Monday 29 June 2015

Dirt Quake IV: Schedule & FAQ

Dirt Quake IV is nearly here. Below is a bunch of info for spectators and racers.
If you have any other questions, leave a comment or email us at dirt @ sideburnmagazine.com

Dirt Quake FAQ..

Where does Dirt Quake IV take place?
Adrian Flux Arena (formerly Norfolk Arena), King’s Lynn, PE34 3AG

When is Dirt Quake?
Fun things are happening from 6pm on Friday 17 July, till midnight on Saturday 18 July, but the Dirt Quake Main Event is Saturday 3-7pm with more entertainment after. See the full schedule below.

How much is entry?
£15 in advance for two days. Friday night only £10. Saturday only £15. Under-12s free.
Buy a ticket here http://sideburn.bigcartel.com and avoid any queues (plus get a free Guy Martin sticker).

I bought a ticket in advance, where is it?
Advance tickets were sent out on 29 June. Any subsequent orders will be sent the next working day. Get tickets here. http://sideburn.bigcartel.com
Put your own wristband on to avoid queuing at the turnstiles.

Is there camping?
Yes, but it is run by a different organization. The campsite is a 100m walk from the track.
No fires.
No motorcycle riding on site.
Email all camping questions to tracksidetrailertrash2015@gmail.com

Are children and animals welcome into the track?
Yes, kids are more than welcome with a responsible adult. Animals must be kept on a lead.

Will there be food?
All onsite catering is taken care of by the track owners. We cannot arrange for any outside caterers. If you don’t like ‘track food’ consider bringing your own.

Can we bring beer into the track?
Beer is allowed on the campsite, no outside beer inside track area. There is a full bar at the track.

How much does it cost to go into the Ken Fox Wall of Death?
It’s free, thanks to Guy Martin’s Proper brand who have arranged for it to attend. There will be sessions on Friday night, Saturday day and Saturday night for people to watch this world famous show.

Can I go in the pits?
Only racers and one mechanic, with a wristband, per racer are allowed in the pits. We have so many racers in a small area that this rule has been made to keep the event running smoothly and as safely as possible.

Is there going to be kid’s bicycle race?
Yes, and it’s free to enter. Bring your own bike and helmet, gloves too if you’ve got them. 12s and under. One lap, for fun only. About 4.15 on Saturday.

What other entertainment is there?
After the DTRA racing on Friday night there is chance to go see the Ken Fox Wall of Death and listen to a great band, The Vitamins. We’ll have some daft games and DJs too.
On Saturday we have lots of non-racing fun on track, more Wall of Death, Vintage speedway, plus live music from The Dream Themes during the day and Davros and the Deep Space Deviants at night.
There will also be a mini-custom show and dealer booths from some Sideburn and related companies.

Will you be selling Dirt Quake merchandise?
Yes, T-shirts and other Sideburn merch.

Is there a cashpoint at the arena?
No.

Can I get a photography pass?
Only with a commissioning letter from the editor of a magazine or newspaper. Photographers must show proof of public liability insurance if they want to enter non-public areas. There are plenty of opportunities to take memorable photos from the public areas, though.

What happens if it rains?
The racers get muddy, but the event still goes ahead. There are covered grandstands at both sides of the track.

Rider/ Racer FAQ

Can I enter to race?
You could, but all the entries are now full EXCEPT for the W&W Harley class. The only rule is, it has to be a Harley. Email us if you want to enter the Harley race - Dirt @ sideburnmagazine.com

Can I enter on the day of the race?
No.

Do I need a race licence?
Yes, but you can buy an MCF day licence for £10 on the morning of the race.

I've paid to enter the race, do I need a ticket too?
No, your name will be on the gate. 

Can I enter the DTRA races?
Yes, if you have a suitable bike. There are classes for Rookies on Saturday morning and Vintage bikes on Friday evening. Email info@dirttrackriders.co.uk

When do I check in?
Saturday morning at the sign-up station from 10.15-11.30am. Sign-on closes at 11.30.

What do I need to race?
Helmet (see regs below), eye protection (visor or goggles), gloves, trousers, long-sleeve top, over the ankle boots.
We highly recommend the best safety gear you can get your hands on: leathers, armour, back protector, full-face helmet… Motorcycle racing can be dangerous.

