DANISH BEACH PARTY

Vintage racing on the beach in Denmark.

- TONY THACKER

People have been racing on the beach more or less since the invention of the automobile. The Race of Gentlemen, the event that relaunched modern beach racing in 2012, can trace its origins back to 1905 and a 1-mile race in Cape May, New Jersey, that included Louis Chevrolet and Henry Ford. While Cape May was regarded as the "finest racing beach" in the world, The Race of Gentlemen relocated from Asbury Park to nearby Wildwood for its flatter, wider beaches and legendary boardwalk.

Over in the UK, there was Pendine, and in Denmark, Danes got their start on August 23, 1919, when Sven Simmelkær organized the first Danish event, but only after Fanø beach had been cleared of World War I mines. In 1923, driving his famous Bluebird, Sir Malcolm Campbell set the fastest time to date of 240 kph, or about 150 mph. Unfortunately, racing was curtailed the following year after Campbell lost a tire, which killed a spectator.