Hello all.
A few comments on the motorpace scene.
The Montreal motors were new versions of the old ones I rode behind back in
'58/59.
Those old bikes were fitted with some big engines that had no starters. They
had a belt drive about 10 cm wide, and had to be pushed down the track
embankment to get started.
Acceleration was controlled by spark advance and then throttle for better
control of speed to even out the speed variation to allow the rider steadier
pacing.
This was a skill that took a while to develop.
The upright postion of the pacer as was observed gave the rider good
protection. The best pacers were nice and wide in shoulders and could cup
their chests to make the air puff around the rider to keep him in the
pocket.
Ideally the rider could ride within a 1/2" of the roller or closer and not
touch. Every time you touch the roller, you legs take a hit and it takes a
few laps to get back into rhythm.
The pacer would play with his body position and if he timed it correctly,
would angle their body so as another pacer and rider was passing/coming by,
the wind would shoot off and hit the passing rider in the chest and knock
him off the roller so the pacer would have to back off and pick up his
rider, screwing up their attack. Timing was everything.
The pacers feet on the later machines in the '30's which are the ones I
raced behind, had a plate with two projecting pegs.
The pacer had two holes in his heels that he put over the pegs. His feet
would be out sidways for more wind blocking.
The pacing was the most dangerous and mostly regulated. The roller width and
distance from motor was set by race committee rule for various size tracks
and banking.
All the frontal area was measured so the bikes had the same wind blocking
benefit.
Pacers were a sneaky lot and some got caught putting extra wind stopping
plates on the machines, some even had plates that fell into vertical
windblocking position for better rider protection. They got caught and fined
accordingly.
I not sure if the motors were limited on speed for safety or not, but maybe
by changing the pulley.
The rider's ratio's weren't limited, but the track rats and coaches knew
what gears worked best for a certain track.
If you look at the pacer's ear protector(s) you will see it's square like a
small box.
This box is open to the back so the rider could speak/yell into the opening
and be heard over the motor. No pipe or muffler, just the loud engine sound
that was so exciting for the crowd
It was Allez! for faster, and Oh! for slower.
Learning how to give pace and became a motorpace rider was tricky indeed!!
Start position was by draw and then reversed in the next run.
There were usually 3 runs in a standard meet, totalling 80 - 100km
In the championship events, it was 100 km
The small front wheel got the rider closer to the motor and with the reverse
fork the trail was such the the steering was much slower and
steadier/smoother making it easier to control the bike at the high speeds of
70 - 100kph.
Referring to the pull of the slipstream some riders even had jerseys made of
silk in the front and wool on the back so that the porous wool would pick up
the draft and pull the rider somewhat better!
Don't know if that worked, never saw one, but the old timers told me. Must
have been more of the prewar experimenting.
Thought I'd share a little, if you have any Q's please ask.
Ted Ernst
Palos Verdes Estates
CA USA
Saturday, August 8, 2009 Victor Linart, Stayer, 1928
Victor Linart at speed behind a moto, 1928. Between 1913 and 1931 Linart won 15 consecutive Belgian National Professional Stayer Championships (interrupted by WWI from 1915 to 1918), along with four World Championships (1921, 1924, 1926, 1927).
Born 26th May, 1889 in Floreffe, Belgium, Linart became a French citizen in 1937, and died 23rd October, 1977 in Verneuil-sur-Avré, France.
Good view of the roller and its construction, and the complex fork assembly
on the moto. Odd placement of the fuel tank places it in an interesting
position. Must have left a few folks giggling.
>From Match l'Intran No.102, 21 August 1928
Click on pic for larger image.
http://aldoblog2008.blogspot.com/
Aldo Ross
Middletown, Ohio, USA