Sport – To each his own Cross in Ternois … –

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To each his own Cross in Ternois…

Sport - To each his own Cross in Ternois ... -

Hard weekend for Team Moto-Net in Croix-en-Ternois during the 4th round of the Challenge des Monos: mechanical problems, heavy fall in qualifying and lower morale got the better of Pascal Di Marco, who finally preferred not to not take the start.

Roll on the fifth round in Dijon, on August 7 and 8, to put an end to the black series and forget the frustration felt this weekend! The fourth round of the Challenge des Monos, held on the Croix-en-Ternois circuit, leaves a bitter taste for Team Moto-Net, after the excitement of the debuts at Ledenon and Carole….

"Hey yeah guys … you thought it was easy? Welcome to the world of competition!" summarizes Yann Unissart as a connoisseur of paddocks, virtuoso of the BTR and great rectifier of frozen rear brake pedal…

It all started on Thursday in the rain when Pascal Di Marco landed alone on the Croix-en-Ternois circuit, in Pas-de-Calais, to defend the colors of Team Moto-Net. His teammate Benoît Lacoste, seized with a shattering passion for a Citroen Picasso period ligament tear (read), must indeed remain on the sidelines, his left arm in a sling…

Morale was still high on Friday despite the rain, until a strange noise broke out in the engine … Radio Paddock waves then turned at full speed and the possibility of a piston in the process of splitting insidiously undermines the morale of Pascal, who lines up on Saturday morning for the first qualifying session without having done a single free practice lap.

The track is dry, the tires are heating up and the pace increases noticeably when Pascal, who turns in a regular 1’07, places the Moto-Net Mobile n ° 95 at the entrance to the second right of the circuit. Stephane Varache, boosted in a good lap in 1’02 on his SZR n ° 31, tries to make him an exterior for the less manly but misses and spreads out like a pancake in front of his wheels: double fall! Stephane sees MNM n ° 95 rolling over him but fortunately manages to get up without much damage, while Pascal slips off, tries to get up but falls back, victim of a violent pain in the lower back, and waits for the rescue lying in the grass…

Big stress rise in the ranks of Team Moto-Net at the edge of the track when the firefighters take out the stretcher, followed a few very long seconds later by a huge relief when they bring it back empty … Pascal walking alongside them !

Ragged fairing, pierced bubble, atomized front mudguard puzzle style and compressed brake pedal Caesar style, the MNM n ° 95 is brought back to the stand where a closer examination reveals a slightly twisted fork and a not very Catholic frame….

After consulting the various paddock gurus, it is again Yann who identifies the most effective tool to judge the extent of the damage: "a helmet and gloves!"

Pascal then climbs back into the saddle and notices that "the fork wiggles slightly under braking, but overall it’s fine". A fairing rescotching later, so it can line up at the end of the day for the second qualifying practice session.

The next morning, while Pascal prefers not to start the B Final (read below), it was Samuel Bernigaud on his SZR n ° 39 who created the event: started at the back of the grid following problems of settings during qualifying, he clearly states his goal: to be drafted to run in the A Final! In other words, finishing in the top five when he starts 45th out of 45…

Very good race of Guillaume Morellon (Yam n ° 21) and Philippe L’Eplattenier (MuZ Skorpion n ° 28) who lead the way in front of Sebasien Boulay (MuZ Skorpion n ° 76) and Frederic "Rahan" Grannet (SZR n ° 23) , then fall of Patrick Tritant (SZR n ° 29) who pours a long trail of oil on the track.

New start and resumption of the race: Samuel continues to nibble the package little by little and manages to win fifth in the aggregate of the two parts of the race! Disappointment for, author of a good race and who crosses the fifth line, but finds himself relegated to 7th position in the aggregate of the two rankings…

In the A Final, Olivier Desjours (Honda RSF n ° 1), leader of the Protos category and winner last year, suffered a high-side in the fast left which precedes the connecting pin. He fell heavily, luckily without major damage to himself or to his machine, but due to pain in his pelvis he was unable to straighten his bike and had to give up, leaving the lead in the general classification to Yannick Darre.

