Road rallies – The Grolandais knight, master of Beaujolais –

Posted on by admin

The Grolandais knight master of Beaujolais

Road rallies - The Grolandais knight master of Beaujolais -

Serge Nuques won with panache this weekend at the 42nd Beaujolais Rally in front of his friend Marc Troussard and his main challenger in the title race, Philippe Richelmi. Discovery of this discipline, at the heart of the 2005 vintage.

The terrible Serge Nuques (read in particular and our) made the powder speak again this weekend by winning with panache and talent at the 42nd Rallye du Beaujolais.

The Basque-Grolandais rider imposes his Yamaha 1000 R1 n ° 1 with handlebars bracelets in the final scratch thanks to an undivided domination on the night races, after being relegated to fourth position in the day races behind Philippe Richelmi (Aprilia RSV 1000 n ° 9), Gregory Debize (Suzuki GSXR 750 n ° 107) and Patrick Curtat (Voxan 1000 Scrambler n ° 15).

Throughout the weekend, the peaceful hundred-year-old Beaujolais vines saw 118 fierce competitors compete in an atmosphere specific to road rallies: half rogue, half good-natured, a mixture of human combativeness, mechanical rivalry, mutual respect and sports solidarity. "Here it’s like in African rallies, you don’t leave someone on the side of the road"explains Herve Ricord, winner of the Moto Tour in the Mono category (read), unfortunately sidelined this weekend.

Feedback on this 42nd edition of the Beaujolais Rally, organized under the leadership of the always dashing Janine Lamercerie, president of the Beaujolais Motorcycling Club (CMB).

Technical control. 07h00. Not far from Lyon, Villefranche-sur-Saône barely awakens when the first competitors present themselves for technical control. Before placing his mount in the parc ferme, the Chevalier gives it the little final touch that makes the difference: "this year I took it red to change from the blue one of the Moto Tour", he explains while sticking the Moto-Net stickers in reference to the heavy load of" chivalrous freelance "that he did us the honor to accept for his first Tourist Trophy and the Moto Tour 2005 ().

"Got it, asshole ? " 9:00 a.m. Two formalities and three cafes later, as the changing sky still cannot decide between wet or dry, the terraces of the village cafes are taken by storm..

The ignoble Chevalier Nuques, never stingy with gratuitous wickedness, takes the opportunity to bluntly bully his assistance who is about to go shopping: "I don’t want your Bayonne ham! I want half an apple for my meal all day long, you got it, asshole ?", he says to Christophe Chanteur, ex-cross country pilot"super strong, which I found by chance at the Salon de Villefranche", now quadriplegic following an accident"stupid as always, at 30 km / h".

His friend Marc Troussard (Yamaha 600 Fazer n ° 8) shares with other competitors this feeling of "lump in the gut"which almost always occurs at the start of each event."Most often it’s when the guy starts ticking off the five seconds by folding his fingers in front of me", explains Marc, yet multiple French Rally champion..

"Me no, it will seem pretentious to you but I don’t have a lump in my stomach because I don’t put pressure", explains the Knight for his part."Well sometimes yes, as in Carole for the first special of the Moto Tour, where I really wanted to win this race", he corrects by putting on his helmet decorated with the pink feather duster"profiling completely reworked this year. It’s better like that, isn’t it? In any case, it tears my head less with each acceleration !"

"The gaaaagne !!! ". 9:30 a.m. Passers-by in Villefranche-sur-Saône do not seem particularly surprised when two fanatics seated on the terrace suddenly start screaming "the gaaaagne !!!"while drinking their morning coffee …"When we trained with Marc, we passed over a stream called La Gagne. So we went all out screaming the gaaaagne !!!", specifies the Knight. Normal.

Mixture of genres. 10:00 am. 118 machines including twelve side-cars occupy the closed park. The Yamaha 500 T-Max n ° 207 by Arnaud Lions, the only scooter involved, rubs shoulders with the splendid BMW R69S n ° 191 sidecar of Mauny father and son (read and our), the no less superb Guzzi 1000 Le Mans harnessed n ° 190 by Andre and Anne-Marie Dideron, the Voxan Cafe Racer n ° 216 by Laurent Bresse, the Harley 1100 V-Rod n ° 132 by Franck Marguin, etc..

