Sand race meeting loses British status after ferry changes
THE biggest sand race meeting of the year has lost its British Championship status after the main sponsor was forced to remove one of its ferries from service.
The Guernsey Motorcycle and Car Club’s annual Condor Ferries International SandAce event, which attracts many visiting riders, was first held in 2006 and has been a British Championship meeting since 2012.
Condor will be taking the Rapide out of service on Friday 15 June – the day before the meeting – and revised ferry times have made the trip length unrealistic for some visiting competitors.
GM&CC SandAce chairman Mike Clarke said Condor had given 13 years of fantastic support to the meeting and the ferry operator was equally disappointed with the situation but it had no choice as repairs were needed to the vessel.
The Liberation would be covering the St Malo route which meant the GM&CC could only get seven returning vehicles on the boat on the Sunday with the remainder having to travel overnight on the Monday meaning they would not get to Portsmouth until Tuesday.
‘This would mean most people being away for five or six days which is impractical for most and would result in a decimated line-up which no-one wants to see,’ said Mr Clarke.
‘It’s been a heartbreaking decision for us but we will back next year and are determined to make 2019 the biggest and best SandAce meeting yet.’
The Royal Court had approved the date for racing and organisers said it would be a shame to waste it.
A meeting would still go ahead under the ‘Battle of the Beach’ title and six side-car outfits and and seven solo riders from the UK or Jersey had submitted entries.
Youth riders and cars would also be taking part and there would be trophies for each class.
A Condor spokesman said sailings at certain times of the year could be very popular and were often booked up well in advance of travel.
‘It is unfortunate that at the time of booking there was limited space available to accommodate all riders and vehicles travelling to and from Poole and alternative services offered were not deemed acceptable by the SandAce participants,’ he said.
‘It is disappointing that the British SandAce Championships will not be contested on the island this year as we have been proud sponsors and supporters of this event for over a decade.
‘We are meeting the organisers shortly to ensure planning for the 2019 event takes place well in advance.’
The Rapide will be out of service for five days for essential work which could not be done when it was in dry dock earlier this year.
