Sidecarcross
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Sidecarcross racing, also known as sidecar motocross, is a branch of
motocross Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom. History Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
. Regular motocross riders use solo machines, but a sidecarcross outfit has a different type of
motorcycle A motorcycle (motorbike, bike, or trike (if three-wheeled)) is a two or three-wheeled motor vehicle steered by a handlebar. Motorcycle design varies greatly to suit a range of different purposes: long-distance travel, commuting, cruising ...
chassis A chassis (, ; plural ''chassis'' from French châssis ) is the load-bearing framework of an artificial object, which structurally supports the object in its construction and function. An example of a chassis is a vehicle frame, the underpart ...
operated by a team of two people, a driver and a
sidecar A sidecar is a one-wheeled device attached to the side of a motorcycle, scooter, or bicycle, making the whole a three-wheeled vehicle. A motorcycle with a sidecar is sometimes called a ''combination'', an ''outfit'', a ''rig'' or a ''hack''. ...
passenger. The earliest articles appear to show that sidecarcross started in the UK in the 1930s.


Sidecarcross outfits

Just as with road outfits, early sidecarcross outfits were little more than a solo bike with a sidecar^ Oxford English Dictionary (2nd ed.). Oxford University Press. 1989. "b. A vehicle designed to be attached to the (near-)side of a motor-cycle to accommodate one or more passengers. Occas. attached to a bicycle." attached to its
frame A frame is often a structural system that supports other components of a physical construction and/or steel frame that limits the construction's extent. Frame and FRAME may also refer to: Physical objects In building construction *Framing (con ...
by metal tubes. As the sport developed, sidecarcross outfits became more integrated, although most retained a tubular structure rather than a
monocoque Monocoque ( ), also called structural skin, is a structural system in which loads are supported by an object's external skin, in a manner similar to an egg shell. The word ''monocoque'' is a French term for "single shell". First used for boats, ...
chassis. Sidecarcross outfit configuration tends to echo national road outfits, with the sidecar fitted to the "nearside": UK sidecars are on the left, and European ones are on the right. Once riders are used to one arrangement, they seem reluctant to adapt the other layout. Many sidecar outfits (particularly the heavier ones) have leading link
swingarm A swingarm, or "swinging arm" (UK), originally known as a swing fork or pivoted fork, is a single or double sided mechanical device which attaches the rear wheel of a motorcycle to its body, allowing it to pivot vertically. The main component of ...
front
suspension Suspension or suspended may refer to: Science and engineering * Suspension (topology), in mathematics * Suspension (dynamical systems), in mathematics * Suspension of a ring, in mathematics * Suspension (chemistry), small solid particles suspend ...
, as conventional
telescopic fork A telescopic fork is a form of motorcycle front suspension whose use is so common that it is virtually universal. The telescopic fork uses fork tubes and sliders which contain the springs and dampers. The main advantages of the telescopic fork ...
s are less capable of absorbing the
stress Stress may refer to: Science and medicine * Stress (biology), an organism's response to a stressor such as an environmental condition * Stress (linguistics), relative emphasis or prominence given to a syllable in a word, or to a word in a phrase ...
es incurred. Several sidecar manufacturers (for example VMC
Bastech
and EML) in
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
make special chassis, usually with corresponding shocks, except for the engine, wheels, plastics, and other components from commonly available large-bore motocross bikes such as the
Honda is a Japanese public multinational conglomerate manufacturer of automobiles, motorcycles, and power equipment, headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, reaching a product ...
CR500, Kawasaki KX500, and large KTMs. There are also specialised "monster-size" 2-stroke engines such as the MTH 630, and 700cc
Zabel Zabel may refer to: * Zabel (engine), a German two-stroke motocross engine *Lord Raptor (Zabel Zarock), a character from the ''Darkstalkers'' video game series * Maja Zabel, a mountain peak in northern Albania and south-eastern Montenegro * Zabel P ...
which are made just for sidecar motocross racing. The Zabel and MTH are currently the top engines in the World Championship. HOCOB manufacturer of VMC chassis won the FIM award for the best manufacturer motocross sidecar 2007.


Handling characteristics

Sidecarcross is carried out in the same way as regular motocross on broadly similar tracks. Just as with road outfits, the handling of sidecars is very different from solos, as the driver cannot lean the outfit in the turns to counter the
centripetal force A centripetal force (from Latin ''centrum'', "center" and ''petere'', "to seek") is a force that makes a body follow a curved path. Its direction is always orthogonal to the motion of the body and towards the fixed point of the instantaneous c ...
s. Instead, to ensure the outfit does not flip over, the passenger must lean out from the sidecar as much as possible in corners. The passenger (sometimes known as the "monkey") moves his whole body around continuously, and plays a much more physical role than the sedentary driver.


Sidecarcross racing

One of the most important aspects of sidecar racing is teamwork; the world's top sidecar teams have been racing together for many years. A
World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...
is held over several rounds at top motocross venues throughout Europe, with a season-ending ''Sidecarcross des Nations''. The sport is very popular in Western and Central Europe, but the sidecarcross scene in
North America North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Car ...
and
Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
is much smaller. The most successful sidecarcrosser in history is ten-time world champion
Daniël Willemsen Daniël Johan Nico Willemsen (born 7 May 1975 in Lochem, Gelderland) is a Dutch sidecarcross rider and ten times World Champion. Willemsen is the most successful rider in sidecarcross history, winning the title ten times, in 1999, 2003, 2004, ...
of
The Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...
. However, since Willemsen won six of his titles with four different passengers, the most successful team is
Kristers Sergis Kristers is a Latvian masculine given name. People bearing the name Kristers include: * Kristers Aparjods (born 1998), luger *Kristers Freibergs (born 1992), ice hockey defenceman * Kristers Gudļevskis (born 1992), ice hockey goaltender *Kriste ...
/ Artis Rasmanis.


See also

*
List of national sidecarcross champions This is a List of national sidecarcross champions, including the national championships of Belgium, Denmark, Estonia, France, Germany, Great Britain, Latvia, the Netherlands,Lithuania Sweden and Switzerland. Of those competitions listed, the Belgi ...
* Sidecarcross world championship *
The Sidehackers : ''You may have been looking for Five the Hard Way (Prison Break episode)'' ''The Sidehackers'' (also known as ''Five the Hard Way'') is a 1969 American action film about motorcycle racing with a twist. Each motorcycle has a sidehack (a sidecar ...


References


External links


The Sidecar-Cross Racing Homepage


* {{DEFAULTSORT:Sidecarcross Motorcycle racing by type Motocross Dirt biking Off-road racing