Most of you will have either seen or at least heard of motocross, or scrambling as it used to be known, but how many of you have been lucky enough to see sidecarcross? In fact how many have heard of it or know what it is? Sidecarcross is motocross on three wheels! It is a team sport with the rider known as a driver and a passenger in a sidecar, or chair as it is sometimes called.
One description sometimes heard is ‘chariot racing’ and it’s as fast, furious and exciting to watch.
Even some in the world of motocross are not really familiar with the concept either! At a practice day, early last season, I overheard a comment from a young solo rider. Looking at some sidecar outfits he said “What are those things then?” A crew soon enlightened him to the finer points of an outfit.
He then asked “Are they what you ride when you’re too old to ride a solo?” Behind him a sidecar flew over a jump, driven and passengered by two seventeen olds!
In the UK it predominately takes place in the south due to less and less teams coming from up north, but more importantly fewer clubs prepared to host a sidecar meeting. Some of which is due to it being classed as a minority sport and this is where the Sidecar Motocross Association of GB (SMCA) comes in. The main aim of the SMCA is to promote sidecar racing in the UK and although the SMCA’s membership has increased this year, due to the brilliant efforts of the membership secretary, Nicky Maguire, the work of the association is all down to the 12 committee members! While sidecars race under the ACU, it is the SMCA who do the organising on their behalf. With the Maxxis British Sidecar Championship and the SMCA British Clubman’s Sidecar Championship the two championships organised by the SMCA.
Sidecarcross always seems to be the ‘poor relation’ when it comes to the motocross world in UK, never getting the publicity it deserves, whilst in Europe it is hot stuff. On leaving the track at Genk, having attended a Sidecarcross GP, I was amazed that the authorities had allowed the inside lane of the dual carriageway that runs alongside the circuit to become a car park for spectators!! That’s how big a thing sidecarcross is on the Continent; I can’t imagine that happening in the UK!
When Sidecarcross is reported often it’s only the drivers name that is mentioned, but I can assure the readers that without the passenger the sidecar outfit wouldn’t get very far. This can be confirmed when passengers part company with the bike, unintentionally! The importance of passengers is recognised in Europe where they are often referred to as the sidedriver or siderider. In this day and age of the hero worshipping of individuals, a team sport is getting rarer. Being part of a team is something that should be encouraged but it’s not helped when half the team is missed out!
It is the norm in a sidecar pits to support each other and help can alwys be found for any team who needs it, with parts of bikes being borrowed and suggestions being traded. All in all, Sidecarcross should be proud of how the team culture extends to everyone not just your own team.
It really is a TEAM SPORT.
The Sidecar Motocross Association of GB (SMCA)
www.smcagb.com
I want to go faster, I want to go faster..
