Weston Beach Race 2009
13th October 2009
11th October 2009
A beach-front bike race at Weston-super-Mare, in Somerset, which is considered one of Britain's most challenging motorcross events, was cancelled after a massive pile-up left 21 riders injured.
The Weston Beach Race attracted 30,000 spectators to its twisting three-mile course carved into the sand.
An 85cc youth race went ahead as planned this morning, but the main event of the weekend, the adult solo race, was scrapped after the huge crash less than a mile into the start.
A collision within the main pack as the competitors headed up the main straight, led to ''a chain of events'' that caused the multiple falls.
The race, featuring 800 competitors, was stopped immediately after the incident to allow the medical services safe access to the track, organiser RHL Activities said.
The most seriously injured rider - aged 16 - remained "critically ill" on Sunday evening, a spokeswoman for St John Ambulance said.
Other riders were taken to hospital after the incident and treated for minor wounds.
One rider sustained what RHL describe as ''more serious injuries'' and was taken Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, where he was being assessed.
With most of the medical staff occupied driving the injured riders to hospital, race organisers took the decision to cancel the event due to safety concerns.
A beach-front bike race at Weston-super-Mare, in Somerset, which is considered one of Britain's most challenging motorcross events, was cancelled after a massive pile-up left 21 riders injured.
The Weston Beach Race attracted 30,000 spectators to its twisting three-mile course carved into the sand.
An 85cc youth race went ahead as planned this morning, but the main event of the weekend, the adult solo race, was scrapped after the huge crash less than a mile into the start.
A collision within the main pack as the competitors headed up the main straight, led to ''a chain of events'' that caused the multiple falls.
The race, featuring 800 competitors, was stopped immediately after the incident to allow the medical services safe access to the track, organiser RHL Activities said.
The most seriously injured rider - aged 16 - remained "critically ill" on Sunday evening, a spokeswoman for St John Ambulance said.
Other riders were taken to hospital after the incident and treated for minor wounds.
One rider sustained what RHL describe as ''more serious injuries'' and was taken Frenchay Hospital in Bristol, where he was being assessed.
With most of the medical staff occupied driving the injured riders to hospital, race organisers took the decision to cancel the event due to safety concerns.
