Road rallies – There was (once) the reconnaissance … –

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There was (once) the recognitions…

Road rallies - There was (once) the reconnaissance ... -

Exclusively for the readers of FIM International Rallye Championship competing sites, our special correspondent has carried out in detail with Sport Motorbike, videos in support, the reconnaissance of the stages of the first Belgian Moto Tour.

Thanks to the Toulon-based organizer Sport Motorbike, Site is able to give you a video taste of the Belgian sauce of the brand new International Rally Championship (read).

Patrick Bournisien, the boss of Sport Motorbike, has indeed offered a few big names to prepare for the reconnaissance of the first round of the FIM International Rally Championship, which will cross three countries this year: Belgium, Italy and France..

Jehan d’Orgeix (former endurance world champion and second in the Dark Dog Moto Tour 2006 for Team Balladins riding a Honda 600 CBR), Wilfried Tallone (the ex-supermotard who is part of the "top pilots" in the French Rally Championship, vice-champion of France 99, Mono winner at the 2005 Dark Dog Moto Tour and who will ride this year in Ax Moto / Audemar colors on a Suzuki 750 GSX-R), François Flick (ex-pilot of rally raids with seven Dakar to his credit (7th scratch in 2000), participations in the rally raid world cups (6th in 2003), second in the "Master Rallye" 2002, faithful to the Xzeos Team since 2004 and who will pilot a Triumph 675), but also Eugène Imbert (known as Nene), the great friend of the late Thierry Rogier and no less winner in the Mono "Promotion" category of the Moto Tour 2004 at the controls this year of a Buell 1200 STT in the colors of Harley-Davidson Toulon.

Without forgetting our famous correspondent Marc Troussard, multiple French rally champion and Site pilot in the French rally championship and the Dark Dog Moto Tour.

The program of the Belgian Moto Tour

A 1000 km course for three cloverleaf stages around Spa with six specials on the road, two on the circuit (the karting circuit and the prestigious Spa-Francorchamps circuit), a time base (regularity test at 60 km / h of imposed average where every second counts!) and a night loop of 135 km at the particularly tight CH (time controls). A dense and varied route in a picturesque region of Belgium.

The recce seen by Sport Motorbike !

Housed in a luxury gîte (Chez Mari-Jo) located in the town of Trois-Ponts, near the town of Spa, the merry fellows are in heaven. The atmosphere is in good spirits and the weather of the game: recce kilometers taste much better when approached this way. !

Take off at 10 a.m. in an unequivocal spirit !

Once everyone is duly woken up and wearing their helmets, it’s time for the festivities! This morning, two other friends came to join us: Michel Bonneau (12th Promotion at DDMT 2006, his third participation in the event) on a Suzuki 1000 GSX-R still adorned with his number 192 of the DDMT and his friend Benjamin Colliaux (3rd Promotion at DDMT 2006, his first Moto Tour!) On a beautiful black 750, from the same family but with a large handlebar … The ideal weapon for this rally ?

The stages are each sponsored by a different sponsor, hence the specific name of each.

Special 1: Creppe (Phillips)

Slippery, relatively winding with a tight hairpin and a detour of a few hundred meters via a road that takes more of the path than the road itself and a very violent change of direction to the right (it happens quickly and it turns square on gravel!)

Special 2: La Redoute (BMW)

This is downright Supercross! A start under a highway, very slippery, the first changes of direction in the earth, a pif-paf around a crossing island and off we go for a rodeo session! Descent on dubious asphalt, sometimes smooth, sometimes rough, then a little faster end: ban on letting go of the handlebars !

Special 3: Spa Kart circuit at night

A very narrow circuit where sessions in groups of ten may be problematic…

These first three specials will close this first day. It’s time to regain strength for tomorrow’s recce. Our famous cook, Nene himself, is of this opinion and prepares us good little dishes with almost nothing !

Today: second step! A nice little bit of liaison and we are again ready to start this second recognition session.

Special 4: Wanne (Yamaha)

As fast as it is smashed in the first part, a bridge passage to negotiate between the dirt on the road and the velodrome on the inside of the left and bumpy curves to get the adrenaline pumping: a sportswoman can put the watts there, but a mono will not be dropped !

