New DTRA Magazine

The Dirt Track Riders Association, the UK's amateur flat track race series has done a great job of building on the foundations of what Short Track had built up. The UK scene is now over ten year's old and is growing year on year with their attitude and innovation.

Part of that innovation is a free digital magazine. Go to DTRA Magazine 6 to read the 117-page magazine (I know, 117, but that's digital for you, you can break the rules). G

More Flat Trackers on UK eBay

eBay hound Kev H keeps sending us links to bikes on sale in the UK. These are for would-be DTRA racers.

One is a ready to race Suzuki 450, the others are a couple of DTRA vintage class compatible bikes that have the air of barn find/ on-going project about them, especially the one with the Can-Am tank. The two Triumphs are being sold by the same bloke who had the Triumph T100C on ice tyres a week or so ago. Looks like he bought a job lot of interesting, affordable vintage racers/projects.

1968 Triumph T100C

1970 Triumph T100C (wot no fork travel?)

2006 Suzuki RMZ450 DTX 

These sales are nothing to do with Sideburn. We know nothing about the quality or history of these bikes or even if they are what they purport to be, we're just passing on what's out there. G

Dust & Throttle: A film about Dirt Quake

DUST &THROTTLE from sam barker on Vimeo.

Very emotive film shot at the two days of Dirt Quake V by top photographer, Sam Barker. The action and characters are a mixture of Friday night DTRA and Saturday Dirt Quake.

Sam filmed and wrote the poem for the narrative. Lovely stuff. G

Survivor Rotax for Sale

Mike at Survivor Customs is selling his race bike to fund a new project. He came second in the Restricted class and third in the 2016 Thunderbike class on this bike this year. This is what he says. 

CCM Main frame with custom welded on subframe conversion to fit a Knight seat unit, custom twinshock swinging arm with Marzocchi shocks, R6 forks, 19in DID rims, front laced to a Talon spool hub, Rear laced to a KTM gs hub; polycarb American flat track tank, Renthal bars, carbon number boards, recent service with new throttle and clutch cable and oil lines,... This bike wants for nothing it's got a really nice strong motor. I can't fault it the only reason I'm selling it is because I want to build another one. If i don't get the asking price I'll keep it and put it on the road
survivorcustoms@gmail.com Tel: 07835649903

This Saturday...

...if the weather behaves. The final round of the 2016 DTRA season. Racing all afternoon, but finals from 6pm. Free to spectate.

100% Supports The DTRA

The DTRA has some great supporters, including 100% Goggles. And DTRA riders wear 100% goggles.

Thanks to every company that supports grassroots motorsport. G

DTRA Magazine 5

The world's coolest motorcycle racing club has published another issue of their online magazine.
Loads of great photos, tips, race reports, interviews with the racers.

The DTRA's next race is a two-dayer on the half-mile (or thereabouts) horse track at Ammanford , South Wales, this weekend. G

King's Lynn DTRA

I raced on Friday night at the DTRA round of Dirt Quake's Friday night. I had an absolute blast. Out of my six heats races I scored two firsts, two seconds, a third and a fifth. The finals are always harder because the quickest 12 from the 36 restricted and 24 Thunderbikes get through. I finished fifth in the restricted, then didn't even leave the track before going into another 8-lap final for the Thunderbikes. I beat some class acts, riders I don't normally beat, like Tom Clemens, and still came fourth! Bugger. I had great fun though.
Thanks to the DTRA and all their staff and helpers. Thanks to Icon for the Airframe Pro helmet. I really rate it.
Go to Dirt Track Riders Association to find out more about this great series.

The race was livestreamed, so you can watch a video of the whole race meeting here. G

Photo: Ian Roxburgh/DTRA

DTRA Livestream: This Friday

The DTRA have invested heavily in organising free livestream coverage of this week's Friday night races, at Dirt Quake. Don't know what that means? It means you can watch the races anywhere in the world on your computer or tablet screen.