Last coffee before departure. 10:45 a.m.. A quarter of an hour from the pilots’ briefing, in the closed park square, the patroness of the Promenoir informs the pilots who have invaded her bar that the baker has just made a batch of croissants. "They are all hot, go ahead !", she specifies. The tongues are loosened, the trajectories are sharpened, the navigation is precise … The pressure seems to rise a notch.

Departure. 11:45 a.m.. Following the order of the provisional scratch after the Rallye de la Sarthe, Philippe Richelmi is the first to set off for the prologue between Villefranche-sur-Saone and Blace. In the absence of Nick Ayrton, victim of a double fracture in his leg following a fall in endurance at Le Mans in 125 cc, it is Marc Granie who takes the second start on the handlebars of his Voxan 1000 Scrambler (read), followed by Marc Troussard on his Fazer n ° 8 in the colors of Energy Release and Direct 8, the new TNT channel. "It’s not for advertising … but it’s true that Energy Release’s anti-friction products work super strong !", assures the multiple champion of France."As for Direct 8, their name was predestined to me since I always ride the n ° 8! ".

Serge Nuques starts in fifth position while Herve Ricord has trouble hiding his disappointment: "already that I smile not often, but then there…, he explains laughing before explaining that "it’s frustrating not to take the start. But suddenly I take this opportunity to provide assistance and lend a hand"…

Saint Bonet special. 13h00. Big mess at the start of the first special of the day at Col de Saint-Bonet, on the heights of Blace. Because of a "electronic problem", the competitors start an hour and a half late. The last loop will therefore be canceled..

As always in these cases, the concentration falls, the tires and the pilots cool. "I was distracted after the wait, too nervous, I drove too violently when you have to spend much more sunk"explains Serge who does not yet know his times ("I never ask for them at the end of the stages, it’s unreliable", estimates the Grolandais) … He nevertheless won in 1’44.12 ahead of Philippe Richelmi (1’44.28), Gregory Debize on his Suzuki 750 GSXR n ° 107 (1’46.75), Marc Troussard (1’47.91) , Patrick Curtat in Voxan Scrambler n ° 15 (1’48.00) and the formidable Frederic Martin on his 600 GSXR n ° 7 (1’48.34).

Montmain Cross Special. 3:00 p.m. The first passage of the second special at Col de la Croix Montmain sees this time Philippe Richelmi win ahead of Serge Nuques, Gregory Debize, Patrick Curtat, Marc Granie, Frederic Martin again 6th, Marc Troussard, Thierry Canazzi (first of the monos on his Husqvarna n ° 12), Christophe Pottier on his Honda 600 CBR n ° 105 (164,000 km on the clock) and François Bos (Aprilia RSV 1000 n ° 124).

Short showers. 4:00 p.m. The connections continue at a very good pace, while the weather always fluctuates between short showers and lasting sunny spells.

"Destroy Rock ‘n Roll". 5.30 p.m. The brave pilots meet at the assistance park to carry out some mechanical interventions and recharge their batteries before the night’s events. Through the wide open doors of the Grolandais minivan, Mylo’s very good album "Destroy Rock & Roll", broadcast in a loop, efficiently regulates operations.

"For pleasure".6:00 p.m. While greasing the chain of his Suzuki 650 SVS n ° 238, Cedric Hameurt, who is taking part in his first rally, explains that he met his two friends, Jean-Philippe Menard and François Fournaise, "on the Moto Tour". All three participate in the French Rally Championship"just to have fun: we did the one in Sarthe, then we will do the one in Villecomtal, near Rodez, then the 2005 Moto Tour".

After his good performance at the Rallye de la Sarthe, Nick Ayrton has trouble hiding his disappointment at seeing his hopes for the Championship soar … At aperitif time, he takes stock of his double fractured leg: "it was closed, but I think now it has reopened", he grimaces …"A yellow for everyone ?", he asks while distributing the cups. Answer in the affirmative of all those who will not ride tonight, the pilots remaining in the cafe and in the water.

