Speed demons gather in Eastbourne

Riders from all over the world whizzed down the new super fast Beachy Head road this weekend as Canadian Scott ‘Scoot’ Smith was crowned the International Gravity Sports Association (IGSA) third World Cup Series winner at Eastbourne’s Go Fast! Speed Days.
Riders came from across the globe to compete in the second ever UK leg of the IGSA World Cup event this weekend, with 160 competitors travelling from as far as Australia, Brazil and the USA to take part.

Thousands of spectators cheered on some of the world’s top gravity sportsmen and women over the three day event, with the youngest competitor aged just seven, and the oldest an admirable 57 years old.

Eastbourne Borough Council Spokesperson for Tourism, Cllr Steve Wallis said “Go Fast! Speed Days 2008 proved a real winner with fantastic weather over all three days, providing perfect conditions for the riders to compete. In its second year, the World Cup series event enjoyed a very successful year and it was brilliant to see such a vast range of competitors taking part and all cheering each other on! The atmosphere at Beachy Head was great and there was a significant increase in the number of spectators, I can’t wait to see this event get bigger every year!”

With just two races remaining in the 2008 World Cup series, ‘Scoot’ looks set to take the crown with three wins now under his belt. Great Britain’s own Pete Connolly scooped second place in Sunday’s Final with his best ever timing on home soil, and Norway’s Christopher Sanne took third position on the finishing line.

The free event also saw a very special competitor race down the recently resurfaced Beachy Head road on Friday, as Blue Peter’s newest presenter, Helen Skelton tried her hand at downhill skateboarding.

Taking tips on the world’s most dangerous gravity sport from former world champion, Michael Stride, the daring presenter successfully skated all the way down the 1.5km course. Blue Peter fans can watch Helen’s feat when the episode airs later this month on 23 September.

Kris Yule, Director of Go Fast! Sports UK said “Go Fast! Speed Days 2008 was a great event in a spectacular location with some of the world's best speed racers enjoying the Eastbourne course and looking forward to returning in 2009.”

The thousands of spectators who gathered at the picturesque Beachy Head this weekend also witnessed Formula Gravity achieve an official world record as their VXR Nimbus soapbox reached speeds of 62mph.

Eastbourne Borough Council will now be working closely with Go Fast! Sports and the UK Gravity Sports Association (UKGSA) to look to bring the event back for 2009.

For more information on Go Fast! Speed Days visit visiteastbourne.com or gofastspeeddays.com.