It is therefore Jean-Charles Chauchot (Vertemati n ° 46) who wins ahead of Yannick Darre (Honda RSF n ° 11) and Michael "Maïkeul" Viravongsa (SZ n ° 66), while Pascal Pouhaer (BMW Scarver n ° 32) finished fourth scratch and first in Monosports ahead of the remarkable Flavien Moulinier and his prototype TTS 720 n ° 91.

Finally, we salute the fine performance of Ronald Rivière (n ° 68) and Frederic Juillot (SZR n ° 34), who finished respectively in 6th and 8th place ahead of Manu Pintor, leader of the Monosports category on his SZR n ° 9.

See you in Dijon-Prenois on August 7 and 8, this time with Team Moto-Net in full force !

Hell of the North, by Pascal Di Marco

Black weekend for Team Moto-Net on the occasion of the third race of the monos challenge: without Benoît, pilot of MNM n ° 25, absent due to dislocated collarbone the week before the race, I hit the road early Thursday morning. Motivated, reassembled, pumped up by the good progress made in Carole during the second round (read), I could see myself taking the start of my first A final on the small, virolous circuit of Croix-en-Ternois. But when it doesn’t, it doesn’t !

Thursday, 11:00 am: it’s raining

Two sessions available for the afternoon: I opt for the second story of not spending the day in soaked leather. Anyway, the sun is forecast for Saturday and Sunday, so driving in the rain will not bring me much, except the order of the turns. But given that the route has only six, it should be quickly seen.

The afternoon passed gently in the company of Charly, engaged in his Bimota BB1 n ° 96. He rides a little faster than me, so I hope I can take advantage of his wheel this weekend to improve faster than usual…

Richard, rider of the splendid LARIDA (LAverda-apRIlia-honDA,), elected motorcycle of the month in Ledenon by the Challenge riders, actively participates in the little game of "pleuvra, reuvra pas" very popular in our paddock district.

6:00 p.m .: we put on the leathers and on the track. Luckily, we are driving between two showers, which allows us to stay dry. Indeed, the layout is small! In three turns, it is memorized. A long straight downhill, a tight right in two, a good straight stretch, a left parabolic in three followed by a right in two, another small straight stretch, a quick right under the catwalk (the only place a little tricky for me, because it seems faster than it is), a left full throttle (in the dry), a pin to take in zero gear and presto, straight line.

In the rain in the north, I take a certain pleasure in assimilating the track, which seems to provide excellent grip in some places. No particular pitfalls, apart from a certain number of bumpy curves, and these series of small curves which give food for thought on the trajectories.

At least I atomized the BB1, because Charly admits to me hating the rain … Finally, it allows me to realize that even if I too hate putting the wheels on a wet track, there is much worse !

7:00 p.m .: Everyone at the shelters, under Charly’s tent-workshop, who offers me accommodation for the evening, and will house the MNM 95 for the night.

Friday, 1:00 p.m.

It rains a little less than yesterday and the track alternates between dry and wet all morning. The motorbike started straight off this morning. Everything is fine.

An hour before the first session, I start the bike (always this precautionary principle which is close to my heart): nothing! The engine does not want to know anything and stubbornly refuses to give voice … I go to ask Thierry Flegar (Suzuki DRGV n ° 75) to try to throw it to the rollers so as not to empty the battery: still nothing! You don’t have to be a wizard to guess ignition trouble…

I put a cross (!) On the first session and embark on a mechanical session to ensure at least the second series of free practice. Tests, re-tests: nothing! As a last resort, I dismantle the TCI box and have it tested by a compassionate competitor: BRAAAP, his motorcycle starts straight away. Good … In desperation, I put the case back on my MNM, crank the starter and BRAAAP, BRAAAAP, it works! Go figure … Anyway, I put it all together by spreading copiously with silicone (thank you Richard!) And everything is back to normal. Except that…

Except that the engine, once hot, makes a particularly disturbing noise. I’m going into panic mode! Express consultation of the two main paddock gurus, JR de Saint Hilaire Preparation and Regis of Team Trophy Sport, who jointly diagnose three possibilities: matted balance shaft keys, HS connecting rod or tired piston. That happiness !

