EML - HUSABERG - AYR
Thursday 30 June 2011
Tuesday 28 June 2011
Aravete, Estonian cup 26.06
Hello again,
With the 14:30 ferry at Saturday afternoon to Tallinn. On board we had Ronald together with his camera and hopefully he succeeded in taking his pictures ;-). We stayed for both nights at a holiday resort in Aegviidu, 16 km from the race track. A very nice little village and our accommodation there was very good value for money. We tried to locate the track in the evening but didn't succeed.
The next morning we met an Estonian sidecar team also searching for the track and a local resident helped us out. The track was soft sand with tons of grip. The short stroked Husaberg engine wasn't the best choice but we do not have anything else anyhow. Training was so so and Mikael wasn't satisfied. 14 teams had found their way to the event and only one line behind the gate. When the gate dropped for the first heat we crossed the starting field from behind to the inside corner. We almost made it but a team got stuck for a moment behind a pile of tires at the inside of the corner. The race itself was without brilliant highlights. Once the engine almost stalled and once we almost got of the track. Last was probably caused by the too soft rear suspension. We ended up as twelfth.
For the second heat we repeated our start trick and had a good battle for 5-6 laps with 2 Estonian teams. 3 times we almost could make the pass but the engine wasn't strong enough to finalize it. After 6 laps my energy faded and we got passed by the Estonian team that had been hunting us all the time when we were hunting the team in front of us. Maybe the double last weekend in Finland and next my trip to the Netherlands last week did start to feel. At the 11th place we crossed the finish line. Riding itself was going much better but I didn't last for the whole ride. We did almost the same lap times as in the training but the track was very rough in the second heat, not bad at all.
With the team of Aronen/Mantila, 8 and 7 with engine problems, we went back to Aegviidu where we had a relaxed evening at the terrace with a meal and some beer of course. Next weekend no time to relax, Estonian championship race in Türi and that means 25 minutes plus 2 laps.
Regards, Stephan
results (kv = sidecar)
Route Tallinn-Aegviidu-Aravete
With the 14:30 ferry at Saturday afternoon to Tallinn. On board we had Ronald together with his camera and hopefully he succeeded in taking his pictures ;-). We stayed for both nights at a holiday resort in Aegviidu, 16 km from the race track. A very nice little village and our accommodation there was very good value for money. We tried to locate the track in the evening but didn't succeed.
The next morning we met an Estonian sidecar team also searching for the track and a local resident helped us out. The track was soft sand with tons of grip. The short stroked Husaberg engine wasn't the best choice but we do not have anything else anyhow. Training was so so and Mikael wasn't satisfied. 14 teams had found their way to the event and only one line behind the gate. When the gate dropped for the first heat we crossed the starting field from behind to the inside corner. We almost made it but a team got stuck for a moment behind a pile of tires at the inside of the corner. The race itself was without brilliant highlights. Once the engine almost stalled and once we almost got of the track. Last was probably caused by the too soft rear suspension. We ended up as twelfth.
For the second heat we repeated our start trick and had a good battle for 5-6 laps with 2 Estonian teams. 3 times we almost could make the pass but the engine wasn't strong enough to finalize it. After 6 laps my energy faded and we got passed by the Estonian team that had been hunting us all the time when we were hunting the team in front of us. Maybe the double last weekend in Finland and next my trip to the Netherlands last week did start to feel. At the 11th place we crossed the finish line. Riding itself was going much better but I didn't last for the whole ride. We did almost the same lap times as in the training but the track was very rough in the second heat, not bad at all.
With the team of Aronen/Mantila, 8 and 7 with engine problems, we went back to Aegviidu where we had a relaxed evening at the terrace with a meal and some beer of course. Next weekend no time to relax, Estonian championship race in Türi and that means 25 minutes plus 2 laps.
Regards, Stephan
results (kv = sidecar)
Route Tallinn-Aegviidu-Aravete
Monday 20 June 2011
Heinola and Salo, Finnish championship 18-19.6
Hi all,
This was a good weekend of racing for us. In Heinola we classified 3rd overall with a 6-3 score in the 2 heats. During practice we took it easy because with only 8 entries there's space enough at the starting line.
