Fall Asleep While Learning About Sidecar Speedways

Welcome to the I Can't Sleep Podcast,

Where I read random articles from across the web to bore you to sleep with my soothing voice.

I'm your host,

Benjamin Moster.

And today's episode is from a Wikipedia article titled,

Sidecar Speedway.

Sidecar speedway is a motorcycle sport involving four crews of a rider and a passenger competing over four laps on an oval shale surface.

Rules are governed by the National Speedway Federation and are not dissimilar to conventional speedway rules.

Sidecar speedway is most popular in Australia,

Although in Great Britain it also has a strong following.

Sidecar speedway events are also held in New Zealand,

South Africa,

And the United States of America.

Because of the nature of the sport's hotbeds being spread so wide across the globe,

Organizing an official world championship has been an arduous task,

Though in 2006 the first successful world track racing sidecar championships,

Sidecar Gold Cup,

Were held at Isle of Wight Speedway Stadium.

Queenslanders Scott Christopher,

Aka Carson,

Whom most recognize as the leading host of Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,

And Trent Kopp,

Collectively aka The Honda Boys,

Were crowned the first ever official world sidecar champions.

The event was screened live on Sky Sports.

Racing sidecars on speedway involves a rider and a passenger mounted on a 1000cc purpose-built three-wheeled sidecar outfit.

The passenger of the machine is as much involved in the race performance as the rider.

The two members of the sidecar crew work in unison to ride the outfit as best they can.

Sideway circuits are a loose,

Shale surface,

And therefore traction is all important.

The passenger plays a major part in controlling the amount of traction being created on the rear wheel.

He does so by moving his weight forwards,

Backwards,

And sideways,

Either into or out of the machine.

The outfit only ever turns right,

So the passenger only finds himself on the right-hand side of the outfit.

Sidecar speedway is much less popular than conventional speedway,

Though by no means less spectacular.

In a survey of speedway fans taken during the 1970s,

Sidecars were actually voted as the most popular class,

Which included car racing and Australian speedway.

Like conventional speedway,

The machines are equipped with no brakes or traction control systems,

However they are powered by huge 1000cc engines taken from road race superbikes.

Therefore power output can be anything up to 100bhp,

And top speeds can reach up to 80mph.

Sidecar speedway is also very similar to sidecar grass track,

And many crews race both disciplines.

For example,

The 2007 British sidecar speedway champions Gary Jackson and Carl Blythe are also regular competitors in grass track racing,

Jackson being a former British grass track champion himself.

One major difference between sidecar speedway and more conventional speedway is the rule of contact.

In solo speedway,

Any contact is strictly forbidden,

And this rule is enforced strongly by referees.

However,

Due to the nature of sidecar speedway outfits being much larger,

Contact is inevitable between machines.

Although if a machine is deemed to take an advantage by barging another competitor off the racing line whilst under power,

Then they may be excluded.

This rule is very difficult to judge and enforce,

And therefore is often the cause of controversy.

Crews can also be excluded for losing their passenger.

Similar rules to conventional speedway include running off the racing circuit,

Surprisingly easy on a machine that will only turn right,

Touching or breaking the starting tapes when under starter's orders,

Again easily done with a clutch holding back 180bhp,

Being unable to make the start within a 3 minute time allowance.

Also in British speedway,

The SCB enforces the use of dirt deflectors on the rear of the machine.

Sidecar speedway is believed to have originated in Australia and has been popular there for ever since with the first Australian championship taking place at the Exhibition Speedway in Melbourne in 1931.

Ever since,

Sidecar speedway has been one of the most popular categories in Australian speedway at both capital city tracks,

Such as the Sydney Showground Speedway,

Brisbane Exhibition Ground,

Rowley Park Speedway,

And the Claremont Speedway,

While country tracks such as the Broken Hill Speedway,

Olympic Park in Mildura,

And the Riverview Speedway in Murray Bridge have involved sidecars since the 1940s.

Motorcycling Australia has also allowed riders from England to compete,

But no recent success has been recorded.

Another big event is the Australian Pairs title,

Where the best riders from each state pair up and compete against other states.

The Australian Pairs championship and the individual championship are usually run on the same track over consecutive days.