My Calimero decision is made: I am going to dismantle the clutch cover to check the keys, because they represent the greatest risk of engine failure. The connecting rod or piston will show me other warning signs, which will allow me to stop before the potential disaster..

So I make a new cross (!!) on the second run…

Disassembly

Another session of heavy mechanics, which follows the change of cylinder head gasket carried out in Carole (read). I lay the bike on its side and get down to work. Once again, Regis du TTS gives me a superb lesson in monoesque mechanics and together we note that the keys are in good condition. Big disappointment and growing concern, knowing the other two probable causes. Manu Pintor (n ° 9) and Maïkeul Viravongsa (n ° 66) help me out with a new key (while we are there) and a lock washer and I reassemble the engine, death in my soul. The only consolation: the bike is a priori capable of driving in qualifying practice tomorrow….

Friday, 8:30 p.m.

Charly introduces me to his friends Yann and Salome Unissart as well as their little proteges registered in promotion 125 and 250. They offer me hospitality, board, food and good stories included. Morale is picking up a bit. Come on, we’re not going to stop at a stupid engine noise, no ?

Saturday, 12:40 p.m.

Start of qualifying. A lap to warm up the tires, a lap to find the trajectories, a first lap time, I feel a little confused by lack of rolling but at least, the engine seems to go more or less, even if it seems to me that the power drops as it rises in temperature.

And then the cataclysm … In turn 3 I am on a clean path, at my own pace, when I see a competitor giving me an anthology exterior. So much anthology that I started to squeeze my buttocks when I saw his two wheels slide under my nose. And hop, nothing more to do it crusts in front of me and I have no other choice than to hold on and roll over it … I think I have rarely had the opportunity to have such a climb adrenaline rush … Time stops for a brief moment, enough for me to see him get up and start running along the track. Phew, he’s standing despite my Dunlop passing over his back. And then time resumes its course and I come back to the harsh reality of things: it’s up to me to feel the asphalt and finish my fall.

Well … I didn‘t really understand which way I rolled, or in what order my pieces hit the asphalt, but what I do know is that once my race stopped, I didn’t was able to get up when I wanted to run for cover. On all fours, I throw myself towards the embankment that borders the track and I collapse on my back, waiting to feel or I will be in pain.

The head is fine, despite a rear impact on the track. The feet move despite a ball roll finished on the coccyx. The right wrist is not too difficult despite a slightly violent reception. In short, I am stunned but unharmed, breathlessness, and some pain. The firefighters lead me to the infirmary, from where I see Eric bringing the SZR which therefore seems rolling and almost intact.

So I’m still leaving out (!!!) on my first qualifying session. Too bad, I was in 1’07 after only three laps, which bodes well for the future.

Saturday, 6:10 p.m.

Okay, now I really have to talk to you about Yann Unissart. In addition to cheering me up with stories of an old biker who knew the time before, the one where we rolled on things much more crumpled than an SZR 95 after a bowl at Croix, he took in hand heavy mechanics to repair the damage. Assessment of the front, which seems very twisted. Straightening illico presto, playing right to left on the tees and shoo, the bike looks crooked but at least the handlebars are symmetrical. I have a big doubt as to the correctness of the steering, but I hear myself say: "do you have a helmet and gloves? Go take a walk with them and you will see, if it is, you will see nothing!" " Well it’s true! A brief lap of the paddock proves to me the truth of his statements: the bike seems straight, even if it is not really. "If you only knew what I was riding on!" Does it slip into me casually … Still, even if I am not reassured to ride on a twisted motorcycle, I know that I will be able to run tomorrow! A big blow of braided tape to hold the fairing, a blow of a mini-drill on the screen and the fender to resize the broken pieces and the motorcycle is ready to set off again.