After the start we were following the team of Pöllänen/Lehtinen for some laps but we couldn't find the power to change the order. Then my goggles fogged and I had to remove them. Without goggles I can't drive very well and Mikael took his goggles and put them on my head. This all we did without stopping ;-). But the team in front of us had made a big gap already and we just finished the heat at place 6.
With the start of heat 2 we ended up after the teams of Tuominiemi/Hietala and Pöllänen/Lehtinen (again). This time no problems with goggles and we started to put pressure at the teams in front of us. First we passed Pöllänen/Lehtinen by choosing for the inside line of a corner and the next lap at the same place we made our second pass. At this moment we had the 3rd place. We could make a safe gap between us and the team of Tuominiemi/Hietala and we needed that at the end of the heat. The last 2 laps I started to get tired and slowly they were coming closer all the time. But the gap was big enough to finish at the 3rd place.
The next Sunday we steered the van to Salo for a classic track in the motocross history. In 1991 this club organized the last and 5th sidecar GP in Finland. Steep ups and downs with a hard packed clay and down at the bottom of the valley deep sand. Again only 8 entries and we didn't care so much about the lap times during training, space enough.
The start of heat 1 wasn't our best, last spot in the first corner. The start is in Salo in deep sand and with only a 550 cc engine not much chance. We passed the team of Helgrenn/Paddink in the first lap and looked at the back of ... Pöllänen/Lehtinen. We looked at their backs for 6 laps and then succeeded to make a pass. After that they slowed down because of some problem and we finished at the 5th place.
The start of heat 2 was the same for us, last in the first corner. We started to push and as you can guess, looked at the back of Pöllänen/Lehtinen. But we could not really follow close enough to bring us in a position to try a to pass. First I thought the rear tire was spinning badly, it had rained and the clay was very slippery but after 5 laps it became clear wat the problem was, the clutch burned out and we got stuck at an uphill. That was the end and without points back to the paddock.
Riding was very good and we are satisfied with our performance, better than expected. At the end bad luck but this is a mechanical sport. I'm leaving to Amsterdam today and I will finalize this post at the end of the week when back home.
Regards, Stephan
Results Heinola (MXSV=sidecars)
Results Salo (MXSV=sidecars)
Route 17-19.6
This was a good weekend of racing for us. In Heinola we classified 3rd overall with a 6-3 score in the 2 heats. During practice we took it easy because with only 8 entries there's space enough at the starting line.
After the start we were following the team of Pöllänen/Lehtinen for some laps but we couldn't find the power to change the order. Then my goggles fogged and I had to remove them. Without goggles I can't drive very well and Mikael took his goggles and put them on my head. This all we did without stopping ;-). But the team in front of us had made a big gap already and we just finished the heat at place 6.
With the start of heat 2 we ended up after the teams of Tuominiemi/Hietala and Pöllänen/Lehtinen (again). This time no problems with goggles and we started to put pressure at the teams in front of us. First we passed Pöllänen/Lehtinen by choosing for the inside line of a corner and the next lap at the same place we made our second pass. At this moment we had the 3rd place. We could make a safe gap between us and the team of Tuominiemi/Hietala and we needed that at the end of the heat. The last 2 laps I started to get tired and slowly they were coming closer all the time. But the gap was big enough to finish at the 3rd place.
The next Sunday we steered the van to Salo for a classic track in the motocross history. In 1991 this club organized the last and 5th sidecar GP in Finland. Steep ups and downs with a hard packed clay and down at the bottom of the valley deep sand. Again only 8 entries and we didn't care so much about the lap times during training, space enough.
The start of heat 1 wasn't our best, last spot in the first corner. The start is in Salo in deep sand and with only a 550 cc engine not much chance. We passed the team of Helgrenn/Paddink in the first lap and looked at the back of ... Pöllänen/Lehtinen. We looked at their backs for 6 laps and then succeeded to make a pass. After that they slowed down because of some problem and we finished at the 5th place.
The start of heat 2 was the same for us, last in the first corner. We started to push and as you can guess, looked at the back of Pöllänen/Lehtinen. But we could not really follow close enough to bring us in a position to try a to pass. First I thought the rear tire was spinning badly, it had rained and the clay was very slippery but after 5 laps it became clear wat the problem was, the clutch burned out and we got stuck at an uphill. That was the end and without points back to the paddock.
