SandAce spectacular crushed from within
THE international SandAce Championship has reached the end of the line after more than a decade of putting Guernsey on the motorsport map.
Following a member vote at the recent Guernsey Motorcycle and Car Club annual meeting, the popular annual sand racing event that attracted visitors from across Europe and drew hundreds of spectators to Vazon Bay each summer has been cancelled.
The reason cited is that members would prefer to have another fixture during the short regular season.
Mike Clarke, who has organised the event for 14 years, was not best pleased by the decision and feels that many others share his views.
‘Obviously, people are sad about it,’ said Clarke.
‘It started quite small in 2006 and we upgraded it to a British Championship with the sidecars in 2012 and, latterly, an international quality event.
‘It became one of the main meetings in the UK only to be scrapped, basically.
‘The club is a democracy, but I thought it was a short sighted decision and made by people who wanted to have an extra meeting.
‘They feel they were losing a race meeting, but I feel it was great for Guernsey. People came from the UK just to watch, hundreds of them, so [cancellation] was a real backwards step in my view.’
Clarke added that he has received messages from across Europe in addition to the widespread social media reception.
SandAce legend Mitch Godden, a five-time winner in the early days, wrote: ‘Thank you for giving me and all the other UK riders the opportunity to try something new, unique and outrightly special.
‘I’m sure the legacy of the door you’ve opened for so many will live on to some degree.’
GMCCC vice-president Marc Maubec heeded such comments and feels that there is still ‘a hunger’ for an event of this level.
‘It needs to be more inclusive for the members of the club who support the discipline throughout the year, in a similar manner to the National Hillclimb,’ added Maubec.
