Meccaglisse and Xfest are always important dates for Supermoto; this year being no exception. This year’s guest of honour was Boris Chambon; Boris is a World Champion racer from France. He was invited to the Xfest to race and to teach a riding school prior to the race weekend. All in attendance commented about Boris’ extensive knowledge and riding ability. Students were pumped to put what they learned into practice on the amazing 2.2 km Mecaglisse racetrack. The French rider was on borrowed equipment from Frederic Coeymans was very gracious in letting Boris use his bike! During the pro introduction on Sunday it was funny to see Frederic relaxing on a race day with a big smile on his face. I am sure he didn’t miss the hectic race day schedule.
The race weekend brought some bright sun and very hot temperatures. The excessive heat always makes me question my decision to race when I am about to put on my leathers. But as soon as I roll out on the track it becomes all worthwhile as I prepare mentally on the short trip around the track on my way to the starting line. The sighting lap is always very important to inspect the dirt section as it changes throughout the day or as repairs and maintenance is completed. This weekend brought its share of difficulties for a number of riders. On Sunday, SM1 race one had Francois Asselin colliding with Jerrett Bellamy over the tabletop jump; the crash basically collected the whole field of riders due to the close proximity during the beginning of the race. Francois’ day was done due to re-injuring a shoulder and collarbone. Jerrett’s KTM took the brunt of the crash not allowing him to return to race action. Steve Scharfe’s bike was damaged in the scuffle as well; His 450’s engine case was cracked and put him out of action. Anyone that knows Steve knows how much of a die-hard racer he is. Steve used his 250 bike to continue to compete against the much more powerful 450’s.
Former Canadian champion Dave Arnold was flying as usual on his Honda until a broken gear in the transmission locked up the engine solid and brought his race weekend to an abrupt halt. Despite the early end to his weekend Dave was still in good spirits and seen helping fellow riders with setup and riding technique. A fellow Pro rider Chris Barendregt was still working on getting comfortable with the new bike and setup as well as fighting front brake issues. Myself, I couldn’t seem to get the rear Dunlop to hook up no matter what I did, playing with tire pressure and rear suspension settings made it better but I still couldn’t get the grip I needed to get the drive off the corners.
A crowd pleasing favorite is the drift competition on Sunday. This competition pits pro riders up against one another after the introductions. Each rider takes a turn sliding their bike around a turn in front of the spectator grandstands. After each rider takes a couple of turns drifting around the corner, spectators give applause based on rider drifting ability. This year’s competition saw Boris Chambon winning over Maxime Sylveste taking second place.
All the racing was very exciting, especially the Pro races where the French champ battled hard with the current Canadian champion Maxime Syvestre. The overall win went to Michael Martel who has stepped it up big time this year keeping pace and consistently placing well during each of the rounds. This year’s supermoto racing has been action packed and the two upcoming rounds at H-games in Carignan and Shannonville’s final round are sure to impress all those that come out to participate and spectate. See you at the track!
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