The first round of the annual Stuck-in-the-Mud Meet has taken place in Bream, with two contestants taking part in the initial Soft Sand Stakes.
Known as the ‘Greatest Free Show on Earth’ (Ed – How many times do you have to be told? The Greatest Free Show is Carnivoo.) the event sees car owners compete to get their vehicle bogged down in the mud and covered by as many incoming tides as possible before getting towed out.
The Soft Sand Stakes are the preliminary round and see contestants park their vehicles on the softest sand available on the beach. Crowds are then encouraged to watch, point and jeer as attempts are made to remove the vehicle.
Points are awarded for wheel spins which sink the car even further into the sand and the initial value of the vehicle is also taken into account. A maximum of 100 points are given for a vehicle straight out of the car showroom and points are then deducted based on age and condition.
Current champion, Brian Muddy-Walters, of Cocklease, Bristol, was amongst the crowd. “I can’t believe they’ve started this early in the season. It sounds like there’s going to be a lot of competitors this year.”
Neither of yesterday’s entrants appeared to be serious contenders as both vehicles were removed promptly from the sand trap.
A member of the watching crowd said “All-in-all it was a bit of a disappointment really, neither vehicle was stuck in the mud and, although the tide, was on the way in, the element of peril just wasn’t there. We didn’t even get to see the Coastguard, Really Needy Lifesaving Association (RNLA) or Smalltown Area Ship, Hovercraft and Helicopter (SMASHH) in action as they didn’t attend. However, it was a welcome diversion from a walk on a sunny day.“