Posts
4079
Joined
4/1/2008
Location
GB
Edited Date/Time
1/28/2020 7:30am
Some of you may know that I am just about to release a book about my 500GP days. Man, I wish I had found this photo a few months ago! This just popped up in Facebook.
That, if you didn’t know, is the castle wall turn at Namur, before the riders head back up to the famous steps.
We would head into this corner at 60mph along a greasy, slick cobblestone road, with that medieval wall right in front of us and protected by nothing more than a few bales and an old mattress.
The ground was so slick in that corner, (as you can tell from the photo) and that was amplified by the straw that would get spread across the track from the bales. There was no berm on the outside, just those bales (and the stonework behind them) and they would snag you if you went too hard into them.
The uphill exit was really steep and had tarmac/asphalt on it to stop it digging out. If you're thinking that the tarmac gave us extra grip you'd be very wrong. We had to get the power down just at the start of that climb and then roll the throttle off to stop the tyre spinning on the hard surface. If the rear wheel did spin up then it was touch and go whether we'd even make it up the climb. The secret was to get the speed out of the corner, not up the hill.
In my new book ‘The Inside Line: Racing the 500cc World Motocross Championship’ I have an entire chapter dedicated to Namur. I really wish I had been able to include this photo!
Book is available from15th February at theinsidelinebook.com
That, if you didn’t know, is the castle wall turn at Namur, before the riders head back up to the famous steps.
We would head into this corner at 60mph along a greasy, slick cobblestone road, with that medieval wall right in front of us and protected by nothing more than a few bales and an old mattress.
The ground was so slick in that corner, (as you can tell from the photo) and that was amplified by the straw that would get spread across the track from the bales. There was no berm on the outside, just those bales (and the stonework behind them) and they would snag you if you went too hard into them.
The uphill exit was really steep and had tarmac/asphalt on it to stop it digging out. If you're thinking that the tarmac gave us extra grip you'd be very wrong. We had to get the power down just at the start of that climb and then roll the throttle off to stop the tyre spinning on the hard surface. If the rear wheel did spin up then it was touch and go whether we'd even make it up the climb. The secret was to get the speed out of the corner, not up the hill.
In my new book ‘The Inside Line: Racing the 500cc World Motocross Championship’ I have an entire chapter dedicated to Namur. I really wish I had been able to include this photo!
Book is available from15th February at theinsidelinebook.com
I guess they wanted to protect ( and, fair enough, too) said stonework from human flesh 'swipes.......
BTW I will definitely be purchasing your book.
The Shop
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How did that race come about?
Nevermind, subcribed
KC
Pit Row
I'm looking forward to getting this book, Rob. It's not often we get to see a book on motocross, much less the GP's. What years did you race?
Check out theinsidelinebook.com and the ‘about’ link.
Only a certain group of men can say they raced a 500 GP around Namur and I'll always look up to them like a kid seeing a superhero haha (I'm 42)
Sadly missed from the calendar, never to return I imagine.
Post a reply to: EPIC Namur photo that I had to share