Slick sidecar showing

By Andrew Stackpool

FLTLT Mark Camilleri, in the yellow and black side car, and his racing partner Howard Ford, sitting to his left, with mechanics, support crew and racing colleagues.

FLIGHT Lieutenant Mark Camilleri and racing partner Howard Ford have won the Australian Champions in the Post Classic Division, Historic Road Racing Championships of the Australian Sidecar Championships, despite an oil spill.

“There was one interesting moment when the oil reservoir got too full and started spurting out all over my bars,” FLTLT Camilleri said of a qualifying race, which was held at the Winton race track in Victoria in early November.

“The oil caused me to hang out on the left hand side of the bike while going round a right hand corner – which is not advisable – and was pretty hair-raising. I ended up hanging on and getting back on my platform before signalling Howard to shut the bike down.”

The oil leak was fixed for the final, but by the last lap of the last race “we were only just in the lead and all I could do was concentrate on looking forward and ensuring I was in the right spot on the bike to allow Howard to keep the speed up through the corners”.

“Hurtling down the main straight toward the finish line was a magnificent feeling. I felt that, like all the sweat I had poured into my leathers over the weekend, all the physical and mental preparation had really paid off. With minimal experience as a passenger, we had become the Australian champs, the guys that everyone else would aim at beating next year. It’s a fantastic feeling.”

It was only his third time in the bike’s sidecar. He has won all times – a local club meet and the NSW Championships being the other occasions.

Post Classic bikes are those manufactured between December 31, 1962, and December 31, 1972. FLTLT Camilleri and Mr Ford raced a Honda CB750, which had been stroked to 1000cc.

“It was specifically designed as a racing bike with over $14,000 spent building the engine alone,” FLTLT Camilleri said.

He said the skill of the passenger – who is responsible for keeping the bike on the ground – governed the rider’s speed.

“If the passenger and rider are not well suited and the rider overestimates the skill of the passenger, the bike can very easily go careering off the track at extremely high speeds,” he said. “Being a sidecar passenger is extremely physically demanding and the utmost concentration must be maintained before, during and after the race to ensure that you are adequately prepared for any situation.”

The pair now want to break the 200km/h barrier down the main straight of Winton race circuit on a new bike and hope to compete in the Formula 1 series next year.

.