Vintage lifestyle and automobile festival, Race the Waves, will return to Bridlington this April.
This unique event within the UK motoring calendar is returning to the East Riding Coast from Thursday 20th to Sunday 23rd April 2023, with highlights including two days of vintage beach racing at the South Bay in Bridlington.
BACKFIRE, the event organisers, consider their creation ‘a theatre of automotion’. Attendees will be treated to a free spectacular of vintage American hot-rod style vehicles and motorcycles, racing the waves along the South Beach in pairs from a flagged start.
The Race the Waves weekend will also feature a static auto show, containing vintage and classic vehicles displayed on South Marine Drive. The auto show is promoted by BACKFIRE and is supported and organised by members of the Bridlington Lions and the Bridlington Gold Radio roadshow. The event has also gained the support of a Bridlington youth group, the Bridlington Red Admirals Majorettes, who will offer performances to the visitors throughout the weekend.
After their success at Race the Waves 2022, there will be several refreshment vendors and community stalls, as well as entertainment, along the Princess Mary Promenade at this year’s event. There will also be a limited number of souvenir brochures available to purchase in Bridlington over the weekend.
Visitors to Race the Waves 2023 won’t need to worry about being able to see the vehicles. The auto show area on South Marine Drive offers a safe environment to view the vehicles on display, along with uninterrupted views of the beach race activity below. The roof area above the Yorkshire Water Pumping Station on South Marine Drive provides further opportunities to safely view the beach activity and is especially accessible for those with impaired mobility. The Princess Mary Promenade offers the very best opportunity for the visitor to safely navigate all the viewing possibilities for the beach activity.
The Race the Waves Vintage Beach-Race is free for the visitor to watch and enjoy and is easily accessible on foot by being only minutes away from the Belvedere Park & Ride.
To compliment the weekend event, the Race the Waves organisers BACKFIRE have added the following to their event’s programme:
Thursday20 April
11.30: in conjunction with the Burton Fleming Village Hall committee, there will be a lunchtime vehicle gathering at the Village Hall in Burton Fleming.
13.30: in conjunction with the members of the Regeneration of Bridlington Old Town (ROBOT), a vehicle procession will proceed through the Bridlington Old Town High Street for a photography promotion. Please note that there will be a suspension of parking and a road closure on the Old Town High Street from 12.30 – 15.00.
18.00: in conjunction with the Bridlingon Classic Car Club, there will be a classic vehicle gathering at the Flamborough Lighthouse.
Friday21 April
10.00 – 17.00: Church Green, Old Town Bridlington is once again home for the beach-race vehicle technical inspections and the beach pilot registrations. Bridlington Gold Radio are supporting the atmosphere of this area with their roadshow. Please note that there will be a suspension of parking and a road closure at Church Green from 07.00 – 19.00
18.00: a cruise for vintage and classic vehicles only, will gather and leave from Church Green, taking in Sewerby Fields and the Cliff Top Road to the North Bay ahead of arriving around 19.00 at the Bridlington Centre for Young People (CYP).
Please also note that a road closure will be in operation on South Marine Drive, from junctions with Belgrave Road to Shaftesbury Road on Saturday & Sunday from 08.30 to 17.00 each day to accommodate the static auto show.
Adam Toes, tourism events and project manager at East Riding of Yorkshire Council, said: “Last year’s event was a huge success and a fantastic boost to tourism in the town of Bridlington.
“We are delighted to host the event again this year and we look forward to welcoming visitors and residents to come down and enjoy this spectacular event. The event is completely free and well worth coming down to experience some vintage motor exhibitions.”
Race the Waves is a joint event between East Riding of Yorkshire Council (Visit East Yorkshire Events Team) & BACKFIRE.
For Race the Waves information please visit their website: www.backfireinfo.weebly.com
Race the Waves enquiries:- email: paul.backfire@outlook.com or follyboy@live.co.uk
Social Media links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RtW.Full.Throttle.Action
Instagram: @racethewaves.beachrace
To find more about events delivered and supported by the Visit East Yorkshire Events Team across the East Riding of Yorkshire please visit www.visiteastyorkshire.co.uk or follow Visit East Yorkshire on social media channels.