Sideburn T-shirts

Here are the Neave twins, two of the fastest flat trackers in Europe, wearing Sideburn T-shirts.

The black one is the Bultaco Astro tech drawing design and is only available for subscribers who sign up to the great 8-issue Sideburn sub deal.
Choose to start with the current issue, 21 or the next one, 22. Remember to choose the correct size shirt.

The blue one is our back issue offer T-shirt and is just £15 (plus post) including a back issue of your choice. Just choose the size and magazine you want from the long dropdown menu.

Photo: Richard Baybutt

CR500 Tracker for Sale - Be Quick

Just found out about this, thanks Greg.

The CR500 tracker that won the 2013 DTRA Championship with Tim Neave on board is up for sale on eBay Honda CR500 flat tracker.

This bike was featured in Sideburn 14. G

Photo: Tom Whiting

Watch Superprestigio LIVE

The Superprestigio goes off tomorrow evening in Barcelona, Spain. It's arguably the most hotly anticipated dirt track race of the 21st century, and Fanschoice TV, the same great service that has brought live casts and YouTube recordings of every GNC race this year,  is offering a live feed.

If that wasn't enough, our old mate Chris Carr is guest commentator.

The official press release (aimed at Americans, hence the Eastern Time - just google it to work out what time that is where you are) says:

The Superprestigio is set to begin at 12:00 noon ET (9:00 a.m. PT) on Saturday, Dec. 13 and all of the action will be broadcast live on www.FansChoice.tv, the official home for live streaming of all AMA Pro Flat Track events.

There is an incredible line-up of riders including:

SUPERPRESTIGIO CLASS
Marc Marquez - 2014 MotoGP WC
Tito Rabat - 2014 Moto2 WC
Alex Marquez - 2014 Moto3 WC
Scott Redding
Bradley Smith
Toni Elias - 2010 Moto2 WC
Troy Bayliss - 2001, 2006, 2008 WSB WC
Kenny Noyes - 2014 CEV SBK champ

OPEN CLASS
Brad Baker (2013 GNC Champ)
Jared Mees (2x GNC champ)
Shayna Texter
Joonas Kylmakorpi (4x long track WC, who is racing a Zaeta painted by Maxwell Paternoster!)
Thomas Chareyre (3x Supermoto WC - surely a dark horse)
Fabrizio Vesprini (2x FIM Euro flat track champ)
Francesco Cecchini (2014 FIM Euro flat track champ)
Ivan Cervantes (4x Enduro WC)
Taddy Blazusiak - (5x Superenduro WC)
Guy Martin

And from the DTRA in the Open Class

Tim Neave (2014 champ), Tom Neave, Aidan Collins (4x UK champ), Ollie Brindley, Alan Birtwistle

(WC = World Champion)

The winners of each class race each other in a grand final.

Below is a photos from the @marcmarquez93 instagram feed of him practicing yesterday at the Canudas track. Many of the top riders were there.

Superprestigio - Soon

The Superprestigio organisers have moved their event from January to December, so, for 2014, there will be two in one calendar year, and it's coming up on Saturday 13 December. That leaves time for you to book a relatively cheap Euro flight out there if you fancy it.

It was a great spectacle last time, in an Olympic arena within the city, and I have a feeling it will be a 15,000-plus sell out this year.

Go to Superprestigio to find out more and order tickets (good website in Spanish, Catalan and English)

SUPERPRESTIGIO CLASS
The class for World Championship road racers.
This year there will be all three current MotoGP champions: Marc and Alex Marquez and Tito Rabat - all local riders so the atmosphere and support should be impressive.
Also from MotoGP are Scott Redding, Bradley Smith and Alvaro Bautista who are all on the provisional entry list. Spanish Superbike champion and Euro Flat Track Festival organiser, Kenny Noyes is in and Troy Bayliss is confirmed too.
No Rossi or Hayden though.

OPEN CLASS
For dirt track specialists and other disciplines, plus those who qualified through the DTRA championship and Kenny Noyes European Dirt Track Festival.
From America, Brad Baker is back and joined by 2014 number 1, Jared Mees.
UK riders include multiple DTRA champ Aidan Collins; current DTRA champ Tim Neave and European Dirt Track Festival champ Tom Neave; Alan Birtwistle and Ollie Brindley.
Dirt Quake III chopper class champion Guy Martin is racing too.
 

DTRA Amman Valley Report

Last weekend the DTRA headed out to South Wales to race the half-mile trotting track at Ammanford. With the tail of Hurricane Bertha threatening it was touch and go, but we just about got away with it.