The DTRA are a not for profit club, who want to showcase their riders, sponsors and sport. I'm confident they'll put on a slick show. The racing comes thick and fast in the DTRA. There isn't going to be a lot of dead time. There are nearly 30 heats and 5 mains.

There are a bunch of different classes, they are explained below, for the casual observer.

Racing from Friday 5.30pm BST (British Summer Time) that is:

6.30pm Central European Time
12.30pm Eastern Time
10:30pm Indian Standard Time
09.30am Pacific Time
01.30am Saturday Tokyo Time
02.30am Saturday Sydney Time

Go to dirttrackriders.co.uk to watch

These are the classes racing at the Maxxis DTRA Round 4 on Friday.

Pro - The expert class. None of these guys are paid racers, but some have competed against the best at Superprestigios and in the AMA. Virtually all riders are on 450 DTX bikes.

Restricted - One step down from the pros. Riders use a mix of 450 DTX and Thunderbikes.

Thunderbikes - Air-cooled bikes up to 650cc in steel, specialist dirt track frames and modified road bikes.

Vintage - Classic Trackmaster Triumphs, Bultaco Astros, Harley 45s and wide variety modified road bikes, all in one class.

Hooligan presented by Harley-Davidson - Road bikes with engines over 750cc and stock frame.

Go to dirttrackriders.co.uk to watch

Texas Chris Jenner

Back in May we organised a Yorkshire Ride Out with HebTroCo. Among a bunch of great bikes was a very neat very neat, street trackered XS650 built by and belonging to 'Texas' Chris Jenner and American living in the UK. Nothing particularly unusual, there were a few good looking street trackers among the mix. What was interesting was I knew Chris was heading to dirt track practice at Greenfield the next day on the very same bike.

Chris is a graduate of the University of Dirt Quake, yet another rider who has undertaken their first motorcycle race at Dirt Quake, only to be seduced by the action and atmosphere and then bought or built a bike to race more seriously.

Chris took off the front brake and light overnight in preparation for the practice. These aircooled Yamaha twins are solid machines, but it didn't stop Chris, a BMX rider, launching it off the Greenfield TT jump and even crossing it up in mid-air, looking like a 21st Century Kenny Roberts. Great photo by James Boddy.

The DTRA Greenfield TT is on this weekend. Spectator entry is free, but car parking is £5. There is a bar on site, camping, and two days of racing.
Aim for Greenfield Farm, Alford, Lincolnshire, LN13 0EB.

A report of the Yorkshire Ride-out will be in Sideburn 25, coming very soon. G

Butterflies, Butterflies, Frank

The next round of the 2016 DTRA race series is the Greenfield TT, next weekend. TT racing is dirt track's nod to going right and leaving the ground. To the best of my knowledge, TT races only ever have one jump per lap. They're contested by flat track bikes, usually with slightly more compliant suspension and front brakes. There have been TT races in the UK, when the national series was organised by Short Track UK, but this is the first DTRA TT. It's also the first all dirt TT. Previous races have had concrete sections when the course turned onto the infield of King's Lynn speedway track, with a dirt jump.

As a very amateur racer, I'm not a massive fan of the TT format as I've never been much of a jumper, but there was a small scale practice at the Greenfield track earlier in the year, and running a few laps over the jump gave me more confidence for the upcoming race. I think the racing is going to be wild and action-packed, especially as this year, most classes are running without a front brake.

It's free to spectate, and it's a two-day meeting at:
Greenfield Farm
Greenfield
Alford
LN13 0EB

Anthony Brown, big cheese of the DTRA, sent a link to this clip through to get us excited about TT racing and it is wonderful. Evel Knievel is the guest pundit and while he does get some good info over, when asked about TT racing, he compares Ascot TT with the Isle of Man TT. Perhaps he'd only heard of the Isle of Man TT, not actually seen it. I don't have to tell you the two couldn't be more different.

This 100-lapper is dominated by Rick Hocking. He must have been the big favourite, because he was interviewed before the race, with the clips inserted into the coverage. I saw Hocking race at Vegas in 2010, also on a Yamaha 500, like he using in this race, then I was in the hotel hot tub with him (it was a big outdoor hot tub, not that awkward). I wish I'd seen this clip before that impromptu meeting. And it's too late to ask him about it now as, sadly, he took his own life a year later, in early 2011.

