Now in its third year, Dirt Quake is a flat-track race that encourages everyone to compete, regardless of experience or the machine they own. This year’s edition returned to the Norfolk Arena, King’s Lynn on 18-19 July, for a two-day event with a festival feel. Two days of racing were peppered with live music, jet-powered bicycle displays and a sometimes surreal It’s A Knockout feel to proceedings.
The organisers set the limits of entries at 84, with competitors travelling from all over the UK and Europe, and had to turn down dozens of would-be racers. The race classes are designed to allow people to taste motorcycle competition without the expense of investing in specialist machinery. Classes are for street trackers and street scramblers; Inappropriate Road Bikes; female riders and choppers. This year TT and TV star Guy Martin won the 12-strong chopper class on a Harley-Davidson Sportster-based special modified by Suffolk-based custom builders Krazy Horse.
Despite the sometimes chaotic-looking nature of the on-track action, Dirt Quake’s organisers (who also produce the cult motorcycle magazine, Sideburn) work closely with bikesport governing body, the Motorcycle Federation and the Dirt Track Riders Association, to produce a fully-insured and safe environment for riders to compete on the world standard speedway track.
Dirt Quake 2014 gained UK industry support from the Bike Social, Krazy Horse, Triumph, Davida, Redmax Speedshop, Racefit and Muff Customs; and was boosted by the presence of French trader Frank Chatokhine of Atelier Chatokhine.