The previous, accident damaged car
You can see stills of the accident here (scroll down to just below halfway and look for a crash involving car 47), and the motor is still awaiting repair in Andrew’s mum Enid’s garage!
After missing a couple of races because of a family bereavement, the meeting scheduled for July 16 on St Ouen’s beach, Jersey, was cancelled thanks to the appalling weather.
Andrew with his latest sand-racing car
So a truncated season picked up again on Saturday (July 30), with Andrew competing in his new car, an Adrian Flux Insurance sponsored red Mazda 323F.
It was the car’s first proper run-out, and Andrew finished third in class, but…the car blew a head gasket and the family face a race against time to get the car ready in time for this Saturday’s meeting.
Some late nights working on the car loom …
For more than 60 years, the vast sandy beaches of Jersey have played host to the spectacular sight of dozens of cars and motorcycles racing each other, and the tides.
Andrew started racing at the age of 15 in the junior class and is looking to follow in the tyre-tracks of his uncle, Dave Price, a former sand racing champion.
Andrew Godfrey with his new racing overalls
Richard Buchanan, vice president of the Jersey Motorcycle and Light Car Club, said racing on the sands had taken place every year since just after the second world war.
“We’ve got some lovely beaches here which dry out a long way when the tide’s low, and they obviously thought it would be a lot of fun to race on the beach,” he added.
“It’s certainly a spectacle and it’s a great sport to watch from the seawall when the sun’s shining.”
Children as young as six can take part on small motorbikes, with each round started by the Jersey flag and comprising five races of 10 laps.
The final race takes place on September 17.