Snow Quake - Deus Report, Video and Photos

Snow Quake

Words: Gary Inman
Photos: Marco Renieri / Deus Ex Machina

It’s a mild May Sunday, in the middle of Milan. The Deus Portal of Possibilities is packed with the owners, builders and fans for the 2015 Deus Bike Build-Off. As the editor of Sideburn magazine, I’ve been asked to be one of the 2015 judges.

In a brief lull in the proceedings, Deus’s Alessandro Rossi, leans over to me, and asks ‘Could we make a Dirt Quake in Italy?’ I pull a face. Then reply, Why don’t we organise something different? Why not… I think for a minute, Snow Quake?

Over the next few months Alessandro shakes trees. The godfather of European flat track and founder of the Di Traverso flat track school, Marco Belli works with Luca and Giulio of Deus Milano and the Deus Café to find a suitable track and Pirelli come on board as a sponsor.

Eight months later, I’m struggling to pull an old lady’s fake fur coat over my armoured leather jacket, my hands still cut and nicked from replacing dirt track tyres with sharply studded rubber. It is -8 Celsius in the makeshift paddock of the Ice Rosa Ring race track, situated in a deep Italian valley, surrounded by jagged peaks, including the famous Monte Rosa, the second highest mountain in the Alps.

Thirty racers from all over Europe are trying to convince their motorcycles to start. A few of the infernal internal combustion engines comply, most find a reason they’d rather not, at least not right now. Two hours later a rare Borile, brought from England, is still being kicked. There is a 65-year-old Harley WL raced by fashion designer Nick Ashley, a fuel-injected MV Agusta 800 and just about every two-wheeler on the spectrum from Piaggio Ciao to Honda chopper. All that links the machinery is the studs and screws in their tyres and the adventurous stripe running through their owners.

It’s clear that few people know what they’re doing, including the race organisers – me in their number. Motorcycle ice racing experience is thin on the ground in Europe. Snow Quake is an experiment with invited riders, we’ll make it up as we go along.

There were loose plans for classes, which bikes and specifications should be grouped together, then even those were junked – just race who you want. No one really cares who wins or loses. We only demand that no one dies. Please.

Like every race, each rider is having their own private battle, some with their choice of tyres and the curving Ice Rosa Track, others with a competitor in front, or just behind.

Incredibly, two riders Mauro from Classic Co in Madrid, Spain and Marco Belli chose to race Yamaha XJR1300s. Mauro is on El Solitario’s BBW that he tuned, Marco is riding a Deus four-cylinder with clip-ons on vicious Pirelli spikes. Julian from Deus Venice flew in from California, via Berlin, desperate not to miss the event. He rode a rare Kenny Roberts Rotax, prepared, and delivered, for the ice track by Geoff of Co-Built in England. With other racers coming from France, Switzerland, Corsica, the UK and Germany it was an international event.

Practice stretches for longer than normal to allow people to acclimatise, before three rounds of heats and a final. The slapdash attitude towards the organisation stretches to lap scoring. It is decided that the first three riders in each heat will score points and they can mark their position on a white board. It’s the honesty principle. No one’s going to say they won if they didn’t. It works, here at least, with this group.

After six hours on the ice, it’s time for the 12-rider final. Young English flat tracker George Pickering is on pole, with Marco Belli, Filolocio on Triumph Bonneville and former WSB, World Supermoto and current World Endurance rider, Giovanni Bussei also on the front row. El Solitario’s David Borras also makes the final on his Triumph ‘Sal del Diablo’.

The four-lapper ends with Pickering ahead of Bussei and a heroic Belli. The podium is carved out of snow, the trophies look like ice. Then the real race starts – to pack up vans and head the two hours back to Milan for the party at the aptly named Deus Portal of Possibilities, where we daydream about following this unforgettable day.

DTRA racer Tom Clemens on the self-built Yamaha that featured in Sideburn. He made his own ice tyres.

Giovanni Bussei brought some WSB/World Supermoto/World Endurance bling to proceedings. 

Charge!