Special 5: Theux (Tripy)

A special "funny", in the words of Wilfried Tallone: ​​very narrow between the hedges, with an intersection to pass twice (?) but not by the same roads! A very tight pin that can be cut in the earth, then another change of direction "earthy" and a very fast part downhill, still as narrow, which precedes a climb on the finish.

But Sport Motorbike was not the only one to recognize: nice meeting with Thomas Laroche and Emmanuel Siaux !

A chrono base and a "tight" night loop are planned to finalize this second day of racing. No further recognition today !

Reunion at the lodge in the evening with Thomas and Manu, the two "top pilots" of the CMPN. The opportunity, despite the fatigue, to engage in major "rally" discussions !

Special 6: Bodeux Bass (Shoei)

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A narrow road with grass in the middle from the start of the special which immediately shows color! Earthy, slippery, smashed to perfection: "hard" rallying !

"Looks like enduro", summarizes Benjamin Colliaux:"it’s nice, I like it !"

Always as many changes of direction, often earthy and / or gravel, including a pif-paf and a double left / right hairpin with extremely slippery asphalt !

The finish, however, is debatable: a straight line of several hundred meters with the end of the special at the entrance of a slight curve … At the speeds reached during the race in the stretch, the curve will not pass. not fully and those who try the blow will risk big !

Special 7: Houffalize (Michelin)

So here, we must forget everything we have seen so far because it is a billiard table, wide and with good grip, very, very fast! Beautiful curves that pass quickly and a huge stretch that can be caught at over 250 km / h! A stroke of luck that allowed us to try some trajectories at the end of the session: a bike race was being set up higher up, temporarily closing the road !

Special 8: Grand circuit of Spa- Francorchamps

Due to the heavy work on the Spa circuit, it was impossible to drive there other than a few hundred meters.

But the Spa-Francorchamps circuit is known to be wide and fast, very fast! Those who have never put the wheels there will improvise, there is room !

These three days of intensive recce were shortened a little prematurely, by force of circumstances and by the laws of abrasion of the rubber on the asphalt for the Triumph Speed ​​Triple of Patrick Bournisien … Thank you again to him for allowing to Site to share these acknowledgments with you !

The Belgian recos "once" finished, the friends meet at the lodging in front of a last gastronomic meal always concocted by Nene with the leftovers of the week, where each one goes there his small story until Michel who, strong of his profession of physiotherapist, explains to the assembly how to relieve the lumbar…

And to stay in the field that interests us more particularly, what the pilots of this reconnaissance session retained ?

The pilots’ opinion

Jehan d’Orgeix : "at the beginning I found it a little scary … But as the passages go, we easily get caught up in the game! It’s exhilarating to be able to drive so fast in such unsuitable places! It’s a bit like the TT where you can see the motorcycles take off at crazy speeds, I have the feeling that I am doing the same! And what is also nice is to come and challenge the Lejeune on their land !"

Wilfried Tallone : "I still find these stages dangerous to recognize, because of their narrowness, but they are very pleasant. It’s big heart that we get a taste … and that’s the problem !"

Francois Flick : "this coming to Belgium changes me a bit, it almost looks like off-road rallying and it’s less "hill climb" than usual. However, there is a lot of speed … In any case, it is pleasant and varied and it is this mixture because everyone will be able to navigate. It’s hard to know in advance who is going to be in front … It’s a rally that you will have to finish without getting in the heap because it is still dangerous: when there is speed there is danger , you have to know how to manage yourself, that’s all".

Eugène Imbert (known as Nene) : "thoroughly! Thoroughly everywhere! Without laughing, we play a sport where there is a risk, we must always be aware of it! There it is super varied, there is something for everyone".

We can therefore conclude by qualifying these astonishing specials as "a variety of styles". A little taken by the time which always passes too quickly in these moments there, we were only able to cover a few parts of the road which also pleased us, this very hilly region of Belgium is superb. On the other hand, the multitude of direction changes will make it difficult to follow the road book … Tripy recommended !

This first Belgian Moto Tour should therefore be a success, because the country is magnificent with very varied roads and specials….

Suffice to say that it is difficult to predict a result … Despite the few special "mono", it is likely that a sportswoman can easily get out of the game, although … If it rains, it is less sure…

The bets are open ! See you on May 19 at the arrival of the Belgian Moto Tour on Site !

Marcus HIMSELF – SPORT MOTORBIKE videos

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