Its not vmx realivent,but a few on here will be familiar with the Europe scene and just plain sidecar freaks.
The first sign Steven and I spotted on another car in front of our newly hired car was "One life,Live it"
This was never in the plan to hire a car in France and drive on the wrong side of the road.It was a last minute option if we where to get to the sidecar GP 65km away.
We arrived after seeing more villages,cathedrals and local large white cattle in grassy hedgerow paddocks.
Arriving early our car was one of the first in the park lot,good for an early muddy exit.
In the pitsSome of the first people we came across where the Mefo off Road camp with William Liebl,Matt Bessay and Mechanic Mira Knotig,well that what the transporter had written on the sign.They mentioned they always look forward to their South Australian visits come Christmas.
The next person I had a chat to was the mechanic of #2 team,whom was standing next to a frame kit of a WSP.We spoke of the Zabel and its associated history from Maico.The Zabel is 700 cc which is developing 100 horse power and still looking for more.
The third group/team i noticed had a Silver Fern on his jersey.I made a bee line,as this guy would speak English.As it turned out he was with the Berkshire Cycle Club whom had a visit at rd11 from Graeme Eberhatd of Crystal Brook Nats organisation,Brian Anthony's father and two others.The mechanic talking was Steven Stock whom was supporting Rider Ryan Humphery/Nick Jarvis #44 VMC KTM .I noted 8 British teams in the program.
Being the third day of the race program today was shorter. Three Quad Moto's at 10am,then the sidecar warm up. Autographs at 11am.Followed by the big outfits hitting the circuit at 1.30pm.
Parts of the tracks where so steep, Im glad it was moderns powering up them.
This is a FIM circuit and the wooden stakes hugging the track didn't leave much for the imagination, especially in the last corner,pity the right handed chair passengers if they came to grief with the hay stack and rocks perched on top to keep them down. Being officials for Motorcycling Australia left us shaking our heads in amazement at the regulation MA and Australia implements on the race tracks.
One of the first questions I asked Steven was "How are they going to go with right and left hand chairs" ? his reply "Watch this"
The last 15 minutes of
sidecar practise and they pinned it up the start straight as if they where on a solo, passenger and rider as one to get the speed flowing. The rains had made the bikes and those on board work harder.It you stayed in the track centre you had 100% trackion.
We moved ourselves back up the hill to take in another vantage point and stopped at a steep hard pack gully on a left hand corner excellent for a right hand outfit.
Warm up finished and it was the Volvo excavators shot to do some track adjustments.While smoothing and making some nicer passing lines the operator was good at holding onto the hill slide only slipping down the odd meter or so
. If you think your home track is hard to maintain you need to visit Europe.
Writing of what differences they have in France at mx, brings me to the great idea they have of using a whistle to communicate to the flaggie at the highest point that the track is clear to go for the next race. Amongst the normal track noise you also get Hooters, horns and every other noise instrument from spectator for rider support. What a riot ~ the supporters love it
26 Outfits moto The grid was full with the second line behind ,much like the spectators on the fence though if you moved slightly your spot would be taken fast,as Steven learned by standing sideways.This let another in to watch.
Id been pinching myself all week that we where actually here/there (yep self harming) but I really needed to slap myself as this was just unbelievable. The grid full and made it out of the gate, up around the big sweeper all shiny sides up.
8 British Teams,3 German,4 Netherlands,8 French,2 Swedish,1 CZE, 2 Aut (Austria?) and the other teams of combination of Europe.
After that stunning race Steven and I moved to the opposite end of the circuit to the farmers paddock, with hedgerow as a boundary. This put us on the start straight left hander. Steven kept filming the start and while I ducked for cover across the paddock
being one metre away from the gridfull.
This experience took me to the thousand odd photos I've seen of the European circuit's where spectators are right on the track in 60's/70's.Heart pounding.
Rain was arriving and the hillside become a sea of umbrella's,the locals obviously were aware of the season changing into Autumn.
The
last moto and the crowd had grown to over full by 4pm.I wasn't as intimidated as when we first got to France in Nice,as I was getting used to being in a country with 66 million others.
I stood on top of the flat ground hill top by the bar. We called it a bar , even though everywhere you went in France alcohol of some kind was readily available.Steven headed down to the start gates as he'd lost/deleted his first moto photos from his camera.
One hill had a very deep rut mid track, if you got stuck in this on very little power you had no hope.! Watching the top guns take this part in there stride was just awesome. They would power on from the bottom, bounce off the small lip on the hill and continue on into the right hander, there was no stopping these guys.
At presentations Steven noted these teams didn't even has a sweat up or look red in the face.
Quads where on and was so hard to find a pass, this only happened while in the air over a jump. The leader was half a lap in front easily Jeremie Warnis #63 DWT 430.It was 2nd-7th place where the action was.3rd place got filled in #151 Yoann Gillounin on a Yam 450/4.
I will say this it was stunning to watch two grids of sidecars leave the line at once,Stevens 50th April birthday wish come true.
ps Bet TM Bills livin a dream today at Farleigh Castle
