Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/128095
Le Touquet Beach Race (Left) No, this Is not a damaged photo. The grain you see is airbome sand In Le Goulet· the frenzied first tum at Le Touquet. lAbove) Open to amateurs and pros alike, Le Touquet has become a tradition in French off-road racing. This year, Supercrosser Thleny Bethys won for the second time in a row. first corner, it had already become a tangled mass of bikes and riders. With one lap completed by the lead riders, hundreds and hundreds of back markers still sat in Le Goulet, trying to pry their machines from the thick sand. Dodging those machjnes proved easy work for Bethys, although it was two other French riders who proved to be the masters of the early going. By the end of lap one, Bethys had pulled into third place and was chasing down fellow countrymen David Fretigne and David Hauquier. Racing a Yamaha YZ426F, FreUgne's machine looked awesome on the treacherous course, STORY AND PHOTOS BY GEOFF MEYER LE TO(JQ(JET, FRANCE, FEB. 18 here's nothing quite like the legendary Le Touquet beach race, as French Supercross hero Thierry Bethys would be the first to tell you. The French rider known as "Boom Boom" won for the second consecutive time at this year's running of the competition, and while he's got a ways to go before he'll challenge Kees Van Der Ven's record of five (see box), two straight wins at such a prestigious event are nothing to sneeze at. The Honda rider took an easy victory in the three-hour compe- 40 MARCH 14,2001 • co U co • _ tition, which is known the world over as an event of amazjng endurance and motorcycle spectacle, and for dropping riders like flies. With a crowd of 300,000 beer-drinking French Motorcycle freaks in attendance and an entry list of 1001 riders, the fact that the white sands of the French holiday resort would take a beating was never in doubt. Le Touquet goes off every year with a swarm of competitors racing through the town streets, with the prime goal of getting a good starting position for the beach race. That race begins with an all-important sevenmile charge into the first comer, but n __ s this year, the eventual winner Bethys entered Le Goulet (the first comer) a long way behind Kawasaki-mounted Laurent Wagner (who picked up $3000 for getting the holeshot). And while even Bethys (to say nothing of Wagner) made it through Le Goulet with a minimum of hassle, the same could not be said for the remaining 999 riders. White sand was thrown from the rear tires of a hoard of screaming bikes, flying through the air and onto the entrants and spectators. By the time the 20th rider hit the (Above) Another view of Le Goulet: When the top riders arrived at this tum on lap two, many amateur riders _re still trying to make their way through for the first time. yet the heavier four-stroke began taking its toll. Before long, the ISDE veteran began to lose strength, and as he slowed, Bethys raced past to take the lead. Hauquier, the event's 1997 winner, also dropped off the pace, eventually finishing outside the top 10. Further back, three-time Le Touquet winner Arnaud Demeester was struggling as his Yamaha misfired