Ken de Dycker late entry for Beach Race at Weston
By TMX Archives on 11th Oct 12
RHL Activities is excited to announce that MX1 factory KTM star Ken de Dycker has made a last minute decision to join his MX2 counterpart Jeffrey Herlings for his debut beach race, which is fuelled by Monster Energy, at Weston-Super-Mare this weekend.
De Dycker, who is known for his expertise in the sand of his homeland in Belgium, is a 28-year-old racer and is looking forward to a new type of challenge to conclude his successful season with the KTM squad. It will certainly be no easy task, as the 6'2 star will be racing his younger teammate Herlings, who is arguably the fastest sand rider in the world at the present time, along with the more experienced beach racers Shaun Simpson and Brad Anderson, who have both been podium finishers in the past.
De Dycker has a noticeably unusual style and it's going to be an exciting spectacle to see him racing around at the maddest and baddest race, alongside the many fans that take on the three-hour endurance challenge this year.
"It is quite late for my entry so we've not got the best set-up possible and I'll be running a fairly standard bike, but I have seen some videos from before and there are a lot of spectators, so I'm really looking forward to doing the race for the first time with the aim of continuing for the next few years. I have done one long race in the past, but I just hope we don't have any problems, so I'll be trying to keep enough fuel on-board, stay relaxed and not push too hard because it's a long race," said De Dycker.
"I've heard the start straight is long, so I hope my bike will be fast down there, as it's a bit of a disadvantage for me with my size, but we'll be modifying the bike and changing the gearing to compensate. From a results point of view I'll definitely be racing for the podium, as it's in every racers mind to do his best, but I think it's possible and I can ride sand pretty well. I do know it's different though on the seafront, and the closest I've got to racing on the beach is riding in the winter at Dunkirk. There's some good competition; Herlings is fast but it's all about riding my own race and you never know, as anything can happen. I know you have to be careful with the other riders and it can be a bit crazy, but I'm really looking forward to it," concluded the Belgian racer.
The RHL Beach Race at Weston-Super-Mare is no easy feat for any of the riders taking on the challenge. Bike preparation, strategy and endurance is key to good results, so this may be where the experience that Anderson and Simpson have will play its part. De Dycker won't want to go home empty handed though, and at this 30th anniversary event it's going to be one of the most exciting line-ups, comprised with a load of off-track entertainment to form part of one of the most exhilarating events yet.
Tickets can be obtained on the event weekend at the Weston-Super-Mare seafront, where a bumper crowd is expected to see the hundreds of riders thundering down the beach. More information can be found by logging on to www.rhlactivities.com
