German Flat Track Race: All welcome

From Jan-Willem, Dutch Brothers...

Could you spread the word for this event on 12 June? Homberg-Ohm is a beautiful setting in Westerwald, Germany. The track is nice and hard and not too big. We will split in two groups so it will be an excellent opportunity for rookies to have a go. We rode there several times in the past and always had a great time. further detail on www.dutch-brothers.com thanks a lot! 
Jan-Willem

Hells Race, Belgium

After competing at Dirt Quake III a trio of Belgians bought or built their own dirt trackers and entered the UK's DTRA series. Two or three of them were at every race but one (that clashed with their long-running chopper show back in their home country) and the end of season presentation.

Now they're organsing their own one-off event, the first ever flat track race in Belgium, we think.

It's called Hell's Race, it's at the Helzold Speedway track in Belgium (120 miles from Zeebrugge, 170 from Calais) and it happens June next year. Lots of camping near the track, practice Saturday, race Sunday.

This is not a Dirt Quake-type event, more like a DTRA race, but they have a class for complete novices, on street trackers, scrambler, whatever, and other classes very similar to those we run in the UK. Day licences will be available.

Sideburn will be there and we'll post up more details as we have them. G

Why 15?

 

A great story from Jan-Willem of the Dutch Brothers Racing - just about the most enthusiastic dirt tracker in the whole of Europe - about why he rides with number 15 on his bikes.

When I was 8, my dad took me riding in Nivelles. 
I had a little Montesa Cota 25 automatic. That day he let me try his Cota 348 with 6 gears. this was the first time I rode with gears. The bike was way too high for me so he had to launch me and catch me when I wanted to stop. 

Nivelles is a place in Belgium where there was a big motodrome. That same day was a karting championship race. There was one driver who used a different racing line and was really quick. He was wearing number 15 and inspired me. From then I used number 15. I found a picture, perhaps you recognize him.

Below is Jan-Willem powering out of a corner on his Harley XR1000 framer - that's his brother Mick, 16, behind him. Below that, crossing the line at a DTRA heat on his Rotax, under the lights at King's Lynn this year.

And this is a shot Ben made for Sideburn #1, of Jan-Willem on his Mule-built KTM DTMX at Lelystad speedway track. Note the dainty footwork.

Italian Rookie Day

Following on from the Lonigo Golden Pairs post earlier this week...

Italy has a 20-year history of flat track. It was introduced by famed bike industry mover and shaker, the late Carlo Talamo. Talamo was the first serious importer of Harleys (and later Triumph) to Italy and commissioned 20 Wood Rotax racers for a one make series in Italy. (Note: Wood Rotax was the Harley factory's chosen single cylinder racer for short tracks and TT racers, where XR750s were inappropriate. H-D rebadged the Wood as Harley 500R's). Talamo also ran a Sportster-based series.

Racers like Marco Belli and Jacapo Monti  competed in the series, then went into flat track hibernation when the marketing potential of the series diminished and no one stepped up to keep the sport going.

That was until Peter Boast launched the UK series in 2005 and the Italians started regularly undertaking the huge drive out to England for our amateur races.

Now there is a growing scene,  regular races and a very competitive, but quite small championship in Italy.

Off the back of this renewed interest is a desire from less serious racers and road riders to have a taste of  flat track. Yamaha and Riders magazine got together (with additional support from BMW and Alpinestars) to host practice for over 100 rookies, some of them riding mildly modified SR400 road bikes.

Raffaele from the Streetracker blog was there and writes this...

International flat track rider Lele Marzotto and Riders magazine organized Golden Pairs in June, 21th and 22th, in Lonigo speedway track. Golden Pairs is a weekend of flat track and speedway races in a pair but, overall, in the last edition, it was a big opportunity (and totally free) for 110 novice riders to practice flat track for the first time. 

Riders mag involved Yamaha who supplied four SR400 for the mini courses managed by Lele Marzotto and Marco Belli (Marco modified the the SR with flat track seat and tyres). Other bikes were available thanks to Marzotto crew. 

Two little ovals were drawn in the large corners of the track where we learned the right position on the seat, and built confidence with the bike by doing donuts. Then we were given ten minutes of short laps of this mini oval of twenty meters. 

At the end of every day, the big experience of four laps on the speedway track on a stint of five or six riders at the time. Everybody ride brightly and nobody fall down with serious effects but overall everybody asked to organizer to repeat the experience as soon as possible. 
Now there is a facebook account to keep in touch Italian riders: https://www.facebook.com/groups/259385230906196/?fref=ts

All photos: Raffaele Paolucci/ Streetracker except where stated.

