1967 Sidecars - A Scholarly Treatise - 6-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article

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1967 Sidecars - A Scholarly Treatise - 6-Page Vintage Motorcycle Article<br>Original, Vintage Magazine article<br>Page Size: Approx. 8" x 11" (21 cm x 28 cm)<br>Condition: Good<br>Anyone fortunate enough to have at-<br>tended European Grand Prix events<br>will probably have noticed that, following<br>such mundane displays of virtuosity as Mike<br>Hailwood riding the Honda 6, the spec-<br>tators really start to sit up and take notice<br>when the sidecars are wheeled out onto<br>the grid. Perhaps the most sensational of<br>all forms of racing that employ engines,<br>it warrants a world championship of its own,<br>and it has reached the point where, in Eng-<br>land at least, complete programs ore some-<br>times devoted to it.<br>The appeal of sidecar racing undoubtedly<br>lies in the perfect coordination needed be-<br>tween the driver and passenger, and the<br>display of high speed gymnastics required<br>of the passenger whose job is to insure that<br>the outfit remains on an even keel. Because<br>a sidecar outfit is a bastard piece of machin-<br>ery constructed in defiance of all natural<br>laws, it introduces certain problems and<br>hazards that are unique to it- Also, because<br>of its essentially schizophrenic nature,<br>which demands two totally different corner-<br>ing techniques depending on whether it is<br>going to the left or the right. It is intensely<br>exciting to watch, particularly in cornering<br>fast with other sidecars.<br>A long time has passed since the sidecar<br>was used as a method of passenger trans-<br>portation in America, but it has only re-<br>cently started to disappear from the scene<br>in Europe having been superseded by the<br>products of Volkswagen. Fiat, Renault and<br>the British Motor Corporation. Its heyday<br>was probably during the '20s, and in those<br>days it was raced in relatively standard<br>form with the passenger doing his best<br>within the confines of the boat-shaped body,<br>which gave the whole performance a Key-<br>stone Cops atmosphere.<br>By the early '30s the sidecar itself had<br>given way to a bare platform equipped with<br>an assortment of grab handles and toe<br>holds to enable the passenger to bring<br>his weight to bear,.but the outfit was still a<br>rood racing motorcycle, usually a Manx<br>Norton, with the platform sidecar attached.<br>This situation continued after the war until<br>Eric Oliver brought some science into the<br>sport during the early ’50s. The tall rangy<br>Oliver was the world champion during the<br>years 1951 to 1954, and he contrasted<br>sharply with his passenger who was the<br>diminutive and bearded Denis Jenkinson—<br>motorcycling's Toulouse-Lautrec<br>Oliver had strong backing from the Nor-<br>ton company, which was then at the top of<br>its racing form, at least as far as the side-<br>car class was concerned. His approach was<br>to make the outfit more of an integral unit<br>and to fair against wind resistance, which<br>he claimed raised the maximum speed im-<br>mediately by 10 mph. Connoisseurs of the<br>sport maintain that the Oliver years were<br>the best years because the machines were<br>very fast, but they were relatively unman-<br>ageable so that the driver appeared to be<br>locked in mortal combat with the machine<br>throughout the race.<br>The next step was the introduction of the<br>"kneeler" which is almost universal today.<br>As its name Implies, a kneeler is con-<br>structed so the driver reclines with most<br>of his weight on his knees The advantage<br>is that the center of gravity becomes very<br>much lower, and the frontal area is reduced.<br>GP events are limited today to 500cc<br>capacity, and the sport is dominated by the<br>horizontally opposed BMW twins. How long<br>this situa