Fireblade Beach: Winner Interview, Malle Beach Race 2026

Malle Beach Race Winner James Hitchcock on his ’99 Honda CBR900RR Beach Racer…

At the 2026 Malle Beach Race, the focus was more on completing rather than competing, as a host of classic, vintage, and supremely “inappropriate” motorcycles tore across the sands in various races and classes.

“No one is expected to win, in fact, we’ll all lose together, in style.” -Founder Robert Nightingale

That said, when you get a lot of moto-friends together, someone’s going to want to win — if only to chug the podium champagne and secure a year’s worth of bragging rights. And who wouldn’t want to take home a winner’s trophy hand-crafted each year by the legendary Rag and Bone Man? Built from parts donated from the previous year’s winning motorcycle, it’s one of the coolest trophies an amateur rider can put on their shop shelf or mantel.

The Derby was the grande finale — a knockout sprint race where the top 10 racers from each class lined up for one last do-or-die showdown on the sands. It’s no simple drag race, though it starts like one. The riders have to make a sandy hairpin turn at the end of the stretch and come streaking back across the sands in the opposite direction.

As our photographer and correspondent Kati Dalek (@kayadaek_photography) describes:

“Somehow, in the middle of all this beautiful chaos, James Hitchcock stormed to victory in Sunday’s dramatic Derby Final aboard a Honda Fireblade. Watching a superbike ripping flat-out across a beach while spraying huge walls of sand into the air is exactly the kind of wonderfully stupid spectacle the Malle Beach Race was built for.”

Kati conducted an interview with James after the event. Below he tells us a little about his background, his bike, his mission, and winning The Derby on a 130-hp CBR900RR Fireblade…with a hangover!

Interview with Winner James Hitchcock:

Hi, I’m James Hitchcox, 48 years young, and grow up in Harrow North London. I worked in the world of BMX bikes from 2002 to 2018. I then moved to West Yorkshire in 2011. Where I could ride enduro dirt bikes way easier than inside the M25 so it has become home for me. I now work for Toyota Material Handling, fixing fork lift trucks out on the road as my 9-to-5 and do the occasional bike event.

This was my second time at the Malle Beach Race and I came with a mission. The year before I came with my lovely 1991 Kawasaki KDX250 that I restored. Got it out the van, lined it up outside the bus, then on to the beach, and the gearbox broke and would go into second gear. Only had neutral and first so it was game over for that year. I watched the event and thought about what I needed for next year.

I bought the 1999 Honda CBR900RR two weeks after that beach race and started the hunt for bits. The 16” front wheel needed to be 17” so I could get a knobbly tyre on it. Trimmed and lifted the mudguard to fit. New water hose pipes as the old ones were cracked and brittle. Removed all the unnecessary stuff. Stand, mirrors, bar ends. Number plate. Belly pan, etc., etc.

Found a guy selling the long swingarm and had to have it. New longer chain and a larger rear sprocket by five teeth. My concern was stretching the Mitas Stone King on the wide rear wheel. I had to ratchet strap the middle of the tyre down hard then it finally seated. I thought about riding position — I knew I needed my weight to be over the back wheel. So got some lower pegs and some higher and swept back bar risers.

I had to get a replacement subframe, as the street fighter one wasn’t welded together. It was screwed with self-tapped wood screws and I had no way to move about. So I got the track CBR seat unit that’s a bit lower than standard.

Then she was ready to rip. Tested it once on the road outside my house and it just wheel spun in every gear. Took the good edge off my new tyre. Typical!

So the Malle Beach Race was its first outing really and turned out really well. Saturday’s drag race I won the sprint, got into third gear pinned — it was a blast but scary trying to stop. Got my derby sticker. Well chuffed. Then partied at Lowlife Margate with my old London housemate “Horsey” and other friends Sat night. Feel pretty rough Sunday morning, I went to a local cafe. I thought I had plenty of time as I waited four hours Sat before riding.

Got the text I was riding in 15 mins! So I shot off, parked the van, and came straight into the knockout heats where a KTM 890 knocked me out in the fourth round — he was flying. Just had the derby later and that all went to plan. Go fast, turn slowly, go fast. As it’s long, it’s a bit of a pig to get round a sandy hairpin with any speed. But it all worked out really well in the end. 😎