Another fact, the late Paul Bostrom (incorrectly captioned Bostrum in this Wide World Of Sports footage) is running third for part of the race. He was the uncle of former superbike racers Ben and and Eric Bostrom. G

DTRA Hooligans, Peterborough

The DTRA launched its Hooligan class at last weekend's MCN Festival, Peterborough and it was a blast. The series is sponsored by Harley-Davidson, Roland Sands Designs, Co-Built and Sideburn. The grid was healthy for race one, and a large festival crowd loved the action. Here are the runners and riders.

The rules are 750cc or bigger, multi cylinder, stock frame, no front brake.  That meant Brink's gorgeous 1940s Harley WL45 was in the mix.
All the bikes were road bikes, the scene hasn't developed to US standards were most hooligan bikes only ever see the track, so most riders removed front brake levers or calipers, leaving discs or drums fitted.

The DTRA has two fellas called Ross and each is a boss. This is Ross Sharp from the Bike Shed in London and his mean Cagiva Navigator. We have to feature this soon.

James from Hard Luck Tattoo and his Sportster.

Jaz (?) and another Sportster. Alloys taped up to stop arms going through them.

It wasn't all V-twins. DTRA regular Paul Harrison rode his 750 Bonnie.

This is the Sideburn Sportster, decked out with RSD, Speed Merchant, Motone and Biltwell parts. I'd only ridden it in a car park before the first race. The weight of the thing made me nervous, but I was happy with how it lookedand how it went. Read about it in the next Sideburn.

Co-Built Geoff, Pierre-Alexandre Treust and me ready for the first heat race. Don't know how I ended up with number 1!

The big MCN Festival crowd lapped up the action. Geoff won this heat race on a borrowed £12,000 Scrambler FT Pro, then, to be a crowd-pleaser, did a big powerslide on the slowdown lap, highsided and broke his wrist. He raced on though, and marshalled all the next day. Legend.

Paul Harrison leading, me in second, Geoff high and wide!

 Jon on his wife's Scrambler.

 Milo on a Sportster and Pierre on an enormous BMW GS. 

 The Harley Hooligans.

 These heavyweights have so much traction off the start.

Ross was close to unbeatable. He cleared off at the front in the final leaving me, Geoff and Paul to battle for the podium places. 

Brink and his 45. 

 Colour-coordinated Co-Built Geoff. 

 I nicked third place on the last corner, when Paul and Geoff were caught up with a lapped rider. I'd done the same in a heat race, so I knew to go around the outside this time. I nearly got second on the line and had a great time, so much more fun than I thought it would be. UK hotshot, Ollie Brindley handed out the awards.

The next Hooligan race is at the Hell's Race, Belgium, then on the Friday night of Dirt Quake. G

Photos: GI and Ian Roxburgh/Ian Osborne/DTRA

DTRA 4

Latest issue of the online magazine from the UK's Dirt Track Riders Association.
Have a flick and read interviews with top UK racers, tips, race reports and great photos...

It expands if you click it. G

DTRA Ladies Dirt Camp

After the success of their 2015 Ladies day, the DTRA has organised another with changes, and this time it's at the new Greenfield track, in Lincolnshire, with camping as an option. Only a handful of places are left.

There are tons of details at www.dirttrackriders.co.uk, but here are the basics...

Options and costs:

2 day Dirt camp (20 places available)
Come and enjoy of weekend of riding and hanging out at Greenfield. What's included.
2 days of tuition and fun riding on bikes provided
Loan of steel shoes
Camping
A participants number board
Memory stick of photos
Cost £160

Sunday training 
A single day of basic training and fun (10 places available)
Tuition and fun riding on bikes provided
Loan of steel shoes
A participants number board
Memory stick of photos
Cost £80

What you need to bring along
Some riding gear if you have it.
We will have some spare if you don't.
Your own helmet and gloves
Some boots that cover your ankles preferable motorcycle boots
Your tent and all the stuff you need to camp.
Toilets on site but no showers!
Feel free to bring friends and family if you wish. We will have a gazebo and a seating area. Well behaved dogs are welcome on a lead.

