Wheels & Waves El Rollo 2023 Report

Gareth from Double Six went to the bike festival in Biarritz and sent this report.

This year saw three of us make our way from England to Biaritz for the annual phenomenon that is Wheels & Waves - me and feelow DTRA racers, Sam Neville and Danny Williams. The trip had started to possibly the worse way we could imagine, when French customs decided we needed a piece of paperwork that the British customs said we didn’t need. So 24 hours and a £1000 later we set off (again) to the dreamland that is Wheels and Waves in the south of France.

El Rollo is perhaps the diamond in the crown of the Wheels and Waves extravaganza. This year saw a return to the Hipodromo De San Sebastien in the north of Spain (40 minute drive from Biarritz). As soon as we pulled up we saw a plethora or flat track bikes getting ready for the day's racing. Harley XR750s (3 of them), XG750R (full race bike) Trackmaster Triumphs, Bultaco Astro, Champion Triumph and Yamahas, Rickman Metisse and more.

The pits are what I envision a 70s flat track race would look like, everywhere you looked you found a bike on any other occasion you would stop and stare at, but here, at this makeshift racetrack, you would just walk past because there is so much vying for your attention.

Riders are divided into classes (pre 75, inappropriate and pre 55) groups of 7 or 8. Each group got a timed practice followed by 2 heats with your points being tallied up from the 2 races. I found myself in a group with 2 x XR750, Dimitri on his Trackmaster, Gille on his very sorted Triumph, two other triumphs and myself on my Trackmaster. The racing line was on the inside and it saw a bundle of bikes make way for it. Two riders stretched in front with Gille and Dimitri battling for the lead. Riding behind you could hear the crowd cheering these two gladiators bang bars. Unfortunately, Gille ran wide and slid out letting everyone pass and Dimitri to bring the win home. As the racing went on the crowds excitement grew with volume, a crowd favourite had to be Danny Williams who had made the trip with me.

Read about Gille's Champion Triumph in Sideburn 53

He was attacking the lead rider on his stunning Bultaco (top photo) with his death or glory approach, snapping at the ankles of the lead rider every corner, trying the inside then the outside. After three laps he lined up his pass for only his bike to fail. The crowd gave him a standing ovation as he pushed his bike off the track. As the heats and rounds went by the racing got more intense and the crashes more regular.

Sam Neville (#105, above) the third rider who had made the trip, finished his first raced in second overtaking riders to chase 1st place before running out of laps to catch him. His second race saw a bad start but him making it up and working his way up from last to 5th on his somewhat annoyingly trusty AJS. Over his two races Sam finished a very respectable third in his group.

Read about Sam's AJS Stormer in Sideburn 48.

Other notable racing worth mentioning was the Royal Enfield team. They bought two bikes and riders, not just any bikes but full on custom framers built to the highest spec. They sounded ridiculous in a good way. Not only did they sound great the two riders Gary Birtwistle and Paul Young really put a show on, neither of them letting up on each other on the track. Both took a first and second in each of the races. The pre-55 crew didn't let the event down. This class put on some of the closest racing all day with multiple people taking the lead, again you couldn't help but find yourself cheering them on as they bang bars into the corners.

Read our test of the Royal Enfield Factory Twin in Sideburn 47

The racing all day was fast and great fun to watch, the track had held up pretty good and the crowd in their numbers really made it an occasion to enjoy. The racing ended almost abruptly with everyone expecting a final of some sort only to find final standings to be worked out form the two heats, that were to be announced later back at the festival village. Each year the bikes and riders get better and with the return to the horse track it was one of the best to date.

As the dust settles on yet another Wheels & Waves and I look back and it makes no sense to travel 12+ hours each way for 2 heats of racing and a timed practice. Even the most dedicated riders would struggle to justify it to themselves. But, and it’s a massive BUT, Wheels and Waves is more than just one flat track race. It’s a 5-day extravaganza celebrating everything to do with bike and surf culture. Off-road racing, art show, live music, surfing, sprint racing. It's grown to such an extent you can find yourself bumping into old Top Gear presenters, famous skateboarders, and TV personalities in the festival village. Will I be back? Most likely, I’ve found myself looking into routes that circumnavigate the angry French Karen border control force already, I'd just like a little bit more racing and a final, please.

INTERVIEW: The 23 Year Old Racetrack Owner

The dream of owning a racetrack remains that for the vast majority of dirt trackers, but not Huub Forrer. The 23-year-old Dutchman (above) is the new owner Lelystad Dirt Track, Netherlands, one of the best track in Europe. We contacted him for a quick interview

Huub, you bought a racetrack? What the hell? Yeah, just bought a racetrack. It still feels super-surreal. I wouldn't have thought i would be taking this step at 23 but life does weird things sometimes.

