As someone who comes from a background of highly organised motorsports Bridlington’s Race the Waves seems absolutely bonkers. Circuit racing and historic rallying are extensively regulated right down to your underwear.
By contrast, Race the Waves appears to be anarchic and unregulated, though that would be unfair. It is a well organised event with safety concerns uppermost in their mind. The cars are generally home built and look like it. This is part of their charm. Built only to the limit of their imaginations, the cars are not restricted by engine size, performance modifications or aerodynamics.
I admit that I am unfamiliar with the cars that take part or their engines, but this is part of the joy. No two cars are the same and their owners are more than happy to tell you all about them. And you don’t need to spend a fortune to dress in the period costume. Just roll some turnups on your jeans, put on a white T-shirt and your good to go.
The basic concept of Race the Waves is simple. You wait until the tide goes out, run on to the beach with a start and finish line, add some cars and motorcycles and drag race until the tide turns and you pack up and clear the beach.
Not many people know that in 1905 Filey (just a few miles up the coast) was the first beach to host a land speed record attempt. In 2018 Paul Garbutt was commissioned to organise a new event to attract visitors to the East Coast. With little experience but a lot of enthusiasm Paul put together a successful first event. The event has grown strongly into a 4 day event attracting over 30 000 visitors.
Paul Garbutt in the top hat:
Bridlington is an ideal location for beach racing. A long beach, a great promenade for spectators and lots of support facilities (ie food and drink).
I cannot recommend this event more strongly. There are plenty of other things going on including a classic car show by the Bridlington Lions, a Steampunk gathering and of course all the classic British seaside attractions. Credit also to East Yorkshire tourism who had the vision to see the potential in autotourism (I think I just created that term). Car enthusiasts tend to be older, high spending and just what holiday towns like Bridlington need, especially out of season.
We understand that next years event will take place on September 11th -13th.