Poster at by Toria Jaymes of Stay Outside Studio (who also did the Sideburn 24 cover)

DTRA Round 1 Report: Rye House

The first DTRA race of 2016 was the biggest ever UK short track race (except for the Dirt Quake two-dayers that we hold with the DTRA). The meeting was split into two, with self-contained morning and afternoon sessions. Juniors, rookies and minibikes ran in the morning. Pros, restricted, vintage and Thunderbikes got on track at 2pm.

Rye House has a new owner and is under-going renovation. The DTRA seemed much happier with the new regime and the track was well prepared and looked after during the meeting. In the past, the previous owner would dump 1000 litres on it halfway through the meeting and totally screw it.
One result of the track being looked after was a very safe meeting. I didn't see the medical staff called once.

There were a ton of new riders in all the classes and some of last year's top restricted riders moved up to the Pro class. The DTRA has introduced a B Final for the Pro class to encourage those without a realistic chance of making the final to enter the dwindling Pro class in the knowledge they'll get three heats and a B Main. The B Main also acts as a last chance qualifier (LCQ) with the top two from the B Main qualifying for the A Main. There was a slight mix-up with the race order of this meeting so the B Main riders went straight from their ten-lap B into the 10-lap A Main without a break. That was a bit of a poisoned chalice, meaning they had to race knackered against the best amateur riders in Europe. The DTRA will sort that for future races.

The race attracted riders from Italy, Germany, France and Belgium, 12-15 foreign riders in total.
Thanks to the DTRA volunteers for all they do for the sport. They were working for ten hours on Sunday, plus travelling time, to make the event run as smooth as an oiled eel. GI

Sean Vukovic entered his very first dirt track race on his Survivor Customs CCM Rotax and won the Thunderbike class ahead of a strong field. Ross 'The King' Herrod was second, Survivor Mike Hill was third.
Want a potential race winner for £3500-£4000? Talk to Mike at Survivor Customs.

Frenchman Frank Chatokhine, #5R, came back to the series after missing much of last season and bossed the ever-growing Vintage class. We featured his Metisse Triumph in Sideburn 17.

17-year-old Ollie Brindley #24, hasn't had an off-season. over winter he has raced both Superprestigios and a bunch of Florida races, plus spent two weeks with AMA Pro Johnny Lewis. He followed the hard-charging current champ, Aidan Collins, for a few laps before finally making a pass stick and then he cleared off. Aidan came in second, Alan Birtwistle (aka Moto Ninja) came a good third. 

Vintage class rookie John Harrison looked like he'd been parachuted in from 1974. He is one of many riders who lost their dirt track virginity at Dirt Quake and now are racing in the DTRA.

Another is Ross Sharp, one of the Bike Shed MC full-time staff. Ross bought a used DTX bike last year, did a few practices, entered the Rookies and won first time out. A very confident rider.

Alessandro Rossi from Deus Milan bought Jason's gorgeous Wood Rotax (that we have a blueprint of for all the Wood Rotax fans out there) and flew in with his family for a weekend of motorcycle fun.

James from Hard Luck Tattoo is another graduate from the University of Dirt Quake. He raced two classes and was smiling like a loon every time I saw him. 

And me? I missed the Eastbourne practice because of bike problems at the Rye House practice the week before, then didn't get the bike working properly until the Friday before this race. It ran like a dream, but I forgot I only wanted to leave that rear tyre on for the pre-season practices and turned up to the first race with a worn Maxxis DT1. Better riders than me could cope with worn rubber, but I need all the help I can get. This photo shows ambition getting the better of talent. Still I made the Thunderbike final, stayed on two wheels all day and had a lot of fun. 

The next race is at the MCN Festival, Peterborough over the weekend of 14-15 May and Colin Edwards is racing with us! G

Photos: Ian Roxburgh