6 replies to this topic

[Steve53]

Hello all,

I doing some back ground work on the Chimay road circuit in Belgium. As many would know in the Contest Des Nations in those days for the world's most lethal circuit this would have to be close to the top....there is quite a lot written about it but there is one incident I can't corroborate. it was in 1977 , I'm fairly sure about that date, when a Belgian rider on a TZ750 of some vintage came over the rise before the start finish line and the front wheel must have got light. He ended up with a tank slapper that spat him off the bike. The speed and I suppose natural gyroscopic motion kept the bike upright, I imagine at this point it would have been doing anything from 180kph upwards.
The story goes that the bike carrered into the pit lane still upright and whacked the spectators. I believe there were some fatalities and some other colateral damage including Sheenes Dad , Franco who narrowly escaped meeting his maker. The rider involved escaped from his wild bronco relatively unscathed. his name was Herve ( last name I don't know any more) and he was a good mate of Jean Phillipe Orban. I recall Orban retiring from racing after that, his girlfriend in the pits at the time was so upset she refused to ever attend a race meeting again. Anyhow any confirmation on this would be appreciated.
Thanks

Steve

[Rennmax]

You refer to this ?

http://motorsportmem...hp?db=ms&n=3875

[Steve53]

You refer to this ?

http://motorsportmem...hp?db=ms&n=3875

Hi Rennmax.
you are a champion.....I had the year wrong...indeed 1978 I believe was the year Sheene set a new lap record...18 months later he was bleating on about track safety and forming a World Series to boycott the FIM world championship.
Thank you so much for replying promptly...the power of networking on these forums is remarkable.
Steve

[fil2.8]

Hi Rennmax.
you are a champion.....I had the year wrong...indeed 1978 I believe was the year Sheene set a new lap record...18 months later he was bleating on about track safety and forming a World Series to boycott the FIM world championship.

Steve

Yes , 30 odd years later , it looks like Mr Sheene deemed a track ' safe ' if enough start money changed hands ...............................

[Paul Collins]

Didnt something very similar to this happen at Spa in the 80's? was it Raymond Roche? I think his NSR500 highsided him then stayed upright and went down the pit lane hitting someone and breaking their leg.

I'm sure I have it on one of the old havoc video's, the highside is shown and the bike then disappears off camera as it enters the pit lane

[jaybee49]

Reading this I realised that I was at this meeting and I remember reading all about the incident on my return. At the time I did not know anything about it as I was situated at another part of the circuit. I did get quite a few pics here is an example but not that many really, and I never kept a programme so would not know if I had one of the guy involved etc.

[rd500]

Didnt something very similar to this happen at Spa in the 80's? was it Raymond Roche? I think his NSR500 highsided him then stayed upright and went down the pit lane hitting someone and breaking their leg.

I'm sure I have it on one of the old havoc video's, the highside is shown and the bike then disappears off camera as it enters the pit lane

im sure that was the wet spa race of 86 and the bike stopped just into the pit lane but didnt go any further.

i have seen a video which has a small section where stephanie sheene talks about that accident when the bike goes down the wall and frank gets hurt and other people are injured.