Bermudian professional motocross rider Jyire Mitchell put on a show for the thousands of spectators in the first leg of the Coney Island Pink Sand Scramble 2.0 by winning the two expert races on Sunday.

Mitchell, also the event organiser, flew off the blocks and finished comfortably in both races, beating off competition from ten other riders, with the 27-year-old pocketing a huge chunk of the $10,000 purse.

“I got a good start and had a great day of racing,” Mitchell told The Royal Gazette.

“I don’t really have any tactics and I’m not really worried about the racing as I’m more worried that the day goes well.

“Everyone had fun and we no violence and no alcohol, which made it a good event for the whole family, including children.”

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Mitchell is hoping to continue growing the event but needs more financial backing if the Coney Island attraction is to go truly international.

“We need to get some more funding to bring in better people,” Mitchell said. “I can't keep doing it out of my pocket.

“The three Americans that raced today are professionals, they are good riders and they’re fast. But I think we could do better with more sponsorship, it’s a community event and a lot of hands were put in to make it better.

“We had $10,000 for this race. I get between 30 to 40 per cent of that, then the rest gets broken down between second, all the way down to the last rider. Next weekend we’re bringing in different foreign riders with the purse at $5,000 just for the professionals.

“The other classes raced today and they’re racing again next weekend for combined points. We’ll have a champion for each class. Next weekend’s going to be better. It’s going to be more fun, more inclusive to the people and more inclined towards just having a good time.”

Jason Dragonetti, from South Carolina, had no regrets about his last-minute decision to race in Bermuda for the first time.

“I found it on Instagram and then I had a couple of buddies actually send it over to me,” the 27-year-old said.

“With Jyire putting on a great event, I loved it and it was a great day. I would also bring so many friends from back home over and this was just an all-around great experience.

“Bermuda’s awesome and so was the racing track as I do similar stuff to this back at home. I would love to get more people from back home over here and it will be a really cool event next year for them to come out as well.

“The people around here are so friendly, it’s such a cool environment with everyone over the fence cheering and it was awesome.

“I’m not coming back for the January 4 event because I have to work, but I’ve got to get more time next year and enjoy everything that Bermuda has to offer.”

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Addison Emory, of North Carolina, who was making his second appearance on Coney Island, commended Mitchell for arranging a high-quality event.

“It was just a fun and amazing race as Jyire always puts on a good show,” the 30-year-old said.

“I came out last year and it’s always good competition. The track is fun and flows, so I’m already excited for next year.

“You can't beat racing next to the water with the scenic view. It keeps you in a better state of mind riding than in the States that I’m used to.

“Overall, it’s fun. The crowd interaction is unbelievable, they were getting into it on the side of the track, almost hyping me up more than they do in Supercross with 50,000 fans.

“All in all, this race was awesome. I like the hill a lot and that sand as you get into it, step on the gas, have fun and glide through.

“I would have loved to be here on January 4, but I’ve got Arenacross back in America. I definitely plan to come back next year.”

Also racing in Bermuda for the second time was Dylan Kucowski, from New Jersey. The 24-year-old had issues navigating the course.

“Second time was definitely a lot rougher and the track was definitely challenging this year,” Kucowski said.

“The track was really rough with a lot of rocks. I did struggle a little bit, largely because I haven’t ridden in over a year, so I was tired out there.

“Jyire asked me to come so I had to show back up again for the second year. While my races did not go according to plan, the experience is what really matters for me.

“The crowd's great and they were cheering the whole way around the track. It’s all part of the experience racing in Bermuda.”

While there were plenty of thrills in front of the huge crowd there were also plenty of spills, with some riders showing great determination by continuing their races even after crashing. Only two competitors were forced to pull out and both of those came in the novice race as a result of bike issues. .