The 2013 Australian title was run at one of Australia's premier motorcycle speedway tracks,

The Gilman Speedway in Adelaide,

With Sydney's Darren Treloar winning his record seventh national crown,

While the 2014 event at the Locksford Park Speedway in Currie Currie in New South Wales saw first-time winners Grant Bond and Glenn Cox.

The 2015 Australian championship was scheduled to be held at the Arunga Park Speedway in Alice Springs on the 4th and 5th of April.

Sidecar Speedway received a boost from the 2011-2012 Australian season,

With the first running of the Speedway Sidecar Grand Slam series,

The first of its kind in Australia.

Running from October to April,

The series included such riders as Treloar,

Five-times Australian champions Glenn O'Brien from Western Australia,

As well as the 2011 world champions Mick Hedland and his partner,

Former champion 2009 Paul Waters.

The seven-round 2013-14 Sidecar Grand Slam series concluded on the 22nd of March 2014 at Gilman,

With British champions Mark Cosser and Daryl Woodstone winning the night,

But Darren Treloar and passenger,

Swinger Blake Cox,

Won the series.

In the UK,

Sidecar Speedway has had more of a troubled upbringing.

In the early 1990s,

The World of Rebels series was run,

Involving sidecars from England,

Australia,

New Zealand,

And South Africa.

This event eventually died out,

With the cost of travel and track wear being fingered as problems.

A British championship was run at Coventry Speedway every year,

Mostly involving grass-track machines.

However,

In 2000,

The Super Cup qualifier was run at King's Lynn,

And it sparked a new era of Sidecar Speedway.

The Super Cup ran for a few years,

Bringing with it many sidecar stars from Australia,

New Zealand,

And USA.

In this time,

The British Sidecar Speedway championships were made official,

Again another big landmark for Sidecar Speedway.

In modern times,

The Super Cup has since diminished,

But the British championships still run strong.

They run over a series of rounds at different Speedway tracks.

The Super Cup was re-established in 2008 as a one-night event at Isle of Wight Speedway,

And was won by world champions Darren Treloar and Justin Placetid.

The 2010 World Championship was won by Australian father-son team Mick and Jesse Hedlund at the Brandon Stadium in Coventry,

England,

On the 14th of August,

2010.

Jesse Hedlund substituted for his father's regular partner Paul Waters,

Who was still recovering from injuries sustained earlier in the year in New Zealand.

Mick Hedlund was the defending world champion,

Having won the 2009 title in France with Waters.

The 2011 World Sidecar Speedway Championship took place on the 12th of November,

2011,

At the 360-metre-long Riverview Speedway in Murray Bridge in South Australia,

With Darren Treloar and Murray Bridge's own Jesse Hedlund taking the title.

The other major event in World Sidecar Speedway is the FIM Track Racing Gold Trophy.

It had a troubled start,

Being cancelled due to rain at its Wirtle venue.

Since then,

The event has been a success.

Riders from Australia,

New Zealand,

Great Britain,

And Holland have competed,

Though the Australian teams have dominated the events to date.

Motorcycle sport is a broad field that encompasses all sporting aspects of motorcycling.

The disciplines are not all races or timed speed events,

As several disciplines test a competitor's various riding skills.

Motorcycle racing,

Also known as motor racing and motorbike racing,

Is a motorcycle sport involving racing motorcycles.

Motorcycle racing can be divided into two categories,

Tarmac-based road disciplines and off-road.

Track racing is a motorcycle sport where teams or individuals race opponents around an oval track.

There are differing variants,

With each variant racing on a different surface type.

A road rally is a navigation event on public roads whereby competitors must visit a number of checkpoints and diverse geographical locations while still obeying road traffic laws.

Not to be confused with car rallies such as WRC.

Speedway is a motorcycle sport in which the motorcycles have one gear and no brakes.

Mountain speed is where a single rider accelerates over a 1-3 mile long straight track,

Usually on dry lake beds,

And is timed for top speed through a trap at the end of the run.

The rider must exceed the previous top speed record for that class or type of bike for their name to be placed on the record books.

Enduro,

Not to be confused with enduro mountain biking,

Is not exactly racing because the main objective is to traverse a series of checkpoints,

Arriving exactly on time in accordance with your beginning time and the time it is supposed to take to arrive at each checkpoint.

