160 MPH Acrobatics

by John Stumpner

Summertime is race time in many places. One of the more difficult and interesting forms of racing is motorcycle sidecar racing. These competitors race in two-man teams on specially built sidecar motorcycles at speeds in excess of 160 miles per hour.

Traditional Harley or BMW sidecar motorcycles have a sidecar attached to a regular motorcycle. The motorcycle powers the vehicle, and the third sidecar wheel just spins. Sidecar racers are set up with similar drive systems, but that is where the similarity ends. Sidecar racers are specially built vehicles where the motorcycle and sidecar are made as a single unit. Since they have three wheels, they use “racing slicks” for rear tires, similar to four wheeled race cars. To decrease wind resistance, drivers and passengers have very low seating positions very close to the pavement.

Sidecar racers use two-man teams, a driver and a passenger. The driver runs the throttle and the brake and does some of the steering. The passenger uses his body weight to help steer so the driver can go faster in the corners. These teams compete in races in a world-wide sidecar circuit, which includes the world’s premier motorcycle races at the Isle of Man Tourist Trophy.

The sidecar team must work closely together. Due to the sidecar hanging off the side of the motorcycle, the vehicle is obviously off balance. This means that the driver relies on the passenger to shift his weight around to keep the bike stable. Often the passenger is hanging off one side or the other with most of his body only inches from the pavement. On the straight-a ways, the passenger must duck down as low as possible to minimize wind resistance. On the curves, the passenger has to be in the right place at the right time to help with steering. When things go wrong in sidecar racing, they really go wrong. However, when driver and passenger are in perfect cooperation, the racing is almost ballet-like in appearance.

The various video sharing websites all have videos of sidecar racing you can watch. After watching a few minutes, you will almost certainly be fascinated by sidecar racing too.

 John