Deus's Filippo Bassoli has the best guards.

Julian from Deus in Venice, CA came all the way from the US via Germany, and borrowed Wilky's Rotax to race.

Marco Belli was something else on this beast, Deus Milan's own XJR1300 custom. He had the most aggressive tyres, made by event sponsor Pirelli, but he also had clip-ons! He wasn't even the only XJR1300 there. El Solitario brought their awesome BBW.

Tom Clemens leading Geoff Co-Built.

Coats.

 Jason on the Sideburn 23 Borile cover bike. 

 Tom C again. 

 Roman from Belmondo Garage, Switzerland

 Top Italian journalist and Sideburn contributor, Paolo Sormani and Italian flat track hero Jacopo Monti. His Ciao was something else.

 Nick Ashley on the Private White VC Harley WL. 70-plus years old and still going strong. The bike's good too.

Dirt Quake legend Serge Nuques arrived on this Honda (?). And, as usual, rode it like he stole it. Perhaps he did. Watch the video below for parking tips. 

David Death Spray pulled Adam Brink for a few laps of stylish skijoring. 

Watering the track, Snow Quake-style.

The podium: 1. George 'Greenfield' Pickering. 2. Giovanni Bussei. 3. Marco Belli

British winner on a borrowed bike, with borrowed tyres. Does that constitute team work?

Thanks to all the racers, Deus Ex Machina, Marco Belli's Di Traverso School and Pirelli Moto Tyres.

See more photos at the Deus Ex Machina blog

Deus Bike Build-Off Public Vote

Back in May I was invited out to the Deus Bike Build-Off in Milan, Italy, and asked to be one of the judges. You can see the earlier posts here (Deus Milano Bike Build-Off).

Now the public vote is open to choose the Global People's Vote, and it reminded me to post these photos of some of the finalists.

The builder of this Monster 750 street tracker got the stance dead right, I reckon. It might be a little long, but I could see someone having fun against the Harley Sportsters in the Hooligan class on something like this. 

 Another Ducati street tracker mash-up.

 Dagger Cycles neat SRX600.

Judges looking studious. Clockwise from front left, Raffaele Paolucci (Sideburn contributor, great photographer, shot Sideburn 11 cover); Vincent from Wheels and Waves (who shot one of Sideburn 12's two covers); Paola Furlan (web journalist); Roberto Ungaro (editor of Riders magazine); me!; Fabric Roux (editor, found of French magazine Moto Heroes).

 2 Right Hands' Yamaha XS

 CZ Chopper.

Euro dirt track hero, Jacopo Monti. He's in Sideburn 21 riding the KTM 690 Duke he build for his friend. His little Motobi Motoretta minibike was converted to fuel in frame. The 'tank' was a leather rucksack that Jacopo made himself, It unclips from the bike.

 Honda Domi scrambler.

K Model BMW was neat, but I cut off the bottom to show the setting. Deus Milan is in a courtyard, with residential apartments looking down on it. If you get chance, make sure you go to this great shop. Elsewhere on the same street is Officine Mermaid's two shops and cafe and a couple of other interesting moto-themed shops.
I also like how European bike show crowds, especially Italian ones, look quite like no other crowds on earth.

 Brand new RnineT modified by a local BMW garage, with a bunch of nice touches.

 The MC was Virgin radio's  DJ Ringo. He's bike mad and a big deal in Italy.

Go to the Deus Bike Build Off Global People's Choice page to vote for your favourite. G

Lonigo Golden Pairs Report

Photo sent to us by the excellent Raffaelle from streetracker. This day of flat track went off at the Lonigo track in Italy in late July. This is part one of the report - the Golden Pairs.

On Saturday night, a lot of heats for the Golden Pairs race won by Fabrizio Vesprini and Francesco Cecchini with the Honda CRF450 Martin Technology of Fabrizio Vesprini Racing. The Dash for Cash was won by Francesco Cecchini and Gala race won by Gianluca Compri with a good number of spectactors.