The courses are usually run over thick wooded terrain,

Sometimes with large obstacles such as logs,

Ditches,

And sudden drops.

Freestyle motocross is a competition based upon points for acrobatic ability on an MX bike over jumps.

This activity evolved from motocross,

A continuing popular form of racing at both the amateur and professional levels.

Trials is known in the US as observed trials,

It is not racing,

But a sport nevertheless.

Trials is the test of skill on a motorcycle whereby the rider attempts to traverse an observed section without placing a foot on the ground,

And traditionally,

Although not always,

Without ceasing forward motion.

The winner is the rider with the least penalty points.

Time in observation trials are trials with a time limit.

The person who completes the route the quickest sets the standard time,

And all other competitors must finish within a certain amount of time of the standard time to be counted as a finisher.

They received penalty points for every minute after the quickest finisher.

This is combined with the penalty points accrued from the observed sections to arrive at a winner who is not always the quickest rider or the rider who lost the less marks on observation,

But the rider who balanced these competing demands the best.

One of the most famous time in observation trials is the Scott trial,

Held annually in North Yorkshire.

Indoor trials held in stadiums,

Not necessarily with a roof,

Which by their very nature use human-made artificial sections,

In contrast to outdoor trials which rely heavily on the natural terrain.

Long distance trials,

Often shortened to LDT in the UK,

Are events for road-registered motorcycles.

A course of typically 18 to 120 miles is plotted by the organizer,

Taking in roads,

Lanes and byways open to all traffic,

Known as boats.

The event is not a race,

And riders are required to follow the course by using a roadbook compiled by the organizer.

Similar to car autocross,

Motorcycle gimcana is a motorcycle time trial sport round cones on a paved area.

The winner is the competitor who completes the course in the shortest time.

Time penalties are incurred by putting a foot down,

Hitting a cone,

Or going outside the designated area.

Moto-ball,

Motorcycle polo,

Is similar to football,

But all players except goalkeepers are riding motorcycles,

And the ball is much bigger.

Motorcycle polo first began as an official organized sport in the mid-1930s.

In France,

There are organized moto-ball competitions,

And the sport was included in the inaugural Goodwill Games.

Hill climbs.

In the United States,

The completions are usually held on off-road courses,

Where one competitor at a time attempts to ride up a very steep hill,

Often 45 degrees or more.

In some cases,

Few riders actually complete the course,

And results are judged on the distance that they manage to achieve.

Of those that do complete the course,

The rider to reach the top with the shortest elapsed time wins.

The motorcycle of choice in the early decades was the Harley-Davidson 45 cubic inch model,

Due to its high torque at low RPMs,

Similar to farm engines.

For years,

The national competitions were held at Mount Garfield,

Near Muskegon,

Michigan.

In other countries,

Notably the United Kingdom,

Completions mostly take place on tarmac courses,

Occasionally closed public roads,

With the machines used for competition being similar to those used for other road disciplines.

A motorcycle rally is a gathering of motorcycle enthusiasts.

Rallies can be large or small,

And one-time or recurring.

Some rallies are ride-in events,

Whereas some like the Iron Butt Rally involve days of riding and an actual gathering only at the end of the ride.

Notable annual North American rallies include the Sturgis Motorcycle Rally,

Laconia Motorcycle Week,

Black Bike Week,

And Daytona Beach Bike Week,

With each having thousands in attendance.

The Republic of Texas Biker Rally is held each June in Austin,

Texas,

And attracts over 200,

000 bikers to the state capitol.

There are innumerable smaller regional rallies around the United States,

Including the annual BMW MOA International Rally,

The Oyster Run in the Pacific Northwest,

The Golden Aspen Rally,

Formerly Aspencade,

In the Southwest,

The Route 66 Bike Week in the West,

Americade in the Northeast,

And Motorcycle on Meridian in the Midwest.

A popular rally in the East takes place in the mountains of Maryland,

Called Apple's East Coast Motorcycle Rally,

Formerly East Coast Sturgis.

Rallies will often incorporate entertainment such as burnout pit,

Motorcycle contests,

Bike washes,

Motorcycle stunt performances like Wheelie Axe and the Wall of Death,

Live bands,

And dice or poker runs.

