2010 sidecarX Husabergs UK and GPs

Browny (1) leads on the first lap. 18 year old Jack Etheridge (119) in his first season is giving it his all just behind while Scott Wilkinson (the only fly in the Husaberg ointment) is ready to take second.

Etheridge now in fourth is now being attacked by the Millards, keen to get on and catch Wilkinson for second in the championship they whack young Etheridge entering a corner. Racing incident by all accounts....

Wherever, whenever, whatever...Steve France ...phucking spectacular!

Millards....far more style in 2010. leading the second race by 6 seconds with 5 mins to go and the engine seizes...Barsted! they've led Browny abroad but just cannot get it right at home....is that pressure perchance?

The phucking DADDY!!!!! but for how much longer? the Millards are nibbling away at him s-l-o-w-y....!


regards

Taffy

yesterday there was a clubman's round at Rusper in Hants near horsham. 29 riders entered including 11 not eligable to race for points. they are mature ridders who have raced in the british championships.

Leading the pile is 18 year old Jack Etheridge who has teamed up with a new passenger with such a deep tan he's known as 'Paki'! their rivals but well behind in the championship are the Chamberlain brothers who but for two disasterous races would be on about the same points as Jack but Jack's HUSABERG is ultra reliable (I'm touching wood) and they have a 63 point lead after this meeting with just one round to go but for DOUBLE POINTS!

Jack has got over the cracked ankle now and is fit. The engine has been stripped and steel shoulders put in due to the wear in the main bearing houses. other than this it remains the same motor that I recently rebuilt.

They lead race one away but were hounded by Chamberlain who squeezed by at half distance. With the advice from his father, Chris, ringing in his ears he took it steady and followed Chamberlain over the line.

In race 2 the chamberlains zipped past Brett Wilkinson and Jack followed through and sat on the back of the Chamberlains. This was at the point of a 5 team convoy and they were in exalted company with the Breachers there and Rob Oldfield - both BC top 5. again though, nothing daft and they came home with the points.

In race three, Etheridge/Humphrey got the holeshot and were again hounded by chamberlain (45) who with 4 to go still couldn't get by and then had carb trouble.


so Etheridge looks set to take the title in his very first season! amazing!

meanwhile in the south of France at the second French GP of the year, Stu Brown got an 11th and a brilliant 5th while the Millards got a 13th and a 10th. There are a LOT of French Husaberg runners and they abound in the results but unfortunately in the lower field.

this Sunday is the penultimate British Championship round just a mere 50 miles from me at Wakes Colne near Colchester where again we'll wait to see if the Millards can beat Brown but also now, after the last BC round you have to ask: "Can young Jack Etheridge do it again and can the Northern Pie eater (Steve France) get a great start and get among 'em! Will they get the Millards back?

Will Husabergs take the first 4 places?

regards

Taffy

Yesterday saw the 6th and penultimate British Championship round held in East Anglia at Wakes Colne between Colchester and Braintree. SidecarX hasn't been to Wakes Colne for 8 years so they made a welcome return.

Speculation was as usual rife about whether the Millards are ready to bridge the gap to Browny and in Race One we still didn't have an answer as Browny shot off into the distance, the Millards made mincemeat of Breacher, Wilkinson and France and was clear on lap 2 but alas Browny was gone, the Millards PERHAPS took back 10 metres over the next 20 minutes but that was all. Francy was 6th from a poor gate and young Jack etheridge was an excellent 9th from a second row start.

so we looked forward to races 2 and 3 to see what the Millards could really do.

In the second race browny rounded the first corner in 4th and the Millards 5th, going up the first hill with jumps on the way the Millards shot past both Brown and Paul Pelling to take third and quickly first while Browny took his time to move to second. with a three second gap Browny had his work cut out and it's worth pointing out at this point that he has won 13 of the 14 races this season to this point, also every race last year barone and every race the year before that bar one! amazing. The Husaberg machines rode on and browny started to real the Millards in. Suddenly Browny slowed, His passengers grab rail had fractured and passenger Luke Peteres had 'nowt' to hold on to.

so Browny fell back until 7th ahead of Etheridge. France at last gated well and took a brilliant 3rd.
IF eTHERIDGE GETS A FRONT ROW START AT THE LAST ROUND i CAN SEE BROWN, MILLARD, FRANCE AND ETHERIDGE TAKING 4 OF THE FIRST 5.

race 3 and browny gated well again, no mucking! again as per race 1 the Millards got through in good time but they couldn't touch Browny, he was gone. Francy had a stand in passenger in ben Blythe who's own passenger was 'completely phuqed!!!' ben had said to me: "they don't make 'em like they used too!" and about 5-seconds later Francy asked him to passenger for him as Lee Machin were 'right buggered up!'. In goes Ben and within 5 laps was blowing so hard that Francy had to slow right up. Even young Etheridge was real gentle...the track? a real ball breaker!

