"There are only three sports: mountain climbing, bull fighting, and motor racing. All the rest are merely games." - Ernest Hemingway
The Isle of Man is a special place that offers a host of side winding, heart-stopping thrillers not seen in many other motorcycle racing events. From manhole covers, stonewalls and telephone poles these “features” in the 37-mile mountain course combine with breathtaking scenic vistas and overlooks that challenge motorcycle racers from every corner of the earth and then some. Within these racers there is another group of riders who double the excitement and double the thrills; the sidecars.
Sidecar motor racing is unique as it is the only form of motorcycle racing that requires a team of two people to work together side-by-side in order to get the machine around a road racing circuit in an adrenaline packed ride times two. Imagine a motorcycle only inches off the ground with two riders speeding through a course in excess of 100 miles an hour. When the team makes a right turn, the driver starts to brake and down shift while the passenger will get his body over the edge of the motorcycle just behind the driver to keep his weight over the rear wheel. When the team makes left hand turns, the movement of the passenger must be done very precisely. The passenger's weight is shifted to the left part of the sidecar. This causes the passenger’s body to hang off the motorcycle just inches off the ground. At times the passenger’s body may actually touch down on the road.
This year the Isle of Man top teams from the Sure Sidecar race one were:
Placing first #5 Klaus Klaffenbock/Dan Sayle 600cc LCR Honda / Manx
Gas / A & J Racing
Placing second #1 Dave Molyneux/Patrick Farrance 600cc DMR Kawasaki /
DMR Kawasaki
Placing third #4 Tim Reeves/Dipash Chauhan 600cc Honda
Placing fourth #3 Simon Neary/Paul Knapton 600cc LCR Honda / Team Dave
Hudspeth Carpets / Nick Crowe Racing / Honda UK
Placing fifth #12 Tony Elmer/Darren Marshall 600cc Ireson Yamaha / Croc
The team of Klaus Klaffenbock and Daniel Sayle won aboard their, A&J Groundworks/Klaffi Honda a good 2.63 seconds ahead of the rest of the field marking the first time since 2003 that a non-native of the Isle of Man has won the sidecar race.
The Sure Sidecar Race two will take place on June 9th.