Guto Llewelyn, (camera on his helmet) who has raced with the DTRA on and off for years, entered his first race of 2014 on a borrowed Co-Built Rotax. A very exprienced grasstracker, the rough, long track suited his style and he won the Thunderbike final. Classy.
In the morning the dust was a problem. Then, after two very heavy showers, mud and spray made it difficult for anyone who wasn't in the lead (or didn't have a front mudguard).

Juniors head out on the big track.

Restricted grid. Stu, 84R, made a comeback on a Honda SLR650-based new build.

Guy Sutherland on his recently imported Triumph. It's a replica of a Redline frame, made by VMC Racing frames. The engine is a T120 taken out to 750. When this bike is properly sorted it'll fly.

Kawasaki UK-supported rider, Ollie Brindley. Love the Co-Built low-pipe on this 450. This was when the track was dry.

And this is a few hours later... #76 is The DTRA's only girl junior Skye Adams (though we have a lady rider in the Restricted class, Leah Tokelove). #17 is Jordan Lee Miller.
PHOTO JAMES BODDY

Vintage class grid. The JAP-powered Ariel, ridden by Guto Llewelyn, didn't last the day unfortunately. The final was won by Frank Chatokhine (chequered helmet - read about this Metisse T100 in Sideburn 17). Second was Guy Sutherland on his Triumph framer. Nick Ashley was third on the Cheney Triumph. John Boddy turned up on an ironhead Sportster, obscured in this shot, but it never got quite up to speed.

Geoff Co-Built had another good day, coming in second in the Thunderbikes - he's second in the championship - behind Dave Chadbourne, who had an uncharacteristic fifth place finish.

I (GI) made the Thunderbike A final despite a few bike problems during the day. Came in 8th in the 12-man final. Could've been worse. Currently fifth in the championship.

The Pro Class main was wild. With series leader, Aidan Collins racing in Europe, twin brothers Tom (#68) and Tim Neave (#14) cleared off at the front, with Ollie Brindley (#24) behind them. Tom took the flag, but due to the final being a double points deal (because there were only 11 not 12 riders in the final), his brother took the maximum points.
Both Neaves have leapfrogged Collins in the championship, with only one round to go. If Tom Neave comes third in the next race, no matter what Tim and Aidan do, he's won the title.
It'll be dramatic.

The final round is Rye House, Herts on Sunday 21 September. Spectators go free.
For more info go to www.dirttrackriders.co.uk. G

Photos: Ian Roxburgh/Design 147 (except where stated)

Superprestigio Dirt Track

Perma-smiling, Lorenzo-baiting, elbow-scraping, physics-defying, record-breaking, five-piece-boy-band-on-wheels, Marc Marquez sewed up the 2013 MotoGP title, the toughest for a good few years, in his rookie season then decided to celebrate wit a party, an indoor dirt track party on 11 January in Barcelona - the Superprestigio Dirt Track.

As Spain made a clean-sweep of the GP titles this year, it seemed a good idea to invite Moto2 champ Pol Espargaro and Moto3 winner Maverick (yes he really is named after a character in Top Gun) Vinales.

UPDATE: The Superprestigio class is purely for GP road racers. It seems they don't want some 'unknown' dirt track or supermoto riders spoiling the party.

Thanks to Kenny Noyes, himself a Moto2 racer and a former US national dirt track champ, four British DTRA riders are also competing on the night, and they're just about the most exciting riders we have. Alan Birtwistle, Tom and Tim Neave (SB10 cover star) and schoolboy Ollie Brindley qualified to compete through their performance at November's Dirt Track Festival, at Motorland Aragon, Spain.

As I understand it, Ollie will race in a junior class, while Alan, Tom and Tim will race in the Open, support class. We've seen these riders progress for the last few years and they've all put in a massive amount of time and money, racing and practising anything and anywhere. They're all lovely fellas, obviously the cream in the UK and all three have flown to the US to race, and in many cases, beat the best flat track amateurs in their class over there.

The bikes they will be racing are 450s in DTX spec but on 17 or 16.5in wheels, not the regular dirt track 19s, with Michelin supermoto wet tyres (not sure what Ollie is racing).

US journalist and columnist Mark 'The Backmarker' Gardiner pointed out, on a US website, that you can hardly have an event called Superprestigio Dirt Track and not invite the current best dirt tracker in the world, the GNC's undisputed #1, Brad Baker. The Spaniards saw sense and sent him an invite.
I saw a tiny clip of Brad practising on 17s at the Mt Salem indoor track. The unfamiliar tyres and wheel size was the only question mark in his mind about wether he could smoke these fancy Yooropeens, and he looked incredible.

I've just spoken to Anthony at the DTRA and he says Baker will be in the support class with the British riders, but hopefully there will be a best of the best where the best of the Open race the best of the Superprestigio class. Otherwise, it's a long way for Brad to fly to race in a support class.

