New lease of life for racing track

The race track on the recreation ground in Sidley is the only functioning race track in the area.

Local coach and ex-British Champion Keith Duly said: “We got to a point where the track was unusable because of its condition and so we had to stop using it just before Christmas.

“The track has to be funded by local donations and grants so we approached The Heart of Sidley. They generously gave us a grant of £5,000.

“We raised an additional £4,000 by local people donating and crowd funding.

“The money has repaired the track and made it possible to start using it again.”

The track has been the breeding ground for local talent for more than 30 years and local riders continue to travel the country and even internationally to compete. Several British Champions, world ranked riders and some of the best of the UK’s freestyle dirt jumpers rode for the club in its heyday, many of whom are still involved in helping the club.

The track is just as important today and is still helping create champions. The JumpClub race team won 2016 Kent Championships and local girl Kim Batsford was ranked world number eight in 2015 and last year was ranked number two nationally in Female 30+ class. In addition to Kim’s astounding success, Darren Uttley is British number four (male 17-29 years) and Ike Duly achieved British number eight (9 year olds). All of these stars wouldn’t be able to train and compete without the track.

The track is now fully operational and is running training sessions on Saturdays. There is currently a waiting list, so anyone interested in coaching is encouraged to contact the JumpClub BMX Facebook page. The track needs ongoing maintenance and will need a complete overhaul at some point. Bexhill Burners is run by volunteers and all money needed is raised by the hard work of those dedicated to keeping the track going. Contact Bexhill Burners on Facebook for further information on how to volunteer or donate towards the ongoing maintenance.

The Heart of Sidley would like to hear from anyone who may need a grant. Call Victoria on 01424 728042.

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