It is a usual sporting and spectacular event on the Landes coast. After years of fighting against erosion and awareness of pollution, is it still fashionable to praise a competition of nearly a thousand bikers? Sepanso calls for an outright ban on motorcycle racing on Hossegor beach.
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Like every year for 30 years, the Ronde des sables welcomed motorcycle enthusiasts for this race which represents the third stage of the French sand racing championship and the final of the world cup.
950 riders at the start, motorcycles launched at full throttle on the beach, the opportunity for the public to enjoy the show and the scenery, whether they are bikers or not. “There is the sea nearby, it combines pleasure and sport” we can hear. And others, a little envious, would like to be in their place.
No one could wonder, despite the obvious pleasure of the visitors, about the fact of offering such a sporting event, on these dunes which have already been subjected to severe tests for around twenty years. The organization assures, for its part, that measures have been taken to preserve the dunes and biodiversity.
Cédric Boizieau wants to be reassuring. “The track was built using construction equipment. Small piles of sand which are all along the route to clearly delimit the passage of bikers and their motorcycles. At no time can they go out“.
In addition to the arrangements to protect the track with piles of sand, chicanes to slow down the pace and the channeling of spectators, they looked at the impact of the race
We did an environmental study over four seasons…on the dune side.
Ronde des Sables organization
For Sepanso des Landes, this is insufficient. “There is an environmental impact“. The association for the protection of natural heritage recalls that the sector is strongly affected by erosion and in a “Natura 2000 habitat” zone, a European classification. Georges Cingal insists.
The situation is not acceptable under current conditions with a withdrawal of the coastline and a modification of the dune base sector.
Association SEPANSO Landes
Sepanso hopes that the next edition will be held on a specially designed circuit. Which is already the case for half of the stages of the French sand motorcycle championship.
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