While there the only solo MX rider on a Husaberg 'Steve Bixby' won a couple of races and was always challenging at the front. Steve has two 450FX machines with factory WP shocks and a tuned engine while the other is a little more sedate but the one on which he won!

regards

Taffy

OK, we have a huge international meeting this weekend at Langrish a circuit near Petersfield in Hampshire. The cream of Europe will be there - like to say the world but then they are all european! Racing is on the Sunday and starts at 11am. I know that one of the Hendricx isn't there but it's thought Willemsen will be.

I guess our top 2 home boys on the Husabergs will have a tough time but let's hope for a good one. the Derks Bros on their Husaberg are over i believe.

regards

Taffy

a bad day for the British in general as the top teams flunked it and 'johnny foreigner' won everything.

The Millards did have a stator fail in first practice. Stu Brown the 8-time British Champ qualified for the dash for cash as did young Jack Etheridge in a brilliant ride on his 644 that saw home 8th fastest. I didn't watch this so i can't comment but seems that jack did really well.

then we came to the two 'Ken Hall' races and as said - disaster!

Browny was left on the line when as they revved the motor it refused to rev freely and were just left there. Not sure what the problem was but seemed the slide plate to me - we'll see. Meanwhile the Millards got away in 3rd and were soon demoted by the GP winner Leipens. moments later the Millard outfit was seen to stop on a left curve and throw the rider and passenger out the front. Both were winded by it and upon inspection a buckled front wheel had caused the front fork to collapse as well. NASTY. France was 6th and Etheridge 7th.

In the second event Browny came to the line OK - and cured and the Millards had all new kit fitted. Off the line they were 4th and 5th but at the end of lap one Brown stalled and couldn't restart. they pushed the 20 yards to the paddock and were going again within a minute. Plug? fuel tap? embarrassing?????? don't know! anyway, they rejoined exactly a lap down and tried to unlap themselves. They were a few yards in front of the Millards who on the very next lap stalled on a straight before getting it running and riding back to the pits to retire.

minutes later Steve France joined them which left just Etheridge - aged just 18 and in his first season remember - out there in a brilliant 6th with 1-4 being international GP teams and 5th being GB #3 outfit of the Breachers who ride the only Kack-hander in the UK. Jack therefore being the first left-chair outfit home.

the only Husaberg finishers were running (Ahems motors.....). Jack won all three races in the previous Sundays British Clubmans races to give him a 78 point lead with just one round to go. SO HUSABERG WILL HAVE TAKEN BOTH THE UK TITLES THIS YEAR.
the future is bright - the future is husaberg!

regards

Taffy

a great many husabergs were out this weekend at the danish GP. a great many swedes made it to the only scando GP of the year. henrik soderqvist was there - the winner of both legs last year upon his husaberg as well as brits stu brown and the millards.

browny was 5th and the millards seventh in qualifying while gustavsson was 8th and soderqvist failed to qualify. in the last chance though he was fastest and so made it. coming first with second sorensen of denmark, third birgersson and fourth muller of germany.

that made it 8 husabergs qualified out of the 30. also out of the 5 that didn't 2 were also on husabergs.

in race one browny was a magnificent 5th with soderqvist 6th but nothing like last years double win. soderqvist was also a passenger to alfie hyde earlier this season and picked up GP points at genk in belgium so he has gained points as both a passenger and a rider this season.

the millards were 11th and gustavsson 12th. the millards had one of my tuned motors in but it lacked top end and struggled.

in race 2 browny had a crash and a lap down held his own but finished 15th while the millards engine locked one lap from the end while eleventh. gustavsson was 7th the derks from NL were 14th and sorensson 16th.

the lead in the championship - held by a mere 12 points by joris hendricx was lost in race one when he had KTM engine trouble, daniel willemsen the 7 times world champion took a two wins and now with just the german GP to go hold a 15 point lead. WHICH IS NOTHING!

regards

Taffy

lwell probably the last sidecarX report so here we are...last race of the season - a long season. the racing was at whattisfield hall in suffolk on a traditional old style scramble track which at his age is a bit more like the stuff browny wants to ride and this was to show through as the meeting unfolded.

hopes were high that the millards could make a belter of a race with browny but alas it didn't transpire with browny gating well in all three races and walking away easily with the victory.

in race one the millards stalled on the line and got it going just after the gate dropped. they were last away and fought their way through from 23rd and last to 4th before coming up[ to the last corner their outfit stalled. husaberg blues? no, the kill cable had come out and with it back in they shot off to finish 5th. etheridge managed a brilliant 6th while steve france - using a stand in passenger cruised around to a steady 8th or so.

in race two browny shot off, the millards were in 5th and young jack etheridge's outfit got rolled clean over. it was now their turn to fight their way through which they did to gain an 8th.

with the championship tied up browny went to the grid for the last race in a slightly more relaxed mood. he still led from green to chequered and this time the millards fought their way through to second and stayed there with no problems to the end. the millards couldn't make a yard up browny and i guess the real difference between this and last season is that at least browny is now flat out when he wins - there's nothing left in the locker!

that leaves the motocross sidecar of nations in CZ next week and that's it for the season.

regards

Taffy