164,000 km. "I did 12th, 9th and 8th !"rejoices Christophe Pottier at the end of the three specials of the day."The click, I got it at the Ain rally in 2004. We were having fun during the recce, and suddenly I put my knee down !", he explains, eyes shining with excitement."They work well, our old trapanelles !", he says to Frederic Martin who finished 6th of the three specials of the day."By the way, my 1991 600 CBR shows 164,000 km: you could appeal to Moto-Net readers to find out how many kilometers I can take it ?"

"The first time I put my knee on the road, it was during the Gemenos special on the Moto Tour", specifies the Knight:"it’s downright weird, it makes vram vram vram in all directions, it tears you half of the sliders because of the irregularities of the road !"

" Drop the pressure !" Le Chevalier, who has stored his mount in a parc ferme before the nightly trials, proclaims that "tonight, it will send serious !"Victim of a 15-second penalty for a score counted one second ahead by the machine at the first time check, the Grolandais, boosted by Mylo’s mix, is determined to make the most of his impressive ramp. ‘Formula Top lighting … "With that I see it as in broad daylight! The other night during the recce, I even saw the eyes of the animals shining in the forest! I will atomize them all! The gaaaaagne !!!"

"Come on, don’t go faster than the motorcycle !", advises him wisely Christophe, in charge of chivalrous assistance, while Serge prepares to take the reins of his R1 which looks like a war machine..

Frederic Martin, impressively regular with his three 6th places on the three specials of the day, said to himself "disappointed to have rolled like a mono in the winding while my bike was very suitable for attack. I did not have enough speed, I took no angle, I braked too much and my three 6th times are of a desperate regularity", he smiles before going to take the start of the night loop.

Rain. A few minutes before the start of the nightly events, the rain seems to want to make its appearance. "When it rains, it is much less hard on a road bike than in enduro", notes the Knight."On the road, you’re dry in your wetsuit while in enduro, you drool a lot more so it’s an extra pressure. But it will not last the rain, tonight I will plaster everything! The gaaaagne !!!".

Night events. Despite the uninviting weather, many spectators gathered in front of the Blace school to watch the start of the night loop.

At the first passage through the Croix Montmain, the Chevalier puts everyone in agreement by posting a time of 2’59.027, ahead of the two Marc almost tied (Granie 3’01.085 and Troussard 3’01.416), Philippe Richelmi (3 ’03 .6), Patrick Curtat (3’05), Olivier Gabillon (first mono on his Yamaha 450 WRF n ° 79 of the Motorcyclist Club of the National Police in 3’06.7), Frederic Martin (3’08.7), Alain Amblard (2nd mono on his Honda 600 XR n ° 84 in 3’13.1), Thierry Darnaud (Triumph 1050 Speed ​​Triple n ° 114 in 3’13.3) and Daniel Dunaud of MC Mesigny (KTM 200 EXC n ° 35 in 3’13.6).

Saint-Bonet by night… In Saint-Bonet, the rain complicated the first night’s passage and it was Olivier Gabillon who took the very narrow scratch ahead of Frederic Martin (2’07.8 against 2’07.9!). Then come Marc Troussard (2’09.5), Gregory Debize (2’10.9), le Chevalier (2’11.7), Alain Amblard (2’11.8), Laurent Razy on his KTM 660 SMC n ° 69 (2’12.9), Mickaël Pefaure, nephew of Marc Troussard on his Yam 400 WRF n ° 39 (2’12.9), Thierry Canazzi (2’13) and Daniel Dunaud (2’13.4).

HS electrical circuit. While the Maunys father and son have just placed themselves at the start of the special, thick smoke escapes from their splendid BMW R69S n ° 191 side: "the electrical circuit has burnt down, there is nothing more to do", explains Jean-Philippe … It’s abandonment.

La Croix Montmain, night, 2nd. Return to the Croix Montmain for the second night pass where the Chevalier pushes the sword a little deeper by improving his time by half a second (2’58.5), still ahead of the two Marc who also improve, almost equal (Granie 2’59.305 and Troussard 2’59.345!), Olivier Gabillon (3’01.9) and Philippe Richelmi (3’02.1). Having left just before Serge Nuques, Marc Troussard awaits him on arrival then the two friends set off again in the night, screaming their war cry – "la gaaaagne".

