Kayden Downing crowned Grasstree King of the Beach 2022
Mackay has been hosting beach races for almost 100 years and the 2022 edition of the King of the Beach was staged at Grasstree Beach last weekend, as the main feature of the Bullet Bikes Superstore Motorcycle Beach Races event.
These days the event is staged by the Gum Valley Motorcycle Club with the help of Mackay Regional Council and other local businesses.
Townsville’s Damien Koppe has largely reigned supreme in recent years and been the man to beat, but this year Koppe was bested by both Kayden Downing and Andrew McLiesh in the battle for the Steve Dinsdale Memorial ‘King of the Beach’ trophy.
Kayden Downing won the 2022 running of the King of the Beach 0.4s ahead of Andrew McLiesh, with Damien Koppe, Daniel O’Brien and Ricky Barney completing the top five.
Andrew McLiesh took the Street Bikes overall win with a 2-1 result, over Michael Carew and Kayden Downing.
In the Quads, Edward Feitz topped the 500 cc class, with Gregory Brooks winning the over 500 cc.
Kayden Downing added the Up to-300 cc two-stroke overall to his tally, winning the class across three races with a 1-2-2 result, ahead of Dean Muscat and Michael Carew.
Kayden Downing also won the Up to-300 cc four-stroke overall with three race wins of three races, ahead of Jordan Gilmore and Joel Nix.
It was a similar story in the 301-450 cc four-stroke class, with Downing winning ahead of Joshua Grajczonek and Ricky Barney.
In comparison, Michael Kirkness won the 301-650 cc two-stroke class with three wins, ahead of Darren Walker who took runner up in all three races. Jonathon Warrel was third.
Damien Koppe was the 451-750 cc four-stroke victor meanwhile, with two wins and a third ensuring the win over Ricky Barney and Michael Brooks.
King of the Beach 2022 Results
| Pos | Rider | Gap |
| 1 | Kayden DOWNING | 0.000 |
| 2 | Andrew MCLIESH | +0.413 |
| 3 | Damien KOPPE | +5.413 |
| 4 | Daniel O’BRIEN | +7.504 |
| 5 | Ricky BARNEY | +15.307 |
| 6 | Steven EDEN | +16.899 |
| 7 | Joshua GRAJCZONEK | +18.014 |
| 8 | Darren WALKER | +19.291 |
| 9 | Chad TURNBULL | +20.496 |
| 10 | Mitchell WALKER | +22.933 |
| 11 | Jack MILLBURN | +24.686 |
| 12 | Michael BROOKS | +24.963 |
| 13 | Clinton BLACKMUR | +34.376 |
| DNF | Michael KIRKNESS | 0.000 |
Street Bikes 1000cc Overall Results
| Pos | Rider | Total | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | Andrew MCLIESH | 72 | 22 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | Michael CAREW | 63 | 25 | 20 | 18 |
| 3 | Kayden DOWNING | 56 | 14 | 22 | 20 |
| 4 | Michael BROOKS | 51 | 18 | 18 | 15 |
| 5 | Chad TURNBULL | 45 | 13 | 16 | 16 |
| 6 | Mitchell WALKER | 45 | 16 | 15 | 14 |
| 7 | Daniel O’BRIEN | 42 | 20 | – | 22 |
| 8 | Scott MARTIN | 42 | 15 | 14 | 13 |
| 9 | Vincent BROSNAN | 36 | 12 | 12 | 12 |
| 10 | Joshua FARRELL | 13 | – | 13 | – |
0 – 300 2/- Overall Top Five
| Pos | Rider | Total | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | Kayden DOWNING | 69 | 25 | 22 | 22 |
| 2 | Dean MUSCAT | 61 | 22 | 14 | 25 |
| 3 | Michael CAREW | 58 | 18 | 20 | 20 |
| 4 | Michael BROOKS | 52 | 16 | 18 | 18 |
| 5 | Mason PERCY | 46 | 14 | 16 | 16 |
Quads A – 0-500cc Overall
| Pos | Rider | Total | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | Edward FEITZ | 72 | 25 | 22 | 25 |
| 2 | Patrick CONWAY | 56 | 20 | 18 | 18 |
| 3 | Trevor STANGER | 54 | 18 | 16 | 20 |
| 4 | Joe GAUCI | 47 | 22 | 25 | – |
| 5 | Gregory BROOKS | 42 | – | 20 | 22 |
Quads B – over 500cc Overall
| Pos | Rider | Total | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | Gregory BROOKS | 75 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | Edward FEITZ | 64 | 20 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | Todd ROBERTS | 22 | 22 | – | – |
451-750cc 4/- Overall
| Pos | Rider | Total | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | Damien KOPPE | 70 | 25 | 25 | 20 |
| 2 | Ricky BARNEY | 63 | 22 | 16 | 25 |
| 3 | Michael BROOKS | 56 | 18 | 20 | 18 |
| 4 | Trai SULLIVAN | 46 | 15 | 15 | 16 |
| 5 | Joshua GRAJCZONEK | 42 | 20 | 22 | – |
301-450cc 4/- Overall
| Pos | Rider | Total | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | Kayden DOWNING | 72 | 22 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | Joshua GRAJCZONEK | 58 | 18 | 18 | 22 |
| 3 | Ricky BARNEY | 47 | 25 | 22 | – |
| 4 | Jack MILLBURN | 44 | 14 | 10 | 20 |
| 5 | Jacob MAINWARING-SAMWELL | 44 | 13 | 15 | 16 |
301-650cc 2/- Overall
| Pos | Rider | Total | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | Michael KIRKNESS | 75 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | Darren WALKER | 66 | 22 | 22 | 22 |
| 3 | Jonathon WARRELL | 54 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 4 | Lachlan CONDON | 46 | 16 | 15 | 15 |
| 5 | Christopher HANNS | 45 | 15 | 16 | 14 |
0-300cc 4/- Overall
| Pos | Rider | Total | R1 | R2 | R3 |
| 1 | Kayden DOWNING | 75 | 25 | 25 | 25 |
| 2 | Jordan GILMORE | 64 | 22 | 20 | 22 |
| 3 | Joel NIX | 62 | 20 | 22 | 20 |
| 4 | Max BERNETT | 54 | 18 | 18 | 18 |
| 5 | Scott MARTIN | 47 | 16 | 16 | 15 |