Go, on the way to the second qualifying session, but without pretending to make a time. This time I decide to do a few laps just to make sure the bike races tomorrow and save it before the race. Especially since the track is just drying out, the rain having returned a few minutes earlier.

I run the trouillometer to zero, roll over eggs for three short laps then return to the paddock. I really don’t have the courage, despite a now dry track, to test the clock. Especially since I feel badly behind, but I put it down to my somewhat abused mind these past few hours. Assessment: 1’20 … I thought I was dragging myself, but at this point…

And hop, another cross (!!!!) on the second qualifying session…

Back under the awning, we take care of the brake pedal bent at 90 degrees. And once again, Yann bluffs me all at once: "you’ll see, we put it in the freezer for 4 hours and we straighten it without breaking it!" Regis who was passing by opens wide surprised eyes. For my part, I trust him blind insofar as he brilliantly demonstrated to me that he was capable of the best. Banco, let’s freeze my friends, let’s freeze !

I have dinner with Eric after the official aperitif of the Challenge and the official brawl of JFK, because it seems that we are systematically late in pre-grid … Well, I am more at the checkered flag than I am late, but hey … At least, the aperitif that cheers up! I’m still here, qualified in the B final, and tomorrow the weather will be fine! It’s true what, it could rain ropes, the storm tearing all the tents, flooding the circuit or destroying the motorcycle, what do I know !

When I go to sleep, I realize that I forgot my brake pedal. Never mind, Yann takes her out of the freezer and begins to martyr her with great blows of the hammer … And it works! I’m telling you, this guy is like a sort of paddock magician. He comes for the weekend, just like that, to be there, and to lend a hand when he can. Freeze, my brothers, freeze…

Sunday, 10:05 am

In pre-grid, on time. I can hardly stand in the saddle (well, saddle, that’s a big word), but I still test the rear shock out of habit. Hey, did I leave the rain settings? Astonishing, because I have just asked Benoît to toughen things up. I bend over and turn the wheel … NNNOOOOOONNNNNNNNNNNNNNN! She is already full! Well, let me recap … Ignition, engine, bowl, HS shock absorber, that‘s a bit too much for me! Isn’t there a sign there? Come on, my boy, don’t feel too much, you’ll see. I decide to do the three training laps and warm up to assess the situation. And it is quickly assessed! I now understand why I did not feel the bike in the second qualifying session … End of the second warm-up lap, I raise my hand and go back to the pits, with a tear in my eye. I put the motorbike on the fence and watch my comrades ride. I don’t have the courage to shoot 20 minutes in these conditions, to take the blue flags in all the turns and to take risks that I consider unnecessary.

Great good took me? I don’t know, but still it is that in the fourth or fifth lap, a beautiful bowl occurs before my eyes and I am really afraid for the driver and the marshals, standing in the middle of the track, at the end of a trace of oil, in the middle of a bunch of weirdos arriving like rockets in a rapid left.

I can’t help but think that it could have been me, that it could have been more serious, that my engine could have tightened full angle, in short, I realize that when you are a pilot, you have to think about it, you have to make decisions well, but these decisions are really hard to make, especially when it comes to not taking the start. Worst decision … I’m giving up (!!!!!) on the race…

Epilogue

"Well guys, what do you think the race is easy? Welcome to the club!" That’s Yann who cheers me up. It’s true what, after all, who said it was easy? We knew it at the start of the season! We made the choice to prepare our motorcycles ourselves, precisely to learn the mechanics, not to play the world riders who sit on a saddle, ride, get off the bike and go to sleep. We did this to shit, and until the end! So now, at work, don’t let go. A month and a half before Dijon, we have to find a new helmet, repair the fairing, strip the bike from A to Z, check everything, make everything reliable, reassemble everything and leave with a high morale. Especially in Dijon, no B final so no room for error…

But after the rain, the good weather, right? I make a cross on the cross…

Eric MICHEL and Pascal DI MARCO

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