How did the deal come about?

The deal had been in the works for quite a while now. I think the first talks about it started a year ago, in more of a joking kind of way. I was doing loads of tryouts at the track and generally spent all my free time there. Dirk, the former owner, had put a lot of work into the track since 2016 and was feeling ready for something new, so the [negotiations] started. What we thought would take a few months took a bit over a year. There were quite a few hurdles to overcome, from the way we would do the deal to environmental stuff, but we made a good deal in which we both feel satisfied with the outcome.

Huub track prepping

How long did you think about the purchase before committing?

i was eager for the deal from day one, how often do you get a chance to buy a track? It also helps that I'm still young and don't have a lot of responsibilities outside of the track. I do still study but I don't have a massive mortgage on a house or a family to maintain. I think that makes it easier to commit to these things.

Does the track need a lot of income for it to make sense for you?

In the beginning I don't plan on taking any income out off the track. It's important for me to reinvest most of the money earned to make the track as stable as possible. In the future it is the plan to take an income out off it, but i don't see the need to make a ton out of it, if it so happens to become that way it's nice, but that's not the aim.

You mentioned your dad on social media. What is his involvement?

My dad supported me all the way through the process and still guides me. He has a few years under his belt and knows me through and through, so he protects me from making stupid decisions that 23-year-olds make. He still has to do a few more years before he retires, but he is not someone to chill off his pension, so he helps me loads at the track, from maintaining the Sunday bikes to grilling burgers after a try-out. He is the jack of all trades one might need at a track. It's also great to have someone besides you who you can talk to about new plans ideas and what not.

Try-out Day at Lelystad

The track hasn't hosted races for a while, just practices, is that going to change?

Oh yeah, I want to bring the race energy back to Lelystad. It's a venue where a lot of people began racing, at the likes of Hells Race, Flatlands and the dirt track series. It's where I had my first contact with the sport as well, and I want to bring back the killer vibes those events brought with them.

What are the short, medium and long-term plans for Lelystad?

For the short term I want to be open a lot more, really put energy into the sport and get more people on bikes. Give people a place to race, chill and have fun. Also getting Lelystad back on the race calender and adding a few extra lights so we can have proper night races. Next to that Mick Jansen (Dutch Brothers) is also super keen on getting a try-out part 2 in which people can really hone their skills.

For the medium term, I would like to fix the infield of the track and make it possible to have a killer TT layout to provide for a broader group of people, so the likes of supermoto guys can have a crack at the track as well.

For the long term I must say I don't really have a vision yet. I think it will form in the coming months/year. It has to do with if I do my job right. If we can manage to get a load of people on bikes and get the sport to grow enormously we can dream big. If I make a mess out of it, well, yeah then it might not be sunshine and rainbows.

Huub during his very first visit to Lelystad. From racing a modified street bike to owning the track

What does the track mean to you, personally?

It's where I learned to shift... My neighbour from back then had an old Suzuki GS450 laying around which he gave me and he told me about flat track, so my dad signed me in and off we went. i got hooked the moment I went through the gate. After the race. and highside, I went to do a tryout at the track and knew Lelystad was the place to be. I started helping around at the track and kept on rolling deeper into the flat track game and so it became my life. Lelystad is the track i enjoy riding the most. I love short tracks and the banking gives it its killer characteristic, the flow you can get into at that track just hits it for me.

Huub #131

You know that the owner/organiser never gets to ride - how are you going to deal with that?

Yes owning a track is a bit of a double-edged sword. My friend, Jean-Paul and I have been organising trainings for quite a while at the track and while we don't get to ride as often as the others, we do still get some riding in. It will probably get even less now but I must say I don't really mind it. There are enough evenings where I can have a session with some mates, so the racing is probably getting less but I aim to get enough riding time in besides that IO love doing other stuff around the track. I've learned to get joy from other things besides riding at the track, not because I wanted to but because i always manage to break my bike so in that case not a lot will change....

What are you most excited about?

Getting this killer track back on everyone's list to visit. I want to make it the best/most fun track on the mainland, willing to share with Rocco's Ranch. That track is killer as well. I'm really looking forward to having great laughs at the track and having the best time possible.

Good luck, Huub and all at Lelystad.

Trusted Kit: Trails of Rajasthan

We have just launched our latest Sideburn Adventure Trip, to the Rajasthan region of India with Vintage Rides. I went in January this year and loved it (obviously, or we wouldn't be offering it).

I wrote about the Trails of Rajasthan trip in Sideburn 53, but didn't write about the kit I rode it in, so here it is. From top to bottom. Gary Inman

Davida Jet helmet

I've worn Davida helmets for over 25 years, it's my number one choice when I want to wear an open-face. They're made in Britain, still, but this model is discontinued. They currently make the smaller shell, with less padding, 70s style Speedster (the shape popular with the chopper crowd). This Jet is leather lined and was painted by Ornamental Conifer. I wore it when I rode from New York to San Francisco and back (in 20 days) back in 2012.

