Re: [CR] Pic of the Day - Victor Linart, Stayer, 1928

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Date: Tue, 11 Aug 2009 16:19:08 -0700
From: "JimAllen" <jimallen.ranchita@gmail.com>
To: ternst <ternst1@cox.net>
References: <CC0280DAE6B84B10AD5611A17D33C998@Newhouse> <A32EF06180654E398AC468F547118754@D8XCLL51>
In-Reply-To:
Cc: classicrendezvous@bikelist.org
Subject: Re: [CR] Pic of the Day - Victor Linart, Stayer, 1928


I learned in my National Commissaires class in '83 that all the motorcycle drivers uniforms were the same size. If you couldn't fit into the uniform, you couldn't be a driver. Obviously, the bigger your driver, the better the draft.

Our instructor, a Belgium commissaire, had all kinds of stories about pacers and their drivers. We spent a lot of time learning dimensions of the drivers uniforms and the motorcycle dimensions to pass the test. It was all pretty strange to us, since we'd never seen a motor pace race.

Jim Allen

ternst wrote:H 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
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "Aldo Ross" <aldoross4@siscom.net>
> To: <classicrendezvous@bikelist.org>
> Sent: Saturday, August 08, 2009 10:07 PM
> Subject: [CR] Pic of the Day - Victor Linart, Stayer, 1928
>
>
> 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/2009/08/victor-linart-stayer-1928.html
>
> Aldo Ross
> Middletown, Ohio, USA