Invited to a club day at the newish track, the Pôle Méchanique d’Alès in the Cévennes; an eye-opening introduction into the self-contained and passionate world of the track riders and their supporting mechanics etc. Self-contained because at least some of the outfits live in their motor-caravans and travel from track to track. I first touched upon this world at the Bol d’Or 24-hour race on its return to Ricard track at Le Castellet on 2015.
It was striking to meet again these people (not only guys) at the start of their season, new machinery mixing with old kit, still trying to fix last season’s oil leak and so on. In amongst the year-round suntans, the fashionable cropped beards and skinny trackies when out-of-leathers, which of these is the next Zarco or Baz or maybe the parent of the next Marquez?
Merci à Lionel de Moto Racing Location, Peyrolles-en-Provece for the invitation.
