Sand, sea and SPIN as thousands of motorcross fans watch daredevil riders compete in a nail-biting race across the dunes at Weymouth beach
- More than 20,000 enthusiasts turned out in force to watch up to 300 riders at the annual motorcross race
- The fundraising event was organised by Purbeck Motocross Club and Weymouth and Portland Lions Club
- Among those taking part in the dramatic spectacle was four-time world enduro champion, Steve Holcombe
- Motocross first evolved in the UK at the turn of the 20th Century from motorcycle trail competitions
There was plenty of sand, sea and spin as more than 20,000 enthusiasts flocked to an annual motocross race held at Weymouth Beach.
Up to 300 riders donned their helmets and revved their engines, as the crowd eagerly watched them scramble over the sands at the fundraising event, which was organised by Purbeck Motocross Club and Weymouth and Portland Lions Club.
Among those taking part in the nail-biting race was four-times world enduro champion, Steve Holcombe and former European and British enduro champion Daryl Bolter.
Sea you later: More than 300 riders took part in Sunday’s dramatic annual motocross race held at Weymouth beach
Causing a splash: The fundraising event was organised by Purbeck Motocross Club and Weymouth and Portland Lions Club
Up, dust and away: The riders eagerly made their way across the dunes, leaving a trail of sand flying in the air behind them
King of the hill: An estimated 20,000 enthusiasts, families and bikers turned out in force to watch the thrill of the races
Fly drive: One rider seems to take to the skies as he makes his way across the sandy course at Weymouth Beach
Ahead of the race, Holcombe told Dorset Echo: ‘It’s been an incredible year for me, winning the FIM EnduroGP World Championship.
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‘Being able to now enjoy a few races way from the pressure of international competition, close to my home in the UK is something I’m really looking forward to.’
Motocross first evolved in the UK from motorcycle trails competitions, such as the Auto-Cycle Clubs’s first quarterly trial starting in 1909 and the Scottish Six Days Trial in 1912.
As the sport grew in popularity, it became known as ‘motocross racing’, combining the French word for motorcycle, ‘moto’ for short, and ‘cross country’.
Bite the dust: It was a visors-down only race, with much of the beach’s sandy surface being kicked up into the riders’ faces
Race to the finish: Two riders vye against one another in the nail-biting event which takes place each year at Weymouth
The first known scramble race took place at Camberley, Surrey in 1924.
Motocross arrived in the United States in 1966 when Swedish champion, Torsten Hallman, rode an exhibition event against the top American TT riders in Simi Valley, California.
Today, Motocross is a sport that has continued to grow in popularity all over the world.
Zooming along: One participant speedily makes his way along the course, which was attended by a record crowd
Calm after the storm: One rider carefully walks his bike back along the beach, as the annual race finally comes to an end
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