“Flat out along the tide line, slam on the brakes and then turn left towards the dunes into the loose wet sand. The car is struggling, the tires are fighting with the sand, important to keep up the speed in the deep ruts in the many corners, if you lose too much speed you immediately get stuck in the loose sand”…. The INTERflame Beachrace
The INTERflame Beachrace in Ijmuiden is a tradition, every year on average 50 off-roaders fight for two days on the Kennemer beach for the unique chance to be the winner of the only beach race in the Netherlands!!! Man and machine are tested to the limit, the IJmuiden sand is notorious, not famous! This is the only race of the Dutch championship that consist entirely of sand. A pleasure for most teams, but at the same time a huge challenge for the cars, all that sand…. That’s often heavier than many dunes in the desert!
Behind the dunes, sheltered from the strong sea wind, a fully-fledged rally bivouac is built for the weekend. Before and after each special, the mechanics are frantically working on the cars. There is always something to do, if a repair is not needed then there is always a small improvement or adjustment that can be made to gain that little bit of extra speed during the next special.
The beach race is a unique race, not only for the teams but also for the fans, it is the only race of the Dutch championship where the spectators can follow all the action safely from the beach. A fantastic spectacle, watching the cars release their horsepower along the edge of the North sea, to then start the next lap with a series of technical turns and jumps as they head back along the dunes…. a treat for every motorsport and 4×4 fanatic.
