Despite only deciding to ride at the infamously tough Weston Beach Race on Thursday, Heads & All Threads Suzuki rider, Graeme Irwin, took a great win at the prestigious event and on his first attempt too.
The Northern Irish MX1 rider got away with the front runners and was inside the top ten, but as the laps ticked by, Scott Elderfield had pulled a decisive lead over everyone. As Irwin made his way into second place Elderfield was far in the distance, but after two and quarter hours Elderfield’s chain snapped handing Irwin the lead and he proceeded to tackle the beach with grace, even lapping the field up to third place.
All of Irwin’s hard work nearly came undone with just over a lap to go when one of the 30 or so deep built up dunes bit back and spat him off to a heavy landing with his RMZ450 following suit on top of him. He managed to remount and limp home ahead of Nathan Watson to take the chequered flag after the gruelling three hour race, in quite obvious pain.
“With just over one lap to go, I came over a jump and just bogged a bit and landed front wheel heavy, went over and the bike landed on my back,” says Irwin.
“Apart from that it just shows how good the stock Suzuki is – I only decided on Thursday to ride the race, came down here, had a few beers out on the town on Saturday.
“In the race I didn’t really know I was in the lead or anywhere near that, I saw Watson a few times, but I’m just here with a friend, no big pit crew to tell me what to do or get a race strategy!
“We just rocked up here and I’m meant to go to Japan tomorrow to compete in the last round of the Japanese Championship, so fingers crossed I haven’t done too much damage. I’m pumped that I won though, really pumped.”
