Between our first ride at Mallala and second at The Bend, we made another discovery. Sidecars involve a bit of work.

Accessing the battery proved to be a process, so we simply installed an Anderson switch and life is much easier. We also thought the engine could benefit from bell mouths on the throttle bodies, so Brian of BJR Products fabricated a set, which might give a slight improvement in performance. 

Now that we’ve packed, unpacked and repacked the trailer a few times, this process is getting easier. The fairings can still be a bit fiddly but we’re making it work! We’ll look at a new paint scheme to jazz up our current white on white livery in the next couple of months.

The three-day meeting at The Bend was an eye opener with the best teams from around Australia gathering for Round Two of the Australian Sidecar Championships. The majority of the teams shared a long garage, which created a fantastic atmosphere during downtime between sessions… which we had a bit of. Officials did everything they could in what turned out to be a meeting with an unprecedented amount of crashes requiring recovery, so we appreciated them finding time for us to race in a busy schedule.

We didn’t see much of the front runners during the races but during practice and qualifying it was a great opportunity to watch and learn. It speaks volumes that even the newly crowned Australian Champions went out of their way to provide help and advice to novices like us.

We’ve started to assemble a spares kit and have found The Sidecar Shop very helpful. Each track has its own quirks, so once we’ve ticked off all the standard circuits, we can really start homing in on how we best setup and tackle each one going forward.

With his second meeting as driver under his belt, Royce was relieved to have kept the three wheels rubber side down this round and had this to say…

“I’ve always enjoyed racing around Tailem Bend with the variety it offers. From what I had heard from others, doing it on the sidecar sounded great.

“The weather not making its mind up all weekend I think caught a lot of riders out causing delays and missing out on a bit of track time. The time spent off the track though was still enjoyable knocking boots with the best in Australia.

“Being only our second race and so much to learn, the wealth of knowledge that was so kindly being shared with us from the top riders and passengers was a lot to take in but I retained what I could. 

“Still trying new things, every session we went out we went quicker and quicker. With the final race having a bit of a dice with Jock, showing me I’ve still got plenty left to give in the braking department. 

“I’m looking forward to Mount Gambier next weekend for our first strictly practice meet, with no racing just experimenting with sidecar settings.

“Our first Australian round now done and dusted it was great meeting the rest of the like-minded sidecar racers from all around the country whom were very welcoming and great to banter with.”

Len used the three-day meeting to his advantage, getting more comfortable in the chair and trying to find the best place to be on each corner. After explaining the flavour profile of West End to the interstate visitors, he had this to say…

“Having never been to The Bend before, hitting the track on Friday in trying conditions was a little daunting. Luckily the rain gave us a chance to start a bit slower and I could wrap my head around the layout.

“Saturday we managed some better sessions and times started to drop. Corners come up fast at The Bend, so once I could note down some markers, it was easier to get in position ready for the next sequence. Plus, there’s a bit more time to think and move given how big the track is. That being said, when rain hit in race two on Sunday I completely lost my bearings and got a few rights vs lefts confused!

“Over the course of the meeting, we had a number of the sidecar teams offer help and in particular, show me where to be in the rain or how I can help Royce sharpen up a corner. It was all really helpful and things are now starting to click. With so many machines in the one place, it was also a good chance to compare the different platforms passengers use and their grab bars position.

“Our final race on Sunday proved to be a good one, putting together a smooth ride and decent times, plus getting the chance to dice with competitors. I was keen to keep going! Onward to the next round and some practice days in between.”

The team plan to attend some track days when possible to play with setup and try out some Hooiser tyres, but will have a gap in racing while Royce undergoes some body repair work next month.