By 1987, the Weston Beach Race had already cemented itself as one of the most uncompromising motorsport events in the UK. What began just a few years earlier as a bold experiment on the sands of Weston-super-Mare had grown into a full-scale endurance battle that drew riders from across Britain and beyond.

The 1987 race followed the now-iconic format: a mass start on the beach, hundreds of riders launching flat-out along the hard sand before being funnelled into deep, punishing sections that tested bikes, bodies, and nerves. With a course stretching for miles and a race duration measured in hours rather than laps, survival was just as important as speed.

Entries ran into the hundreds, spanning solo bikes, sidecars, quads, and a mix of machines that reflected the anything-goes spirit of the era. The conditions were typically brutal – shifting sand, mechanical failures, and rider fatigue ensured that simply reaching the finish was an achievement in itself.

What made the 1987 edition stand out wasn’t a single dramatic incident, but the scale and attitude of the event. It embodied a time when beach racing was raw, lightly sanitised, and unapologetically hard. The fact that the race was later released on VHS says everything about its reputation – this was must-see motorsport.

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