Thousands of motorcyclists descended on the seafront yesterday to celebrate their passion for two-wheels.

As the Ace Cafe Reunion reached its climax with the Brighton Burn-Up, bikers showed off their gleaming machines. Crowds stretching from Black Rock to the Palace Pier looked on as hogs, sports motorcycles, custom-made bikes, street machines, mini-bikes and trikes roared by.

Bikers have congregated at the Ace Cafe in London since the Fifties and the reunion is an annual event.

The highlight of the three-day happening is the Ride With The Rockers from the cafe down to Brighton.

Not everyone travelled the whole route. Richard Beal, 51, who arrived from Gatwick on his Harley Davidson Softail, said: "I love the people and the noise. It's a relaxed atmosphere and it's a great place to see all the different bikes."

Dressed in leather, Karen Elmslie, 40, and husband Nick, 45, rode from Bournemouth on their Triton.

Mrs Elmslie said: "This is really big in the biking calendar. We're meeting up with friends from London and it's a break from the children."

Among the attractions was the world's first mobile drag strip, the Mad Strip, where two bikers can compete side-by-side on motorbikes fixed to a floor and reach speeds of above 140mph.

Stuntman Andy Madcourt, 41, who owns the Mad Strip, said: "You go through the gearbox very quickly. It's like riding a bike on nitrous oxide but instead of using drag lights, we use traffic lights."

Other attractions included bands, beer and stalls.

Organiser Mark Wilsmore said: "We've got a huge number of mods and rockers enjoying their heritage and enjoying Brighton. There are people here from all over the world."

George Tsuchnikas, in charge of the marshalls, estimated there were at least 10,000 bikes along the seafront yesterday.

Julie-Anne Gilburt, 33, who runs a gallery and studio on the seafront, said: "It's a great atmosphere. On a sunny day you can sit for hours looking at the bikers' leathers, badges, hair-dos and tattoos."

Meanwhile, racers descended on Madeira Drive for the Brighton Speed Trials on Saturday. Hundreds of vintage cars and bikes battled it out in various classes to complete the quarter-mile course the fastest.