Saturday 21 December 2013

Cafe Racer Festival 2014

This is going to be good. It's not just for cafe racers, but all kinds of performance specials. Cafe Racer Festival is held at the historic Montlhery banked oval, dating from the 1920s. Sideburn went last year, not knowing what to expect, and loved it. It's run by our friends at Cafe Racer magazine in France (the original Cafe Racer, not the American pamphlet). G

Art by Lorenzo Eroticolor

9 comments:

Hot Shoe said...

Wow. What a fantastic place. You've got to give credit to the French, if that had been built in the UK they would have torn it down and built houses and flats on that years ago.

Sideburn Magazine said...

Britain might not have a 1920s complete oval, but it hast he greatest and most varied motorsport community and calendar in the world, squeezed into the tiniest space. We're spoilt rotten and I, for one, are very grateful for that. I give credit to the British. G

Pete Stansfield said...

Love to go to that but of course its the same weekend as a hundred other things, bugger.

Nick said...

I believe it was very nearly demolished not so long ago, and it was only a concerted campaign, that got it saved, Going to try and get my act together this coming year and get to this event

Nineteen 62 said...

I need a copy of that poster....

Hot Shoe said...

Not sure what Britain having the greatest and most varied motorsport community has got to do with what i said but i still admire the French for preserving that stand and oval. I doubt very much if that would have happened in Britain.

Sideburn Magazine said...

Dear Hot Shoe
My comment was a reaction to what I perceived as the 'the grass is always greener' tone of first comment of this post. It was a reminder for people in the UK to be grateful for what they've got, not to worry too much about looking over the neighbour's fence and wishing. It came off the back of another comment I saw on a bike website that said 'England is shit and nothing good ever happens here'.
I'm not putting your comment in that bracket, but while I'm glad the French have preserved the Autodrome I didn't think comparing the situation to what would, has or might have happened in Britain, a much smaller country with a larger population, should go without a caveat.
People from all over the world read this blog and they need reminding or educating, that no one has it better than the motorsport fan in Sideburn's home - the UK. I don't have time to list all the iconic sporting events we have here.
It wasn't personal, hence the reason I didn't address it to you. It was part of what has become a discussion.
Also, if we thought in American terms, France is closer to many of us in the UK than a neighbouring STATE is to many Americans. If you think of it like that, Montlhery is virtually British anyway.
Have a good one! G

Hot Shoe said...

G, i can assure you that i'm very patriotic but just because i don't like something on this island of ours or sometimes disagree with the government i doesn't make me any less patriotic. Unfortunately money is the God on these shores and that's what i was pointing out. In my experience the French generally have a much more laid-back approach to life which i think is a good thing and will fight for something that they hold dear which we often do not. Just to prove i'm as patriotic as the rest i'm sitting here in my Union Jack shorts (and yes it can be called a Union Jack anywhere it is flown and not only when it is flown on a ship) eating my Sunday dinner of roast beef with roast potatoes and yorkshire pudding which was washed down with a couple of pints of Bateman's XB. Yes i know if was a real man it would be Triple XB (XXXB) but i'll save that for the evening. Happy Christmas to all at Sideburn.

Sideburn Magazine said...

Hot Shoe, Fight for what they hold dear? We'll agree to disagree on this one. None of this is anti-French, they have great bikes events, just not the variety or amount we do. Nearly, but not quite. G