On June 30th my host sister and a friend of ours went to watch the French Championships being held there, for the side car cross divisions. For those of you who aren't familiar with it (most of us :p) the side car division is when the drivers ride bikes with carts strapped to the sides, where their partner (called the 'sange' or 'the monkey') hangs on to a bar, and uses his or her weight to help throw the bike around corners. The track in Huismes is famous for its steep hills, sharps turns and flying jumps, which makes the side car ra
ces particularly interesting (and dangerous) to watch.
The morning started off warm and sunny, dust from the tracks already beginning to cover everything. As a side event, all the local clubs sent their students out (about 11-15 years old) and they did a few races. Each race consisted of several laps, and 3 heats for each standings. So, everyone raced once, then lined back up twice more during the day. The overall winner was determined by the results of all the races.
 It's hard to tell in these pictures,. but these 12 year old kids were flying like, 4 metres through the air just casually. Pretty sweet overall. |
So, the kids did their thing, and it was all pretty sweet. Then it was time for the main event, and all the experienced riders came out to play, including the champion of France, and a world championship competer.
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| French Motocross champion team, 3d in the world circuit. |
 But no one said the sport was safe, and taking an 180 degree turn at break-neck speeds is liable to do just that....champion teams made mistakes sometimes too, and they can cost. |
But in the end of the day, we all had our share of excitement. Lots of dust, lots of speed, a couple spectacular accidents. Even if I've really never been interested in the sport before, it was great day (excpet for the sad parts...no one wants to see guys surrounded by paramedics), was an interesting day.
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