The Indianapolis and Daytona Beach Motorcycle Rallies have championship motorcycle racing at nearby circuits.

In some cases,

Rallies are held as benefits for organizations or groups,

Such as the American Red Cross,

American Cancer Society,

American Legion,

Or VFW.

The oldest motorcycle rally in Europe is the Elefanten Treffen Elephant Rally,

Established in 1956 by former Wehrmacht motorcyclists and named in honor of the Zündapp motorcycle that was nicknamed the Green Elephant.

The growing reputation of the Elephant Rally led to the creation in 1962 of a British winter rally called the Dragon Rally,

And is held each February in North Wales.

One of the largest motorcycle rallies in Europe is the Thunder Sprint,

Held annually in May in Norwich,

Cheshire,

England,

And usually has notable motorcycle champions or enthusiasts,

Such as Giacomo Agostini and James May.

Another large motorcycle rally is Glemseck 101.

It takes place around the Glemseck at the Solitude Racetrack in Lönnberg,

Germany every first weekend in September.

A special attraction are the Eighth Mile Drag Races,

Where customizers and motorcycle brands send their best bikes and bikers to the race,

E.

G.

Triumph,

BMW,

Yamaha,

Suzuki.

In the UK,

The Iron Ore Rally is held annually in Egremont,

Cumbria,

And the Rally of Discovery is held in Ireland.

Rallies are held year-round.

Many motorcyclists or bikers prefer the winter rallies,

Such as the Mayflower MCC's Force 10 Rally,

Or the Dean Valley MCC's Rallyman's Rally.

The usual order of the day is camping with a real ale tent and music.

Rallies usually start on a Friday afternoon and finish at lunchtime on a Sunday.

The point is to travel there by motorcycle,

Motorcycle and sidecar,

Or trike,

Not cars or vans,

Meet friends from all over the country,

And sometimes further afield,

Claim a rally badge and enjoy the entertainment.

Prizes are awarded for the furthest distance traveled,

Best bike,

Best rat bike,

Oldest person attending,

Youngest person attending,

Etc.

There are usually planned ride-outs on the Saturday taking in good roads,

And sometimes historic sites,

Museums,

Etc.

In the UK,

Many people relate motorcycle rallies to the famous Bulldog Bash near Stratford upon Avon.

This is a hugely popular event and attracts thousands of people,

Including non-motorcyclists.

There are many much smaller rallies that attract between 50 and 500 bikers to each event,

Organized and controlled by a host club.

Rallies are still attended by motorcyclists that have been going to rallies for up to 40 or 50 years.

In the UK,

Motorcycle rallies began in earnest in the early 1960s as young,

Mainly working class men and women,

Usually on the pillion,

Gained freedom by motorcycle ownership and set off around the country camping.

Some went in groups or clubs,

And thus the rally was born.

Many were tun-up boys,

Later greasers,

And then grebus.

Gypsy Tour is an American motorcycling term which originated before the 1920s.

The term has been mostly but not entirely replaced by rally or run.

Gypsy Tours were organized where groups of riders all over the country converged on a favorite destination.

The term gypsy was used because the riders would travel long distances,

And often sleeping in tents around a campfire along the way,

Much like the Hollywood stereotype of Romani.

One Australian newspaper referring to a Gypsy Tour rally from Melbourne to Sydney in 1927 stated,

The idea of a Gypsy Tour originated in America.

There these tours are usually being organized simultaneously in different cities and towns,

And routes all converging in one center,

Where a great rally is held by the touring parties.

The term Gypsy Tour has been used for other activities,

But predominantly motorcycle rallies,

And the idea quickly spread around the world.

Many Gypsy Tours have been held over the years and are still a regular event for many vintage and modern motorcycle groups.

The annual Gypsy Tour to Laconia,

New Hampshire near Lake Winnipesaukee began in 1916,

And is the oldest continuous motorcycle event in the U.

S.

A number of rallies are held throughout Australia throughout the year.

These range from back-to-basics rallies,

Usually held in remote locations with no facilities,

To catered rallies held in country towns and other rural locations.