If any road racer beats Brad Baker on a dirt oval it will be a hell of an upset. G

 Alan Birtwistle

 Tom Neave

 Ollie Brindley

Photos by Dutch Brothers Racing

DTRA Photo DVD

From Tom at FT Photos

The end of season DVD is finally ready. I've had an absolute blast and hope to work with you both next year :) Here's some blurb, and I have attached a pic of the cover. 

The end of season photographic review DVD is ready! It contains two discs, just under 1500 photos of everything I've taken this year following the Dirt Track Riders Association UK Championship around the country, including Dirt Quake II. The cost is £30 delivered, payable via PayPal to sales@thefooleryoftom.com 

Please send me either an email at sales@thefooleryoftom.com with your name and postage address, or a private message on here to grab your copy. They are extremely limited edition and first come, first served. Please share this and let the whole flat track paddock know. 
Many thanks, it's been a cracking year. Tom -- thefooleryoftom.com

UPDATE
The fellas in these photos are racing at this weekend's Dirt Bike Show at Stoneleigh, free to spectate once you're in. Races at 11am and 2.30pm

FT Photos

Long-term friend and supporter of Sideburn, Tom Whiting has committed to shoot every round of the UK's Dirt Track Riders Association championship. The idea is to sell riders great shots of themselves, but he'll sell them to anyone. His rates are really reasonable and the shots he's getting are great, as you can see from these.
From top to Bottom: Paul Baleta on his homebuilt KTM; Ollie Brindley - super-fast junior, remember the name; Tim Neave, or issue 10 cover star, on Jon's Honda CR500 two-stroke framer; the senior juniors and our startline marshal, Krusty.
Go to FT photos. G

Tom Neave: UK Indoor Short Track Champ

A complete Lincolnshire podium. 1st Neave; 2nd Boast; 3rd Pocklington

Tom Neave, twin brother of Sideburn 10 cover star Tim, won a bare knuckle indoor final to become UK Indoor champ at the age of just 16. From the press release...

Tom Neave pulled off a fantastic pass on the last corner to take the win in Grand Final of British Indoor Flattrack Championship at Arena UK on 27th December, after having a great start to day by taking 2 wins and second in his heat races. The only rider to beat Tom during the heats was Scunthorpe's Speedway Ace Ashley Birks who also took two wins in his heat races. Other heat winners were Tom's twin brother Team Suzuki rider Tim, who had two wins, Shorttrack regular riders Glyn Pocklington also on two wins, and the big surprise of the day was Shorttrack's # 1 Ade Collins without a win in his 3 heat races. 

Tensions were running high for the start of the 12 lap Grand Final for British Indoor, with Ashley Birks on pole from Birtwistle and Tom Neave on the front row, Doolan, Boast and Pocklington behind the and Collins, Tim Neave, Koppe and Trapmore off the back row. 

On the first attempt pole man Ashley Birks and Birtwistle clashed, stopping the race, with Birks put back to the penalty line for the restart. On the first corner of the restart Collins went down, was hit by another rider and took no further part in the final [see the photo of his helmet, below]. 

Only on the second restart did everyone get around the first corner safely, with Boastie and Birtwistle side by side for first lap, then Birtwistle just edged past Boast to take the lead, with Pocklington third Birks fourth, Tom Neave fifth and Doolan sixth. On lap 3 Birks went down on turn 3 and was out, with no chance of winning after a great performance all day. Tom Neave continued to work his way through the field passing Pocklington and later a great out side line to pass on Boastie. 

By lap 10 Tom was putiing pressure on Birtwistle, Boastie was holding 3rd spot from Pocko who in turn was under pressure from Doolan. On the final lap Birtwistle was still leading but going into last corner Tom Neave held it flat out around outside to surprise Birtwistle, who then gave it a big handful of throttle and went down, never making it to the chequered flag, as Tom bounced off the fence to take the win. Boastie took second spot and Pockington took the final podium spot. 

Final Results
1st # 68 Tom Neave...............450 TCR Honda
2nd # 54 Peter Boast................450 Team Suzuki
3rd # 71 Glyn Pocklington.........525 Kinrade KTM
4th # 14 Tim Neave...................450 Team Suzuki
5th # 42 Kevin Doolan...............450 KTM
6th # 62 Damien Koppe.............450 Homan Yamaha
7th # 20 Darren Trapmore..........450 TCR KTM
8th # 30 Alan Birtwistle..............450 Honda
9th # 16 Ashley Birks.................450 Truelove Honda
10th # 1 Aidan Collins................450 HRC Honda

The next indoor Shorttrack meeting is on 23rd of February - England V Rest of the World at 1pm and The International Shorttrack Arena Championship at 6.30pm. www.shorttrackuk.com