Helmet regs
We run Dirt Quake with the help of the MCF, a race organization to ensure everything is as safe as possible. They tell us helmets must comply with one of the following:

British Standards Institution BS 6658-A

British Standards Institution BS 6658-B

UN ECE Regulation 22 ECE 22-05

Snell Memorial Foundation Snell M2005 or M2010 (individual approval only) M2005

Can I fit a crown of pike nuts to my helmet for the race?
No. 
The MCF are adamant that any modification to a helmet structure immediately invalidates approval. Any helmet
 modified by the cutting, drilling or puncturing of the shell in any way subsequent to its leaving the
 manufacturer, will be rejected at inspection.
I have a waist length ponytail, is that a problem?
Competitors with long hair must have it contained within the helmet or clothing.

I’ve never raced before, is that a problem?
Absolutely not. Dirt Quake was invented for novices.

Is there a bike safety inspection?
Yes. We need to make sure you are not going to injure someone else with your bike. We are checking that:
·      Mag wheels with big gaps in them are covered up. This is to stop limbs going through them. Cut plastic or fibre board and zip tie in place.
·      Levers must have a ball end or be taped
·      Footrests must fold or be taped
·      Chain must be covered at the point it joins the front sprocket
·      Glass lights must be taped.
·      Bikes should be in a general safe condition (pay attention to wheel bearings, loose parts, sharp things)

When is practice?
See schedule below.

How do I practice?
Every rider gets one session of practice, four laps in length. The car park and campsite are not for practicing. Save it for the track.

What is the race format?
One practice session, two heat races and a final. Everyone gets a final (if their bike is still in one piece). All sessions are four laps in length.

Environmental issues
·      No smoking in the pits
·      Please be respectful of the staduim and pick up your litter.
·      Practice takes place on the track and not in the car park.


PLEASE NOTE: The schedule and listed attractions are liable to change without any prior warning.


FRIDAY
Midday: Campsite opens
18:00 Turnstiles open
18.30 DTRA racing starts. Classes for the evening are: Pro, Restricted and vintage.
21.45 DTRA racing ends
22.00-00.00 The Vitamins, Wall of Death and DJs

SATURDAY
10.15-11.30 Dirt Quake riders sign-on
12:15 Riders meeting
12.30 Dirt Quake practice
14:00 Turnstiles open
15:00 Dirt Quake Main Event Opening Ceremony
+ Vintage speedway
+ Wall of Death Shows
+ Motorcycle tug of love
+ The Dream Themes
+ more!
18:00 Dirt Quake Finals
19:00 Awards presentation
19.30 Wall of Death, Band, DJs
00.00 Bar closes

SUNDAY

15:00 Campsite closes

Perris Practice by Biltwell


A crew from Biltwell came along and made a little film about the Perris practice in the post below. G

Perris Friendly

Thanks to Julian of Deus LA for organising a private soiree at Perris, for the usual suspects plus some new faces, as a warm-up to DQ USA II. BP
GI on Julian's Triumph
Rusty Butcher's Sportster
Troy Critchlow and his lady
Deus Andie, Jason, Chopper Dave
All colours and creeds welcome
Stacie Bultaco tune up
her Bultaco 250 Sherpa as featured in SB#15
Minibike muscle - read more about them in them in our current issue #21
Andrew Honda XL350 street tracker - behaving very well on German Heidenau K34 tyres (same as Dimitri Coste's BSA C15)
Smiling Jen
Even more smiling Jen

Sunday 28 June 2015

Malle Mile

The Malle Mile looks like it could be quite a spectacle. After the most hectic few weeks in Sideburn history we can't make it, double-booked, but get along and support this new event if you can. G

Bubble Gum Pink is the New Matte Black

Jason McCann's Speed Merchant'd Sportster at Perris. BP

Saturday 27 June 2015

Thrive 005

Radical street scrambler from Thrive Motorcycles, Jakarta, Indonesia.. Looks like a late-'80s official concept bike, if it were powder blue with a yellow seat. And that's a good thing.

The project was one of our most ambitious. Designed and built for very special friend. We've been friends for a couple of years and from that we could say he is one of the most curious graphic designer we know. 

The bike was designed over dozens of questions in his head, he is a kind of person who always wondered how to put ideas and function at the same place. It always intrigue us when we meet people who have visions and dreams, their vibes always inspire us to build something that’s not only good but also meaningful.

The discussions directing us into the ideas about two things that always cross each other, related with dualism in our life. It’s about the multiplication when two things intersected with each other. Like the good and the bad or the black and white. We always wonder what kind of spirit that live between them, we believe there must be more than only neutral circumstances. We believe if the grey area is more mysterious than you could ever think, it could be really bad and smartly good at the same time. This thought pushes us to develop a motorcycle that can be perfectly use when facing the road in a bad condition but still have her own beauty and sleekness nature from the owner’s thought. 

