Green light for Bexhill remote-control racing track

On Monday (January 11), Rother District Council’s cabinet approved proposals to lease part of St Mary’s Recreation Ground to 1066 Racing – a local RC racing club.

Through the lease the club plans to create a permanent home at the site, with planning proposals expected to come forward in the near future.

Among those to welcome the scheme was council leader Doug Oliver, who said: “It is really is very imaginative, very clever, very exciting and I think it is a first and a novel sort of thing for us to be supporting.”

He added: “1066 Racing are so well organised and it is nice to be involved with people in that way.”

Once granted the lease, the club plans to seek planning permission to enclose the space with fencing in order to operate the track safely.

Initially the club would only operate during the summer, although in the long term (and if finances allow) the club plans to install astroturfing, which would allow it to operate later in the year than on a grass course.

In winter the club would continue to hold its meets from its current, pre-lockdown, base at the Horntye Park Sports Complex in Hastings.

Speaking to the LDRS, 1066 Racing spokesman (and World Rallycross commentator) Andrew Coley said the club’s plan is to create a venue to get more people involved in the sport. 

Mr Coley said: “Bexhill has got this wonderful history of motor sport, being the first venue for an international motor race anywhere in the world, but we don’t have any motor racing.

“No one is going to build a Grand Prix circuit in Bexhill-on-Sea, we get that, but it would be nice to have some form of racing in the town.”

He added: “The best thing about it is it will be somewhere for people to practice, so if someone wants to go up there and run a few batteries through their car or meet their friend to use their car, then they can.

“We would hope as well that if somebody local has an electric radio-controlled car they might be inspired to come up, watch the racing one day, and think ‘you know what, I’ll join in’.”

To demonstrate their plans for the site, 1066 Racing held a showcase racing day at the recreation ground back in August. 

Among those attend was Cllr Jay Brewerton, cabinet member for health, wellbeing and inclusion.  She said: “I visited with my kids and my friends and we spent a good couple of hours there. 

“My eight-year-old daughter was so impressed she actually gave away all her birthday money, Christmas money and pocket money to buy one of the cars. It has been a very educational experience, because we are forever putting the thing back together again.

“We can’t wait until it officially opens and are really looking forward to seeing that up there.”

Cllr Brewerton was also keen to reassure residents that the track would not pose a nuisance.

She said: “I just want to reassure some of the residents who are concerned. It is genuinely a really sensible, safe and quiet sport. These are really high-tech cars, there are no whirring noises which are really irritating at different pitches.

“There is a wide spectrum of people who are involved, of all ages, from young to old, from professional business backgrounds, families to retirees.

“They usually meet fortnightly [and] there are about 10 to 40 people that will be at any meet and at special events the most they have ever had was 70 individuals.”

The lease approved by cabinet would be provided for five years at a peppercorn rent of £1 per annum, with any costs for maintenance to be covered by the club.