A highlight of the Kirkcaldy sporting calendar could be swept away due to a lack of participants.
Organisers of the motorcycle sand races say that only a handful of riders have signed up to take part in next month’s event, placing it in jeopardy.
The spectacular sight has drawn thousands of spectators to the town’s promenade in recent years, however unless racers are willing to ride to the rescue before entries close next Saturday, then organisers say that cancelling the event is a real possibility.
Jake Drummond, from Kirkcaldy and District Motor Club, said: “We’ve had little interest so far from riders looking to make a firm commitment to the event and unless we can ensure 24 riders minimum, we’ll have to cancel by next Saturday.
“We have advertising and medical cover to pay for and these need to be cancelled with 14 days notice or we lose payment.”
The smell of petrol fumes and the roar of engines was an annual occurrence on Kirkcaldy’s beach from the late 1920s until 1948, when Kirkcaldy Motor Club began a grand prix event in Beveridge Park.
However, bikes continued to race on the beach until 1972.
Keen to re-establish the event, Kirkcaldy and District Motor Club organised a demonstration in 2012, which attracted around 3,000 people to the waterfront, and the event has been held annually since.
This year’s races are scheduled to take place on Saturday September 19 with another huge public turnout anticipated.
However, while support from the public is not an issue, finding those willing to put on the spectacle is, prompting an urgent appeal for racers to rev up and save the occasion.
The event has been planned for the past 12 months, with organisers choosing next month’s date to coincide with favourable tide times.
However, with riders unable to sacrifice championship commitments elsewhere to attend the one-off competition, Mr Drummond has set a deadline of noon next Saturday before making a call on whether to proceed with this year’s sand races.
“I understand that two similar events have taken the same weekend dates and that riders may have made arrangements to attend, but I need to know as soon as possible,” he added.