In Pictures: Weymouth Beach Motocross 2024

Hundreds of riders took to the beach which had been transformed into a race track

Thousands of people lined Weymouth's promenade for the town's annual beach motocross.

Strong winds on Sunday morning eased in time for the races, organised by Purbeck Motocross Club and Weymouth & Portland Lions Club.

The beach was transformed into a motocross track, with 300 riders taking part across eight races.

A smaller demonstration event on Saturday saw riders and spectators making the most of the warm, sunny afternoon.

This was the 40th running of the annual race.

The event has been held almost continuously since 1984 and has raised hundreds of thousands of pounds for local charities.

A raffle and collection raised £1,800 for the Lions Club, which has helped organise the races for 38 of the past 40 years.

Jake Shipton received his trophy from Mike Humphries of the motocross club and Ryan Hope of the Lyons Club

The Expert class was won by Jake Shipton, who passed Charlie Putnam on the final lap in the second round.

Putnam finished second overall with Alfie Calvert in third.

The juniors class was won by Tommy Hobday, Alex Harvey won the seniors, and Jim Davies took the trophy for Veterans over-40s.

The racing has helped raise thousands of pounds for local charities

A two-minute silence was held before the start of racing on Sunday to remember commentator Paul Hardy, who died this year, and former district governor Mark Lockie of Weymouth and Portland Lions Club.

Part of The Esplanade and Custom House Quay was closed until 17:00 BST, with the race village set up in the Pavilion car park.

Poor weather early on Sunday morning gave way to allow good conditions for riders and spectators, whilst Saturday's demonstrations had sunshine.