Above and below, Lorenzo Buratti on the converted KTM 450 he brought all the way to England to race with the DTRA on the Friday before Dirt Quake.

#5 is SB fave Jacapo Monti.

Silverstone, 2011

Was looking for some old photos of something else and came across these. At Silverstone in 2011. Enjoy!
Scott, Fuel Cafe, Milwaukee

Scott and the old Sideburn LDV.

GI and BP.

Action on the temporary Silverstone short track. That looks like the Italian Jacapo Monti on it.

Sideburn's 48hrs in Milan Pt.2

So, after an afternoon looking around the huge EICMA Show (see 48hrs, part 1), Dave and I got the train to Officine Mermaid. They are a bike builders, importers, service centre and a clothes and accessory shop in Milan. When Sideburn did it's first ever foreign trip we went to Milan for a small one-night event called Milan Showdown. We met a lot of great people and began a love affair with the North Italian scene. The Mermaid crew really looked after us. It was them who invited Dave and I out for this trip.

The street that Mermaid is based on, Via Thaon di Revel, is slowly being turned into a 'moto quarter', with a few bike-related boutiques set up on the narrow street. Mermaid have also taken over a cafe that is decorated with motorcycles and various petrolalia.

Mermaid put us up in this incredible 1960s film set of an apartment.

Pinball coffee table.

RIDERS PARTY

That night we made the short walk back to Thaon di Revel for the Riders magazine party. It was sponsored by Pirelli, so there were various rubber things around, like tyres hanging from the ceiling, a welly boot nailed to the wall, rubber hammock, trampoline. People, mainly women, kept wanting to 'interact' with the rubber but when they did a security guard would come up and stop the fun. Oh, and there was free beer all night. These two facts might be related.

Conrad, one of the Anvil Motorcycle crew and me (double-fisting free drinks. Northern scum).

I rarely do the 'stand awkwardly next to famous person' but it was Noriyuki Haga! I was present at his first ever test in the UK. A colleague found out about it and at the time I worked about 20 miles away, so I went up and got straight in. It was me, Nori and Scott Russell and their team at Castle Combe, back in the Yamaha YZF750 days, early 1996, I think. Scott Russell's girlfriend didn't like Nori because 'he's always making weird sex noises'. I like Nori, but I wish Scott Russell had been at this party. That would've got it swinging.

Plenty of cool bikes fill the street on Riders Party night.

 This is what some Italian motorcycle builders look like. Fantastico!

RIDERS MAGAZINE

The next day I went to see Rolling Stone magazine, that I work for, then over to Riders magazine's new office. Riders is a monthly motorcycle magazine that is way, way, way out there. It's like a fuel-injected Vogue. Above is editor Roberto Ungaro, a ball of suave energy who can ride anything with two wheels like a demon. On his shelf is the Davida Dirt Quake helmet he won for triumphing in the Inappropriate Road Bike class.

This is Paolo Sormani, who seems to write at least half of every issue of Riders. He's an anglophile, Northern Soul aficionado and a gentleman.

THE LAST NIGHT

The whole idea of going out was for me and Dave to play some records in Mermaid's cafe (that I can't remember the name of, but it's opposite their bike shop. You can't miss it) on the Friday night .

Euro dirt track legend, Jacapo Monti turned up Dave Aldana's official Transatlantic Trophy jacket that he bought in the auction at Sideburn's David Aldana night, back in 2011. So did Raffaele P of the Streetracker blog, regular Sideburn contributor who shot the cover of Sideburn 11.

 Dimitri of Super Company brought his tuned up Salt Shaker Cub and was razzing around on it.

Just down the street from where Dave and I were having record player problems, Deus Ex Machina had a launch at a site that will be called Blocco 3. Deus are moving into Milan from January, with all the ingredients that have worked in Aus, Bali and, more recently, California. The difference is, I think, that this store will be run like a franchise, not organised by the Deus brain trust themselves. It will be interesting to see what the Italians add to the Deus mix, if anything.

It was great to see a chop parked up with these lids strapped to the sissy bar.

Arrivederci Italian people, see you in Verona in January. G