Riders writer and Sideburn's friend Paolo Sormani seems to be enjoying himself

The photographer Raffaele Paolucci takes to the track. He shot the cover of Sideburn 11. (Photo: Ottonero)

Lonigo Golden Pairs Report

Photo sent to us by the excellent Raffaelle from streetracker. This day of flat track went off at the Lonigo track in Italy in late July. This is part one of the report - the Golden Pairs.

On Saturday night, a lot of heats for the Golden Pairs race won by Fabrizio Vesprini and Francesco Cecchini with the Honda CRF450 Martin Technology of Fabrizio Vesprini Racing. The Dash for Cash was won by Francesco Cecchini and Gala race won by Gianluca Compri with a good number of spectactors.

Above and below, Lorenzo Buratti on the converted KTM 450 he brought all the way to England to race with the DTRA on the Friday before Dirt Quake.

#5 is SB fave Jacapo Monti.

Lorenzo Buratti KTM 450

Lorenzo Buratti is Our Kind of Man and had just built this KTM 450. He's racing it in Italy and plans to bring it to England to race the night before Dirt Quake III at  King's Lynn 18/19 July. Click the green Lorenzo Buratti label to see the other things he gets up to.

This is what he says about his bike...

KTM 450 Flat Track, based on a EXC enduro model year 2005, modifications include: complete 19″ wheels, suspension, exhaust system, balanced crankshaft & piston. The fiberglass monocoque body is quick realease to have rapid acces to engine during races tune up, inspired by drag racing cars. Rear subframe is cut and lowered in order to have low seat and centre of gravity. The bike is fired up by an external starter.
If you want to transform your cross or enduro bike into a ready to race flat track machine drop me a line to ask for what about the costs.

Go to Lorenzo's facebook or website for contacts - lorenzoburatti.com

Fasciani Flat Tracker

I found some photos on my hard drive, but I can't remember who took them, where or when. Perhaps Alberto Narduzzi. I think that's FIM World Champion Vesprini on board, but I can't be sure. Useless, I know. Nice shot though. G

Miskolc by Zenit 11

Earlier in the year, the final round of the inaugural six-round FIM World Flat Track championship was held in Miskolc, Hungary. A bunch of the hardcore Brit racers went on the drive out, as did the Italians. So did long-time Hungarian Sideburn correspondent, Peter Guld. He took these photos with an old Russian film camera, a Zenit 11, and Kodak Gold 200. Here's what he says...

The race (FIM Flat Track Cup) was incredibly good. Fantastic riders, fantastic weather, and a brilliant final. The new wave of the dirt track scene (Collins, Marzotto, Woolley) against the pioneers (old school guys, as Boastie, Belli and Vesprini). 

In the final we saw a fucking big battle between Vesprini and Collins, at the end Collins finished in the first place followed by Vesprini and Woolley. This was enough for Vesprini to win the Cup, so he is the champion in 2012. Signor Fasciani was there too, so it was a big celebration. Before the race Vesprini led the championship with only one point before Woolley. So everything was really cool. 

At the end of the day I grabbed the Zaeta from Belli and I made a few laps, so I became the jester of the event. My bad luck that Woolley got the bike too and showed to everybody, that bike is perfect, just the big guy wasn't on the top.  But I enjoyed a lot, who knows when will you get another chance to ride with a world class bike like this. Marco was again generous and lovable as always.

Czech Republic this weekend!

From Jan-Willem Dutch Brother.

Flat track weekend in Svitavy

Track location: 49° 45' 11.0" N 16° 27' 6.0" E 
 Friday 16:00-19:00 
Saturday 10:00-19:00 
Sunday 10:00-19:00 

cost: 300 CZ krones for the weekend

Swedish Flat Track

The Belladonna Trackers guys stopped romping in their underground Stockholm dungeon long enough to go out to one of Sweden's many speedway ovals for some dirt track fun. And Jan-Willem and Tom from the Dutch Brothers drove all the way from Switzerland (a loooong way) to give them lessons and tasters on their bikes.

Our friend Marcus, of Marcus Moto Design, went along and said this...

It was cool to see a real flattrack bike ride a track! Thanks to the Dutch Bros who brought 2 bikes, did some races together with speedway and motocross riders on 450 crossers. They let the riders try their bikes and everyone had a blast! My 4 year old boy was stoked! 
 I hope that this is the start for the sport in Sweden and we can see built-it-yourself bikes as the ones in the UK. 
 Hopefully we will have more of these official training sessions for flat track in Sweden this year. Belladonna will then have their bikes ready and hopefully a handful others!
Marcus

Photos above by Belladonna, below by Marcus.