Heavy fall. It was then that Frederic Martin, seventh competitor to set off on the second passage of this special, fell at very high speed in the stretch between station 1 and 2, fortunately not serious for him..

"I attacked too hard", he explains:"I had poisoned everyone in Saint-Bonnet under the fleet. In this one, there is a stretch where you pass all the reports, then there is a small break where you have to give back your hand and I haven’t returned. I took the compression to 180/200 and immediately knew I should have cut but it was too late. I swerved to the side, the bike was still swerving but I was holding it, I was within 2 inches between the tar and the grass, I was still holding it and all of a sudden it went into the ditch. Fortunately, I was lucky enough to stay on the tar. I slipped, slipped, it never stopped slipping … I thought I was going to slide my whole life. And then it stopped slipping, I was in no pain anywhere. I was not completely in the dark because my headlight had exploded but a bulb continued to illuminate a little. So I got up to take my bike back, but when I straightened it up it was as high as a mini-bike, the fork was cut in half and the rim exploded".

"The weather is nice, the wine is good and the people are nice, the rest I don’t care". "Today the weather is nice, the wine is good and the people are nice to me. The rest I don’t care, sums up Frederic the next day after the awards ceremony, which sees the winners of the different categories being inducted by the Beaujolais masters.

"I had a lucky star last night … Maybe I’ll review my approach to rallying. Last year it was my first season, but I became champion in the Top Sport category on my 600 GSXR! I progressed very quickly, I amazed myself. This year I had no particular ambition, I thought I couldn’t go faster. But when you’re champion in your category, you aim for the scratch, that’s normal"…

"I never manage to leave the races…" The R1 stored in the trunk of his armored gray minivan, the Chevalier de Groland, freshly crowned with his title of Chevalier du Beaujolais, is about to hit the road to return to his native Basque Country.

"In Paris, I don’t know how you do it. All this noise, all this pollution, all these guys dying on the sidewalk without anyone moving. I’m a bush guy, me".

Last greetings, last exchanges of confidences on the performances of the day before, last blows of the horn as a burn and the knight takes the wheel, on his way to other adventures. "I can’t seem to quit these races", he sighs.

In the end, Serge Nuques won the Beaujolais Rally with panache ahead of Marc Troussard and Philippe Richelmi.

In the monos it’s Olivier Gabillon who takes the lead ahead of Thierry Canazzi and Laurent Razy while in the Sport category, Mickaël Pefaure is ahead of Daniel Dunaud and Didier Chambost. On the side, team n ° 17 Gache / Chanal des Picarlous is ranked ahead of Bruno Marlin and Maryline Hudon (n ° 16) and ahead of team n ° 20 (Laforêt / Delsalle).

Finally in classic, Philippe Le Tiec of the CMPN (Honda 750 Four n ° 179) wins ahead of Eric Sarafis (Yamaha 350 RDLC n ° 177) and Michel Lafragette (Yamaha 500 XT n ° 183).

Bravo to all the competitors, friendly and accessible enthusiasts who live their competition far from the spotlight, far from the "money attitude" of the Grand Prix paddocks, in a particularly friendly atmosphere, including for the spectators.

Do not hesitate to go (re) discover the Rallye Hexagonal Circus soon in a village near you: the Rallye du Sud Morvan on May 28 and 29 in Creusot (71), the Rallye du Velay on June 18 and 19 in Brives Charensac (43), the Dourdou Rally on July 16 and 17 in Villecomtal (12) and finally the Lou Mounta Cala Rally on September 10 and 11 in Roquebillière (06)

Double carpaccio. 2:00 p.m. Seated in front of a double beef carpaccio, the Chevalier drops the armor and tries to sort through the 15,000 projects that seem to constantly swirl under his medieval hair. Some are top secret confidential defense, others are simply barjos, others still downright brilliant but all are original, interesting and motivating … "If I had a magic wand? If my raffle had worked? I would have bought a maxi camper van, but something crazy eh! And I would have taken my wife, my daughter and my future son to go shopping all over Europe … In Lithuania, in stupid countries, everywhere !", imagine Serge.

In the meantime, the Chevalier unlike any other gives us an appointment from May 28 to follow his first Tourist Trophy live on Moto-Net (read)…

Eric MICHEL – Photos Eric MICHEL

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *