Enduro of Touquet

The Enduro of Touquet is a race motorcylcist which was held in the dunes of the Touquet-Paris-Beach (Pas-de-Calais) and which became the greatest race of Enduro of Europe. It is henceforth called “Enduropale”, and its course, in a preoccupation with a safeguarding of natural dune space, extends on the beaches from Merlimont, Stella beach and the Touquet-Paris-Beach.

Actually, this race on line corresponds more to the definition of the endurance any ground than to that of the enduro.

History

It is Thierry Sabine, attached communication to the town hall of the Touquet-Paris-Beach, which had the idea in 1975 to transpose to France the races of enduro of mass which were very popular with the the United States. The first edition, baptized Enduro of Sands gathered 286 competitors. Developing year by year, the competition became an major event at the European level, with 1 200 competitors and 300.000 spectators. The race proceeds each year one Sunday of at the beginning of February. Recently, a race of quads proceeds the day before.

Characteristics of the race

Enduro of Touquet

It is a race which proceeded in two handles (maintaining only one), and which is opened with all, amateurs and professionals. It is held in the littoral dunes and on the beach. It is very spectacular, of many motor bikes having much evil to cross the dunes and causing agglutinements and falls. From one three hours duration, on several lathes, the layout puts at evil the competitors and mechanics. An important public adds a phenomenon of concentration motorcyclist, and constitutes a true festival of the motor bike. In addition, an ecological protest movement wanted, at one moment, to make prohibit the test because it destroyed the dunes and the public did not respect them either by leaving with ground refuse. The organizers succeeded, by a better organization, to reconcile the various points of view.

Enduropale

The edition 2006 was renamed Enduropale and presents nothing any more but one course of about fifteen kilometers only on the beach in order to preserve the dunes.

It is the experiment and the success gained in Enduro of Touquet which motivated Thierry Sabine to create in 1979 the Rallye Paris-Dakar on the same principle of the competition open to all.

At the time of this race, the winner of the holeshot (first to pass the cord of the 1° turn) gains a profit (1500 € in 2007).

Quaduropale

The day before Enduropale, FM organizes a race of Quad S under quasi-similar conditions with those of the race of motor bikes.

Prize list

Statistics

Arnaud Demeester 6 victories
Kees Van DER Venn 5 victories
Eric Geboers 3 victories
Thierry Béthys 3 victories
Jean-Claude Mousse 2 victories

External bonds

Official site

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