In 1947 at the Mojave desert, East of LA / California, a dozen WW2 veterans formed a car club called THE OILERS, where the guys customised their 1930s FORD model A's and began drag racing them. It is from this time the American 'Hot-Rod' was born.
Those early races in the Mojave desert are the inspiration for the vintage beach races we know today. The modern beach race provides people with a passion for vintage bikes and cars to gather and escape from our technological world in favour of using their basic mode of transport and to race it to its limit.
In the United Kingdom there is such a place, where the Yorkshire coast motor racing heritage is brought back to life on the beach. For one weekend in the year, the small coastal town of Bridlington offers its firm tidal sand to folk from across Europe and the UK, who gather and test their vehicles in the challenging elements which only Mother Nature can provide. Bridlington lies on the coastal boundary of the East Riding of Yorkshire and is only a 30minutes drive south from Filey, which hosted the first UK Land Speed Trials in 1905 on the three mile stretch of beach. Until relatively recent times, Filey was also within the East Riding. In 1906 the UK Land Speed Record attempts were relocated further north to Saltburn By The Sea, where the distance was improved by having five miles of hard and firm tidal sand.
BACKFIRE's Race the Waves at Bridlington, is a unique 'Theatre of Auto-Motion' where the Yorkshire Coast motor sport heritage is combined with the influences from the American street races of the post-war era.
"The intention from the beginning of the Race the Waves journey in 2018, is to pay tribute to the historical motor sport usage of our Yorkshire beaches, by creating a mobile and exciting exhibition with automobiles."
Paul Garbutt