A guide to the world’s craziest off-road racing events.
Since the 1960s, off-road racing has become a global phenomenon, pitching man against man, the environment and the elements. Today, events are held all over the world and the beaten track never ceases to become wilder, more dangerous or unpredictable. Vehicles big and small tear through rocky mountain ranges, harsh desert valleys and long beach stretches, doing whatever it takes to be the first across the finishing line.
From November 2008, you can experience this yourself in MotorStorm Pacific Rift exclusively available on PLAYSTATION 3 – and to get you in the mood and give you a taste of where playing the game might take you, here’s a run-down of the world’s five most daring off-road events.
Fink Desert Race (King of the Desert) – Australia
Held every June since 1976, this multi-terrain, two-day race runs straight through the middle of the Australian desert alongside an old railway track which snakes through red dirt, sand, spinifex, mulga and desert oaks and crosses the Finke River. Six hundred competitors race the 460km course, which was originally mapped out for motorbike riders.
The race’s increasing popularity has seen the inevitable introduction of cars and buggies, with a fierce rivalry to win the title of King of the Desert. For 11 consecutive years, the bikes were too quick for the cars; but in 1999, a buggy returned home first and claimed the prize. In 2005, the race was split into separate contests for two- and four-wheelers – although there is still healthy competition to see who completes the race fastest.
Weston Beach Race – United Kingdom
Now in its 24th year, the UK’s biggest off-road race attracts more than 800 vehicles including quads, sidecars and motorbikes to the English seaside town of Weston-super-Mare. Racers compete in a three-hour endurance race over a complicated, rugged course of sand embankments, water holes and jumps.
The track is filled with dunes, sea water and tight turns that lead into a long, flat beach stretch, putting riders and machines to the ultimate test of reckless off-road racing and speed. Past winners of the competition have included ten-time World Motocross Champion Stefan Everts. Whilst competition between two wheels and four wheels is present - there is no doubt that the glory of off-road beach racing belongs to the motorbike.
Enduropale du Touquet – France
The French town of Le Touquet has hosted the world’s largest off-road beach race since 1975. Today more than 1,000 motorbikes and quads take part, with 250,000 spectators filling the seaside town for the three-hour race. Held in February, the race provides serious competition and an important date on the French social calendar – attracting families, Motocross fans and plenty of partygoers, as the usually quiet, chic seaside resort is transformed into a roaring mass of bikes, quads and spectators. The race route stretches 16 kilometres along Le Touquet beach and onto the quieter beachfronts of Stella Plage and Merlimont, where crowds lessen as racers tear through the stunning seaside scenery of the French coast.
Laughlin Desert Challenge – United States
Run by SCORE International Off-Road Racing, this popular US event has attracted hoards of motorsports fans and racers from around the world since its launch in 1995. Held over two days in a desert resort town near the shores of the Colorado River, the race sees spectators cheer on 150 of the best off-road desert racers, including many successful competitors from the Baja 1000.
The biggest attraction of the event is the temporary stadium that surrounds the start and finish line area. A total of 16 different classes of cars and trucks are split into seven highly competitive groups – with races running two to five laps each over the 11-mile loop across rocky terrains and harsh desert.
Baja 1000 – Mexico
Now in its 46th year, the Baja 1000 began in 1962 when a two-driver motorcycle run was held from Tijuana to La Paz across 1,530 km of rocks, sand washes, dry lake beds, cattle crossings, mountain passes and paved road. The race was won in 39 hours 56 minutes, with both drivers boasting of close encounters with death.
In 1967, a four-wheel buggy beat the record by more than five hours - and the competition between four wheels and two was born. The next year, the National Off-Road Racing Association (NORRA) began to host the event, attracting entries from motorcycles and stock four-wheel vehicles such as cars, trucks, ATVs, dune buggies and more. The contest is now hosted by SCORE International Off-Road Racing and its triumphant wins, fierce collisions and near-death crashes continue to uphold its reputation as one of the world’s most merciless off-road racing competitions.
If these races grab your interest, you’ll want to either equip yourself with a vehicle or invest in a copy of MotorStorm Pacific Rift exclusively for PS3. It’s got 16 multi-route tracks to conquer, 8 vehicles classes to throttle competition with (including the brand new Monster Truck) and an incredible tropical island setting to tear up – it’s the closest you’ll get to the real thing
