."
And so Hockey’s explained that the Beach Race remains a must-do event for him (and his company RHL Activities) – and one that he needed to make secure for the future.
"We’ve now got our five year plan sorted. We took last year’s event to bits – as we do every year – and made changes that we feel will again improve the event. We have spent many months reviewing the start procedure (we even went to look at Le Touquet to witness their race start) and everyone has come to same opinion – that the way we do it is still the safest option.
“But there were still operational matters that we felt needed revising and so while to the outside world the event will look and feel the same, RHL have taken a lot of the control of the event back in-house. We feel we are only people that have the understanding of how the competitor and the local authority want this event to work."
Hockey confirms that the event’s key sponsors – Red Bull, Doodson Motorsport, Polaris and Rock Oil – remain on board and are fully supportive of the plans to expand the event into what Hockey prefers to call a festival.
This year’s event has been expanded to three days with the introduction of the new side-by-side (Polaris Ranger Rzr ATV) race on Friday. Saturday will see a youth quad and a 65cc race followed by the traditional adult quad and sidecar race. Sunday’s programme will feature a youth 85cc race followed by the headline adult solo race.
"This year we’re negotiating to have many top BSB stars (we’ve already got a number entered) and are waiting on confirmation of signing one of our greatest Weston racers, Stefan Everts. We’re looking for a few other famous riders to swell the ‘celebrity’ ranks as well. Without question the fans love to see these names fighting it out with our regular riders – it’s what makes the race that little bit special."
So Hockey’s back and the Beach Race continues. Hockey says his Beach Race dedicated website, www.wbruk.com, is up and running and is ready to take advance bookings on tickets and camping. As always there are substantial discounts for earlybird bookings and all advance tickets – and rider entries – go into a prize draw for a Polaris Rzr RX170. And five lucky fans, buying their tickets online in August, will get a full refund on the cost of their tickets. And also one lucky rider entering during August will also get their entry fully refunded.
Posted: 31 Aug 2010
