What a difference six months can make! Since our very first race meeting at Mallala, we’ve continually been trying to improve the sidecar’s setup, mechanical ailments and riders’ understanding of racing lines and positioning.

Just before our two-month lay-up while Royce had metal removed from his leg (and enjoyed a mate’s wedding) (and Lenno attended a losing Grand Final at the hallowed MCG) (and Les retired and partied/slept in like it’s 1989), we had a test at Mount Gambier’s reliable Mac Park circuit, which provided some advancement with suspension settings, but this was limited as the suspension wasn’t working well in general, so there was only so much Royce could do…

We took the shockers to the experts at Hoey Racing where Pete whistled and shook his head but then rebuilt them. New shock absorbers are on the shopping list, which should provide some much needed feedback to help inform settings.

We had the bike spray painted vintage white after patching up some dents, then had it wrapped by Marty at Underground Designs who produced some amazing work to his usual high standard. It probably took a couple seconds off our lap times – proof that red does go faster! Inspired by the iconic Marlboro F1 livery, we’ve left plenty of white space for sponsors if you have a business willing to join our 2024 campaign. Please let us know if you’re interested for national or, plenty of, local exposure.

Back to the racing! The team returned to Mallala in mid-November, about six months from our first ride on the sidecar, for the final round of the SA Championships held by CAFNIX.

We were experiencing some handling issues over the three-day meeting but Royce and Lenno worked around these to great effect – qualifying second on the grid, then winning four races out of four starts! Unfortunately Grant and Scotty, the early leaders, were plagued with mechanical issues all weekend but it still gave us a chance to dice with them early on.

Thanks to Gav, Locky and Brian for their help as always, along with the other sidecar competitors who continue to go out of their way to help us – although Grant and Scotty made sure to give us an initiation on track when suddenly losing engine power, trying to avoid a big bungle by diving up the inside!

After wringing out his mullet from the sweaty heat, Royce had this to say.

“Last round of the year and being our last for a little while is always bittersweet but for our sidecar ventures we are only just getting warmed up.

“I was lucky to be able to ride on the weekend, with a prior engagement of the wife’s birthday occurring, she was so kind to allow me to ride and then to make it up to her by celebrating every other day of the month of November – thanks Beth!

“Having done more than 1000 laps at Mallala on the solo, I’m still making the adjustment of changing my lines for the sidecar. I’m taking advice from experienced riders as well as experimenting myself. It doesn’t help that over the past few outings on the bike we have had front end issues, which we have put down to being the front shockers being shocking.

“Being so new to the class, the team and I are still learning what should be happening when riding and the feedback I can give but this will just improve with more seat time. Luckily, we have some great people in our corner helping us on the journey.

“When we realised on Saturday our lap times were competitive with the front runners, that put a bit of a fire in our bellies. Even though we were meant to be treating the weekend as testing, it was hard to not want to have a close dice, especially after the banter happening in the pits. Just getting pipped for pole and missing out on the $100 beer money, we thought it would be a great opportunity in the races to slot in behind Grant and Scotty to watch and learn their lines.”

“With Leonard getting more and more comfortable swinging, I can trust he’s going to be in the right place at the right time allowing me to push harder. We’re still playing around with brake bias, which is particularly important at a hard braking circuit like Mallala.

“We put in some hard work testing the limits of what the bike will do, slowly but surely. Everything seemed to be coming together as we got quicker and quicker. Very happy with the 4 wins even though Grant was having some bike troubles. My first, first place trophy for the sidecar has taken pride and place on the mantle piece, between my cake decorating and cat grooming trophies.

“Thanks heaps to Dad, Brian, Gav, the Locks and the sidecar racing fraternity who are always so willing to help. Training will only slow down a little bit to allow for silly season but I’ll be working hard in the gym to get even fitter for our first big race back in March.”

After three tasking days hanging off the side, Lenno’s hands were permanently stuck in a clenched position by Sunday – luckily they could be pried open just enough to fit a stubbie in time for the trophy presentations. He had this to say.

“I’d been looking forward to getting back to Mallala after completing a few ride days at Mac Park, getting more into the groove – we hadn’t been to Mallala since our very first ride, so comparing lap times and positions of where I am on the bike was going to be interesting. They say passengers are a bit slow to pick these things up, but I was looking forward to comparing lap times and positions of where I am on the bike…

“Friday was a slog, but the final session was probably the smoothest we’d been on the bike which gave us confidence heading into qualifying on Saturday morning.

“The weekend provided a good chance to watch others and how they setup for corners, ask questions and work on my own positioning. Royce was getting more confident to hold speed through sweepers and definitely brake a lot harder and later into hairpins – which I needed to be ready for!

“Thankfully this time, unlike at Mac Park, he remembered which foot is to change gears and which is to brake, as accidentally mixing them up sent me super-manning past his head on one particular lap – luckily I had remembered the mantra to ALWAYS hang on!

“To walk away with four wins, albeit feeling a bit Bradbury-esque due to others mechanical woes, was not expected at all and we were stoked with the result. Our lap times proved that we were on the mark, dropping consistently, which is reassuring we’re doing the right thing.

“I’ve absolutely loved our first season and can’t wait to get stuck into some big races next year – it wouldn’t be possible without the help of Dad, Brian, Locky, Gav and all the teams in the paddock who have offered advice and spare parts. And the support in the pits from my wife and friends/family who have come out to watch.”

Next year, the season will begin in March with interstate and local dates soon to be confirmed – watch this space!