Riding was very good and we are satisfied with our performance, better than expected. At the end bad luck but this is a mechanical sport. I'm leaving to Amsterdam today and I will finalize this post at the end of the week when back home.
Regards, Stephan
Results Heinola (MXSV=sidecars)
Results Salo (MXSV=sidecars)
Route 17-19.6
Tuesday 14 June 2011
Vaabina, Estonian Cup 12.06.2011
Hello,
Maybe the sticker set helped this weekend because we had one of the best races so far. Riding was good and with 19 entries we ended up with the 17th place in the training. The Vaabina track was hard and fast and the lap times were close. Normally a fast and hard track isn't my favourite but this time it was going better than expected.
We started from the second row and did choose for the inside line. This worked out very well and we battled during the whole race with some other teams for the positions 12-17. At the end the 13th position was our reward and we were happy with this result. It was close racing till the last corner and we really had to work for it.
For the second heat we did choose the same spot behind the gate but the team partially in front of us stalled their engine when the gate dropped. We succeeded to circle around them but arriving at the first corner it was our engine that stalled. When restarted nothing left but a race from behind. After the first lap we had contact again with the pack and started to press. We had a battle for some laps but didn't had the strength to pass any more. I decided to secure our position and we passed the finish line at the 14th position.
Next weekend a double in Finland for the national championship, Heinola and Salo.
Regards, Stephan
Results (kv = sidecars)
Route
Maybe the sticker set helped this weekend because we had one of the best races so far. Riding was good and with 19 entries we ended up with the 17th place in the training. The Vaabina track was hard and fast and the lap times were close. Normally a fast and hard track isn't my favourite but this time it was going better than expected.
We started from the second row and did choose for the inside line. This worked out very well and we battled during the whole race with some other teams for the positions 12-17. At the end the 13th position was our reward and we were happy with this result. It was close racing till the last corner and we really had to work for it.
For the second heat we did choose the same spot behind the gate but the team partially in front of us stalled their engine when the gate dropped. We succeeded to circle around them but arriving at the first corner it was our engine that stalled. When restarted nothing left but a race from behind. After the first lap we had contact again with the pack and started to press. We had a battle for some laps but didn't had the strength to pass any more. I decided to secure our position and we passed the finish line at the 14th position.
Next weekend a double in Finland for the national championship, Heinola and Salo.
Regards, Stephan
Results (kv = sidecars)
Route
Thursday 9 June 2011
Tuesday 7 June 2011
Double race weekend, Karksi-Nuia and Stelpe 4-5.6.2011
Hi again,
We took Friday the 17:30 ferry to Tallinn as the start for this double race weekend. At Saturday a Cup race in Karksi-Nuia, Estonia, and the next Sunday a race for the Latvian championship in Stelpe. We stopped for the night in Viljandi about 35 km from Karksi-Nuia.
Saturday morning a soft sand track waited us with a lot of up and down hills. The weather was very good, sunny and warm. There were 19 entries and our training time was 17th. For us it was the first time riding at this track and I needed time to learn it's layout. With all those up and down hills it was difficult to orientate in the training session.
First heat with 18 sidecars and a narrow first corner followed by a jump, a chicane and an even narrower turn resulted in a stop and go rhythm. Unfortunately our Husaberg engine didn't like this and just stalled before the second corner, dead last thus. We passed one team but that was the only highlight during this heat, 15th place.
Second heat the same start and the engine stalled again. This time nobody to see anymore and lonely we did our laps until the first doubled us, 15th place again. Riding was going better during the second heat even when considering that the track had gotten very demanding with some deep ruts at the softer parts.
Together with the team of Jani Aronen/Arto Mantila, 2nd and 3rd good for second total, we started for Latvia. In Valmiera we stopped to have a hot meal and then we continued to Kekava for our hotel. The next morning the sun was up early and it was clear that it would be a very warm day. In fact, 34 degrees at noon and when it was our turn for the first heat the thermometer showed 36 degrees Celsius!
