09/08/02 Watched bike races at PIR. Sometimes it is quite fun to see other people run around the track. Being familiar with the circuit and what it takes to ride/drive on it at speed gives me more appreciation for what these guys (and gals) are going through. Yes I also touch my knee down in this turn :)

Although the regular bike racing was entertaining, by far the coolest for me was to see the sidecar racers. I had never seen them in the flesh before and was quite surprised to discover significant similarities to my dp1 design. Neat. Except here the driver kneels inside a streamlined tub, usually straddling the exhaust pipe and/or the motor. The 'passenger' climbs all over a small platform in the back, shifting weight in the turns, completely unattached to the machine at over 130 mph! Many of the passengers are women, wife/girlfriend of the driver. Now that is a relationship with a lot of trust.

There was a BMW powered one...

And a totally Mad Max machine showing the signs of having been on fire at least once. Complete with plywood footpegs, of course.

With bodywork on, the machines zoom around the track. The motors are typically 1100-1200cc and empty weight is around 500 lbs.

There are some nutty people out there! Awesome! :)