So we started it by creating the whole new sub frame for this little 2008 Yamaha Scorpio to achieve a clean looks under the seat and maximazing the horizontal grid. We picked an aluminum plate for the whole body panel needs in purpose to reducing the weight in a thick material plate. The engine was in a good condition when she came to our front door, but then a few parts got new replacements, and renewed the gaskets after we put it on a vapor blasting treatment to add some contrast and more value to the bike itself before the coloring phase begin. Then we added a PE 28 Carburetor so now she can breathe more fresh air and we covered the custom made stainless steel exhaust with a black exhaust wrap.

To ensure more control, we use a fatbar handlebar completed with the custom clucth and brake lever, custom dashboard with a light indicators and GPS mounting, custom light switch and start button, ended with the custom bar-end turn signal to keep a clean look on bar area. In front suspension, we used a set of Honda’s upside down forks, but we had to modified the triple trees and steering column to make it fit perfectly on a Yamaha’s chassis. For the rear, we used a Yamaha’s swingarm pair it with Showa Monoshock Suspension on a custom made unitrack system. 

For her shoes we used a pair of 18” spoke rims wrapped with Kenda’s Trial Tread Tyre and controlled by a pair of new disc brake system on a aftermarket trial hubs. We modified the original footstep by adding some detail to enhace the grips and pairing it with the chrome shifter and brake control. Then we add a custom-made skid-plate to cover the engine from dirts and rocks while she goes travelling around. There only two main colors on this bike, Gun Metal Grey on top of brushed metal finish at the aluminum panel, and black for the rest of the bike. We used three different black powder coat texture. 
As we know, maybe we can not win everything but proving and experimenting what we believe is always good for us. The ideas itself will make the output naturally stand out among others in todays attention-seeking-trend. The serene sight will deceive people from the basic purpose of the bike, and that’s what we think about this project.

Friday 26 June 2015

Brat Style Chout

Stopped by Brat Style's year-old shop in Long Beach, LA, on our American whistle-stop trip. It was great to finally meet Go and Masumi in person.
He was cooly busy with finishing this Indian "Chout" for this weekend's Born-Free 7 show in Silverado, CA. We did a feature on his Tokyo shop in Sideburn #18. BP
Go's daily-ride R60/6 BM'

Thursday 25 June 2015

Andy DiBrino on Dirt Quake USA


AMA Supersport road racer and some-time dirt tracker, Andy DiBrino presents his thoughts on Dirt Quake USA. It pretty much sums up what we think... G

Wednesday 24 June 2015

Hanni El Khatib


Touring the UK right now. G

Tuesday 23 June 2015

Sideburn T-shirts

Here are the Neave twins, two of the fastest flat trackers in Europe, wearing Sideburn T-shirts.

The black one is the Bultaco Astro tech drawing design and is only available for subscribers who sign up to the great 8-issue Sideburn sub deal.
Choose to start with the current issue, 21 or the next one, 22. Remember to choose the correct size shirt.

The blue one is our back issue offer T-shirt and is just £15 (plus post) including a back issue of your choice. Just choose the size and magazine you want from the long dropdown menu.

Photo: Richard Baybutt

Monday 22 June 2015

Dirt Quake USA: Thanks everyone!

Dirt Quake USA is over and, some how, everyone survived.
There aren't many race events where people feel safer on the track, but it got properly crazy at times. Not 'wearing a funny hat' crazy, 'police cars and ambulances at 2.30am' crazy.

See photos and videos here #dqusa

Massive thanks to See See Motorcycles for making it happen and all our sponsors, especially Harley-Davidson. H-D arranged for some great hooligan racers to come up from So. Cal and beyond, including The Rusty Butcher crew, Helder form Roland Sands, the Suicide Machine Co boys and a big Speed Merchant gang.

We had a lot of great supporters:

Icon One Thousand  www.icon1000.com
Moto Factory PDX http://motofactorypdx.com
Red Clouds Collective http://redcloudscollective.com
W&W Cycles  http://www.wwag.com/
Motothenw.com  http://www.motothenw.com
Stump Town Coffee http://stumptowncoffee.com
Hop Valley Brewing http://hopvalleybrewing.com
Kamp Grizzly  http://kampgrizzly.com
Big thanks to everyone who came out and either raced or spectated, too. There were a lot of good people who'll be talking about Dirt Quake for quite a while.

The high quality event poster is available directly from http://www.seeseemotorcycles.com

Next up is Dirt Quake IV in the UK. The race classes are all sold out, but we have camping and plenty of room for spectators, so make come along and try make the UK event as memorable as the USA (but no police cars, please). G