Stelpe is a fast track with a lot of jumps made from clay and sand. We have been here before and with 17 entries we had the twelfth time in the training. But with motorsport you can never be sure and 2 teams improved their lap times in the final minutes and we dropped 2 places.
Our start wasn't very good in the first heat, our direct line was through very soft soil and due to our training time at the wrong side of the gate. The first laps we had some nice racing but the sharp holes and the 36 degrees took their toll and we did loose some places and finished last, 16th.
Before the second heat the engine just stalled again before the exploration round and we had to wait in the parc fermé. Our start was very good this time but coming from the outside not much change without a lot of risks. We ended up in a good fight with 3 teams but after some laps the heat drained me completely, last and 13th.
We almost passed a team also struggling with the heat but we lacked 0,265 seconds ;-). The track was very demanding not only because of the many jumps but also the hard and sharp holes everywhere. Jani Aronen/Arto Mantila scored 2 second places and again in total the second place.
Both teams stopped in Kekava for a meal and continued back to Tallinn. Altogether it was a nice weekend, not for the results directly but riding was nice and we scored points in all heats. This doesn't say we didn't had any technical problems, the front suspension started to leak in Estonia and after the second finish in Stelpe a radiator hose was punctured. There's some problem with the carburator we have to solve yet. We washed the bike this evening and found some other broken parts on the bike, work enough again for this week.
Regards, Stephan
Route 3-6.6.2011
Results Karksi-Nuia (kv = sidecars)
Results Stelpe (b/v = sidecars)
We took Friday the 17:30 ferry to Tallinn as the start for this double race weekend. At Saturday a Cup race in Karksi-Nuia, Estonia, and the next Sunday a race for the Latvian championship in Stelpe. We stopped for the night in Viljandi about 35 km from Karksi-Nuia.
Saturday morning a soft sand track waited us with a lot of up and down hills. The weather was very good, sunny and warm. There were 19 entries and our training time was 17th. For us it was the first time riding at this track and I needed time to learn it's layout. With all those up and down hills it was difficult to orientate in the training session.
First heat with 18 sidecars and a narrow first corner followed by a jump, a chicane and an even narrower turn resulted in a stop and go rhythm. Unfortunately our Husaberg engine didn't like this and just stalled before the second corner, dead last thus. We passed one team but that was the only highlight during this heat, 15th place.
Second heat the same start and the engine stalled again. This time nobody to see anymore and lonely we did our laps until the first doubled us, 15th place again. Riding was going better during the second heat even when considering that the track had gotten very demanding with some deep ruts at the softer parts.
Together with the team of Jani Aronen/Arto Mantila, 2nd and 3rd good for second total, we started for Latvia. In Valmiera we stopped to have a hot meal and then we continued to Kekava for our hotel. The next morning the sun was up early and it was clear that it would be a very warm day. In fact, 34 degrees at noon and when it was our turn for the first heat the thermometer showed 36 degrees Celsius!
Stelpe is a fast track with a lot of jumps made from clay and sand. We have been here before and with 17 entries we had the twelfth time in the training. But with motorsport you can never be sure and 2 teams improved their lap times in the final minutes and we dropped 2 places.
Our start wasn't very good in the first heat, our direct line was through very soft soil and due to our training time at the wrong side of the gate. The first laps we had some nice racing but the sharp holes and the 36 degrees took their toll and we did loose some places and finished last, 16th.
We almost passed a team also struggling with the heat but we lacked 0,265 seconds ;-). The track was very demanding not only because of the many jumps but also the hard and sharp holes everywhere. Jani Aronen/Arto Mantila scored 2 second places and again in total the second place.
Both teams stopped in Kekava for a meal and continued back to Tallinn. Altogether it was a nice weekend, not for the results directly but riding was nice and we scored points in all heats. This doesn't say we didn't had any technical problems, the front suspension started to leak in Estonia and after the second finish in Stelpe a radiator hose was punctured. There's some problem with the carburator we have to solve yet. We washed the bike this evening and found some other broken parts on the bike, work enough again for this week.
Regards, Stephan
Route 3-6.6.2011
Results Karksi-Nuia (kv = sidecars)
Results Stelpe (b/v = sidecars)
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