The Bexhill 100 - The 2001 Event
The Bexhill Observer report
Verdict: Bigger and Better Than Ever!

Bigger and better than ever. That was Bexhill's 12th annual celebration of the day it made national history.

Fitful sunshine brought out the crowds. But a cold wind kept them off the beach.
The result was a colossal turn-out, even by the standards of the Bexhill 100 Festival of Motoring.
Crowd estimates over Sunday and Bank Holiday Monday were put as high as 60,000.


The Car and Lady Competition
Out of adversity came added success. When wet weather and delays in reinstating Southern Water's Galley Hill stormwater tank works seemed likely to put Sutton Place open space out of use, organisers obtained permission to use part of the De La Warr Pavilion car park.
At the last minute, Sutton Place dried sufficiently to be pressed into service. But use of the pavilion car park plus the Transport Preservation Group's hail-and-ride historic bus service effectively extended the festival from De La Warr Parade and out into the town.
Much of the town centre had a carnival atmosphere with places at pavement cafes in demand despite the chill easterly wind. Scene-stealer of the festival was European Motorcycle Stunt Champion Kevin Carmichael.
His three-times-a-day demonstrations brought the crowds flocking to the rails.
The champ threw his powerful Suzuki GSX-R1000 about like a toy. Wheelies, endos, burn-outs and doughnuts were executed with contemptuous ease.
He stood on the speeding bike. He rode it racing backwards. He stood on a spark-inducing rear bar and rode it vertically.
When he burned-out his clutch competing in the Drays Uphill Dash he completed Monday's programme on a street machine.
Contrasts always abound at the 100. Waiting their turn on track after Cavorting Kevin were Bexhillians Dave Masters and Maggie Davis on a 1911 Triumph motor-cycle combination
Kevin Carmichael performs for the crowds

The ASCAR speeds down the track		 Battle driver Henry Taylor gave the festival faithful a brief glimpse of what the new ASCAR (Anglo American Stock Car Racing) machinery will be like in action.
Dave Grabham's blown alcohol altered-class dragster Freddy's Revenge thrilled daily with a series of brief bursts down the course.
Both cars are capable of more than 200mph - a far cry from the 54mph winning speed at the 1902 Bexhill Motor Trials - Britain's first international motorsport event.
There were plenty of reminders of those days, however. Bexhill enthusiast Michael Kent had his latest acquisition, an 1899 Peugeot, in the opening parade.
Eastbourne Pipe Band heralded the opening procession on both days. Rother chairman Cllr Nick Ramus arrived on Sunday ni a chauffeur-driven 1912 McLaughline-Buick that was itself light-years away from the Sebring Sprite of the chairman's successful circuit-racing youth.
Bexhill's firefighters pulled off a romping victory over Hastings colleagues in Sunday's fire engine-tug, a gruelling strain at the ropes in aid of the Fire Brigade's Benevolent Fund and the British Heart Foundation.
Hastings evened the score on Monday but Bexhill retained the record for fastest time.

The Bexhill 100 traditionally offers something for all the family, from the funfair rides to the elegant costumes of the vehicle-and-lady competition; the one-make owners' clubs such as the North Kent Lotus Group and the East Sussex Morris Minor Club to trade stands which.
Notably this chilly May Bank Holiday these included one hopeful selling sun cream!
Basket-case stories always abound.


Puuuuuuuull.......
William Curtis, of Woking, won Sunday's motorcycle concours d'elegance with a 1953 350cc Matchless found rusting in a barn at Shepperton.
The machine was one of a batch of eight bought by the Home Office in Cold War days to form a Mobile Fire Column in the event of nuclear attack.
Bill said: "It was absolutely devastated when I found it in 1996...
"As I moved the bike there was some sacking underneath. In it were the panner bags, complete with AFS insignia.
"The 'tin-work' like the mudguards and tank were ruined. It cost £700 just to have the tank re-built."

A miniature traction engine		 Others had achieved that authentic period look by building from scratch. Dwarfed by such steam-driven giants as Gysbertinea, Colleen and Ebenezer, were beautifully-machined scale model traction engines.

Maid Of Iron was crafted from scratch by heating engineer Richard Morgan of Bexley - "Well, I'm used to working with boilers of another sort.." he said dismissively.
Two years of work went into making every piece of the four-inch scale ride-on replica of a 1920 agricultural engine from the wheels upwards.
Despite her size, Maid Of Iron can pull a truck or turn a 1.5 kilowatt dynamo.

The Bexhill 100 Marshals
(Click for big pic)
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