Portrush’s sands become the racetrack this weekend — and you can watch for free

Action from previous years at the Portrush Beach Races event, organised by Knock Motorcycle & Car Club. (All Images: Ken Cox)

Friday 16 October 2026

The setting is a familiar seaside favourite. The soundtrack this weekend will be engines, as motorcycle and quad racers take to Portrush’s East Strand for two days of competition on the sand.

The Ramore Portrush Beach Race returns on Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October, with Ulster Quad Champion Emma Wray heading the announced entry list and spectators invited to watch free of charge.

For anyone swapping a weekend walk for an afternoon watching motorsport, racing is set to begin between noon and 1pm on both days, tide permitting. Here, the sea has a say in the schedule.

A champion in the line-up

Wray brings an Ulster title to a quad field competing across Expert and Club classes. Alongside them, Adult Solo riders will contest Expert, Semi-Expert, Clubman, Veterans and Sports Solo races.

There is more than one chance for riders to make their mark. Each class will complete practice runs and four races daily, with individual races lasting five to seven laps.

For spectators, that means the opportunity to follow the same competitors through several races as the afternoon unfolds, with commentators helping to tell the story of the action.

East Strand takes centre stage

Now in its eighth year, the event is organised by Knock Motorcycle & Car Club, which is working on a new layout for 2026. Details have not yet been released.

Behind the racing is the work of club volunteers, first-aid teams, commentators and supporters who help bring the event to the beach. Complimentary programmes will be available, giving newcomers as well as regular followers a guide to the weekend’s competition.

Ramore Restaurants is the title sponsor, with race support from HTM Motorcycles, Jet Products, Stephen Russell Motorcycles and Balloo Hire. The club has also thanked Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council officers for their assistance in organising and promoting the event.

How to catch the racing

• Dates: Saturday 17 and Sunday 18 October 2026.

• Venue: East Strand, Portrush, County Antrim.

• Start time: Between noon and 1pm on both days, tide permitting.

• Programme: Adult Solo and Adult Quad competition, with practice runs and four races per class each day.

• Race length: Five to seven laps.

• Spectator admission: Free on both days.

• Event programmes: Available free of charge.

For the riders, the weekend is about competition. For those watching, it is a chance to see a familiar stretch of the North Coast in a different role: East Strand as a racetrack, with an Ulster champion among those taking on the sand.