Guest post from Gareth Howes of Double Six
When Gille contacted Danny and I about a long weekend of riding at Lelystad Dirt Track with Jeffrey Carver we knew we had to go. Gille is the man behind The Roadshow which is taking a relaxed approach to tours and events, pair this with the new track owner and his friend, Huub. It was set to be worth the effort.
Track owner, Huub and event organiser, Gille. We interviewed 23-year-old Huub (in the cowboy hat) just after he bought the Dutch dirt track (here). Gille and his gorgeous Champion Triumph are in Sideburn 53
We left my home in the South of England just after midnight on Thursday and arrived at the track to watch Carver halfway through the school he was tutoring. Once this was finished the track was open to anyone to ride into the night. The Saturday and Sunday followed with open practice each days, finishing up with some 'friendly racing'. It's safe to say the vibe was chilled and the bikes were hot. From modern 450s to a Trackmaster XR750 and pretty much anything in between, with plenty of framers too.
English Danny on his Bultaco Astro
Big smiles all day
Lots of track time
The Friday, Saturday and Sunday event was sold out and for good reason. The track was mega for all three days riding. The red dirt at Lelystad is one of the most fun tracks we Europeans get to ride. Thanks to the deep cushion across the track you can change lines and have fun lap after lap. Each night saw Gille or one his friends cook dinner for the whole group, while we sat outside eating, drinking cold beer, and trading stories on that day's riding.
Waiting for the next track session
It's always nice to see someone repping Sideburn. We have a few of these Racing Specialties tees left
The whole weekend was a huge success; the attitude of the new track owner, Carver riding all weekend with everyone on anyone who would lend him a bike and, of course, Gille's organisation and vision to put something like this on. Everyone who attended from the six different countries had fun and went home a little faster than before. Rumours are there will be a race next year at Lelystad with a day's practice before (like the old Hells Race that were held there, but not Hells Race).
Carver and the Trackmaster XR750. If you love XR750s, buy Sideburn 53
To give a feel for the weekend @conograph (who kindly supplied all these shots) took some great photos and this drone footage by @aeroplayfilms shows Gille on his beautiful Champion and Carver on equally stunning Trackmaster XR750 having a play!
Read more posts from Gareth Howes here and here