Many rallies are held at a local recreation reserve,

Football ground,

Racecourse,

Or show ground in country towns.

These venues often have toilet-shower blocks and bar-kitchen facilities.

Often the motorcycle club organizing the rally will arrange for a local service group,

Like the Rotary Club,

Or local sporting club to cater an evening meal and breakfast,

And to run the bar.

These events often provide much-needed revenue sources for the communities in which the rallies are held,

And the communities welcome the rallies to their towns.

Compared to European and American rallies,

Australian rallies are often small affairs,

With attendance ranging from a few dozen to a few hundred bikes.

The Ulysses Club Annual General Meeting event is a week-long affair that brings in thousands of motorcyclists and millions of dollars to its host side,

Which can be different each year.

The 2014 event in Alice Springs is expected to draw 5,

000 to 7,

000 participants.

There are a number of rallies held throughout New Zealand,

Most events taking place over the warmer months.

There are a couple of cold-weather rallies,

Such as the Brass Monkey Motorcycle Rally.

Motorcycle Trials,

Also known as Observed Trials,

Often called simply Trial or Trials,

Is a non-speed event on specialized motorcycles.

The sport is most popular in the United Kingdom and Spain,

Though there are participants around the globe.

Modern trials motorcycles are distinctive in that they have evolved to become extremely lightweight,

Lack seating,

Are designed to be ridden standing up,

And have suspension travel that is short relative to a motocross or enduro motorcycle.

Motorcycle Trials is often utilized by competitors in other motorcycle sports,

Such as enduro,

Motocross,

Or road racers,

As a way to cross-train as trials requires fine throttle,

Balance,

And machine control.

The event is split into sections where a competitor rides through an obstacle course while attempting to avoid touching the ground with their feet.

The obstacles in the course may be of natural or constructed elements.

In all sections,

Regardless of content,

The designated route is carefully contrived to test the skill of the rider.

In many local Observed Trials events,

The sections are divided into separate courses to accommodate the different skill level of riders who compete in skill-rated classes.

In every section,

The competitor is scored by an observer,

Hence the sport's name,

Who counts how many times a competitor touches the ground with the foot,

Or any other part of the body.

Each time a competitor touches the ground with the foot,

Commonly called dabs or prods,

The penalty is one point.

The possible scores in each section consist of 0,

1,

2,

3,

Or 5.

If a competitor makes their way through the section without touching the ground with the foot,

They earn a score of 0,

Which is called cleaning the section.

If they touch the ground once,

They receive a score of 1.

If they touch down twice,

They receive a score of 2.

If they touch the ground three or more times,

They earn a score of 3,

As long as they complete the section without stalling the motor,

Dismounting,

Going out of bounds,

Or going backward.

If the competitor fails to complete the section,

A score of 5,

Sometimes colorfully called a fiasco,

Is earned.

The winner is the competitor with the fewest points at the end of the event.

Some events are also timed with penalty points assessed to late riders.

There is a World Indoor and Outdoor Championship,

As well as Indoor and Outdoor National Team World Cubs.

British competitor Dougie Lambkin is notable for winning seven World Outdoor titles in the 1990s and 2000s,

The same number that Spanish competitor Jordi Torres won in the 1980s and 1990s.

Previous observed trials grades include Northern Ireland's Sammie Miller,

1960s,

Finland's Urjo Vestrinen,

1970s,

And Belgium's Edi Lejeune,

1980s.

The current Outdoor World Champion is Antoni Bou from Spain,

Who is also the current Indoor Champion.

He has been the sole Outdoor and Indoor FIM Trial World Championship Champion from 2007 to 2024.

With these 36 World titles,

18 Outdoor and 18 Indoor,

He is the most successful rider in history,

Surpassing Dougie Lambkin,

7 Outdoor and 5 Indoor,

And Jordi Torres,

Who is third with 7 Outdoor titles.

In addition to the World Championship events,

There are other major events,

Such as the Scottish Six Days Trial,

SSTT,

And the Scott Trial.

Major current manufacturers of trials bikes are Gas-Gas,

Beta,

Sherco,

Monteza Honda,

Gorpa,

TRS,

And Vertigo.

In the past,

There have been many manufacturers with countries such as Spain,

Japan,

Britain,

And Italy.