I like an open-face on a trip like this, because I always feel it can be a bit intimidating for a group of foreigners to roll into a village, all covered and masked by full-face or MX helmets. With this, I can pull down my scarf and show I'm human with a goofy smile.

www.davida-helmets.com/

100% Barstow Ornamental Conifer goggles

Aimed at trendy road riders, rather than MX or enduro racers. I have a couple of pairs in different designs, and really like the collabs they do with the likes of Death Spray Custom, Bon Zorro, Dimitri Coste, Deus Ex Machina and more. The Barstow have a faux leather tab that connects the elasticated strap to the plastic frame that, on one pair of mine, looks like it's about to snap. Also, the frame doesn't surround the full edge of the lens and it's tricky to get it really seated in, for me at least. I hardly ever wear goggles on the road, relying on sunglasses or specs, only using them in a downpour. If I don't have goggles perched on the top of this helmet it looks stupid.

www.100percent.com/collections/barstow

Holy Freedom Neck Tube

Holy Freedom have made a lot of special edition stuff for Sideburn over the years. We currently have the last few pairs of Fuzztone gloves, and some neck tubes as part of our 85% Club pack. This is a very comfortable neck tube, not much more I can say. It was filthy by the end of the dusty trip.

www.holyfreedom.com/en/

Moulded ear plugs

I got measured for them at Motorcycle Live in Birmingham years and years ago. My tinnitus is terrible, but these ear plugs are hopefully making sure it doesn't get any worse.

Icon Airform Battlescar Jacket

I'm not sure why, but I do like a bit of camo. This riding jacket reminds me of what the Wrenchmonkees were wearing when I first met them 15 years ago. They were the first riders I met who were mixing North Face hiking coats with superbikes. This is showerproof, has zip-up pockets, it just feels right. I've taken all the armour out of it, because of the next bit of kit. It also has a hood, that gets a bit flappy above 90mph (not a problem on an Enfield 500).

https://rideicon.com/gear/mens/jackets/airform-battlescar

Adventure Spec Supershirt

Adventure Spec (AS) are a UK-based company making well-thought-out kit for adventure bikers and touring riders, plus hard parts for ADV and trail bikes. One of their concepts is hiking gear for motorcyclists. Another is light is right. Another is about layering. Their thinking is, if you're riding from Scotland to Southern Spain, you're going to encounter a lot of weather, so while you don't want to compromise on safety (too much), you don't want to be boiling or freezing.

The Supershirt is part of the foundation of that thinking. It's an armoured, very tight-fitting armoured garment. It has elbow, shoulder, back and chest armour. The tight-fitting element is important, because if/when you do crash, the armour stays in place on impact. It doesn't shift to expose the area it's supposed to protect (like armour in pockets of looser jackets). It was all-day comfortable, but it is warm on a hot day. It has a full-length zip up the side to the neck, around the side of the chest protector, and thumb loops, again to stop the arm padding moving on impact. The armour comes out of the pockets so it can be easily washed, unlike a lot of body armour undershirts with sen-on armour.

www.adventurespec.com

Adventure Spec Alpine Windproof Glove

First time I'd really worn them and I liked them a lot. Easy to get on and off, even with sweaty hands. More protection than an MX glove, less than a good road race glove. Conductive fingers for touch screen use.

www.adventurespec.com

Sideburn x Kriega T18 Backpack

The best motorcycle luggage you can buy. Comes with a ten-year guarantee. This Sideburn special edition has our branding and some exclusive touches like a tyre pattern Hypalon net, and extra 3M reflective panels. It has two compartments, one is waterproof. It really is unbeatable. It seems expensive, compared to some packs, but over it's lifetime it isn't.

I fitted a hydration pack for this trip. It doesn't come as standard, but it's set up for having one fitted.

Sideburn x Kriega T18

Saint Unbreakable Jeans

Australian company who make 'the world's toughest denim'. Impact resistant, but these are not armoured. Super-comfortable, and offer protection from road rash (that regular denim doesn't), but not actual impact protection. They do offer models with armour too. And they have a sale on at the moment.

saint.cc

Hebtroco Moto Boots

I rave about these black oiled suede boots every time I get an opportunity. Made in England and unbelievably comfortable. I've been hiking in them, worn them on trips to India, Sri Lanka and Nepal, walked 15 miles a day around Japan in them. The best.

hebtro.co

Take a look at our Trails of Rajasthan trip or our new Adventures page for trips we have coming up in Morocco, Nepal and India.