Thanks, Jim.
I didn't remember for sure if that was the rule.
I do recall that they got as big a guy as could fit if possible and pulled
the hell out of the suit to make it fit.
Some of the guys stuffed paper or wore extra clothing to fill it out as big
as they could.
On the start, the motors would cicle around about 10 meters apart and on
the signal would swoop down just above the riders who would kick for all
they were worth to get on the motor and in the pull ASAP, if you were lucky
(or good) you could pass the guy in front of you during the start and then
the speed would build up until guys got to pace speed and then the attacks
came one after the other as you would try to pass or try to keep from being
passed.
When two riders were fighting it out a third would usually lurk just a
little off the attack speed and when that battle was over go on top of the
two while they tried to recoup and the show went on.
That's what made it so exciting and dangerous, sound, speed, strategy.and
spinning sprints of the riders!!
The metal flap trick was set-up so that when the pacer put weight on the
seat the release would enact and the flap come down for more frontal area
blocking the wind.
Ted Ernst
Palos Verdes Estates
CA USA
>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/
>>
>> Aldo Ross
>> Middletown, Ohio, USA