Day starts with a Sidecar breakfast
By TMX Archives on 26th Mar 09
LAST Friday the Tonymoto track, near Winchester, was completely taken over by sidecars, writes JO REYNOLDS!The chance to ride this superb track was grabbed when Paul Pelling and Shaun Isaacs, a friend of sidecar-cross, arranged a day's practise there. But it was not just an ordinary practise day, the BBC came down and filmed the sidecars and brought one of its sports presenters, Mike Bushell, to do some interviews and have a go in a chair'!
A total of 16 crews turned up including British numbers two and three Dan and Joe Millard and John Lyne with his new passenger, Steve Kirwin. Paul Pelling himself had to settle for just being an organiser this week as an injury sustained at the first round of the Maxxis British Championship prevented him from riding. Three crews from the AMCA ranks also came along, as did a twin-shock crew. In addition to those riding there were a fair few spectators too!
Having the track all to themselves meant the sidecars could go on and off all day and apart from a lunch break there was at least one sidecar out on the track all the time.
The track is full of jumps and the height that some of the guys were achieving was phenomenal. It seemed that the likes of John Lyne/ Steve Kirwin, Mike Hodges/ Charlie Ide, Dean Hyde/ Sam Harris and Dan and Joe Millard were actually flying at times!
The BBC cameracrew arrived in the morning and filmed the sidecars tearing around the track. As Stuart Brown and Luke Peters couldn't attend, John Lyne was chosen to take Mike Bushell out for his first taste of what the job of a sidecar passenger really entails. He arrived mid-afternoon and after watching for a time was looking pretty nervous.
After John Lyne and Steve Kirwin showed him around their outfit and Paul Pelling gave him some words of encouragement, Mike was provided with some race gear and had a quick lesson in the pits.
As soon as the lesson was over it was time to go out onto the track and have a go for real!
Bushell managed two-laps of the less than flat circuit, which was very credible, as his introduction to passengering lasted just about ten-minutes in total! The spectators were very supportive and willed him on with loud applause and shouts of encouragement.
All-in-all, it was a brilliant day with the bonus of getting some nationwide coverage of the sport on BBC television.
Huge thanks must go to Shaun Isaacs and Mr P' for organising the day and to Tonymoto for allowing the use of the venue.
The coverage of the day will be broadcast on BBC Breakfast, on Saturday, March 28.