Skegness Beach Race

6 - 7th November 2022

I’ve been photographing the beach racing at Skegness for the last few years and it has never failed to impress me. The organisers put on a great show preparing the beach with loads of jumps and turns that maximise the space they have been allocated.

What this means for the huge crowds that attend is that there are loads of great vantage points as you are right next to the track. The route that the riders follow also goes right up to an icon of the British seaside, the Skegness pier.

The pier is a great location for the spectator photographer as the Victorian boardwalk travels out 118m (372 ft) right up to the water’s edge. In previous years the riders would go under the pier then double back. This year the track didn’t go under the pier but we still got a great view of the action.

If you are taking the family and have little ones with you who might not want to watch the four-hour endurance race, there are plenty of things to keep them occupied on the pier. It’s also great for grabbing a bag of fish and chips. Well you can’t go to the seaside and miss out on some deep-fried fishy products.

The weather didn’t seem to put off the public who turned out in good numbers, keeping the local café and bar owners happy. That is the point of holding this race at Skegness as not many will venture to the east coast in winter without good reason, and this event is a good reason. The fans bring in some well needed cash to the local economy in the off season.

The amount of people that turn up shouldn’t put you off as a spectator photographer. There are loads of places to get some great shots and as most people are just there for a day out, and will move along the sea front to get a different view, opening up locations for you.

The main race is held on Sunday with Saturday being for Clubman, sidecars and quad racers. Sunday has three classes, the Elite riders, Clubmen and the Veterans class. The winner of the race will take home £1000 but for the majority they are there for the fun and love of off-road racing.

When I say fun it’s not my ideal fun day out. I am an avid motorcycle rider who has done a bit of green laning but don’t have the skills to do what these racers were doing. This is a hard-core race in difficult conditions and takes high levels of fitness and stamina to be at the front of the pack, which I will fully admit I don’t have.

Looking into the paddock where the racers will head to refuel and grab a drink mid race, you can see that the race is taking its toll. But after a short stop they are back at it, heading into the sandy carnage.

This year's winner was #1 Dan Thornhill the former British Masters Pro MX1 champion, who also took the top spot last year and now has a hattrick of Skegness wins under his belt. Thornhill completed 42 laps and was racing for the Chambers Racing Husqvarna team, finishing one lap ahead of second placed man #12 Evgeny Bobryshev.

Bobryshev was followed in by #53 Ben Franklin who completed 39 laps . If you fancy experiencing the heady smell of candy floss and two stroke oil on a cold beach in November, stick a diary reminder in for next year. I will probably see you there.

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