Klaus Klaffenbock and Daniel Sayle won a thrilling first Sure Sidecar race late on Saturday evening, coming home just 2.63 seconds clear of Dave Molyneux and Patrick Farrance with Tim Reeves and Dipash Chauhan overcoming a troublesome practice week to finish third.
Klaffi became the first non-Manxman to win a Sidecar race since 2003 and the first Austrian competitor to win a TT since Rupert Hollaus won the Ultra Lightweight race in 1954.
Klaffenbock and Sayle got off to a flying start to lead at Glen Helen on the opening lap but it was close as John Holden and Andy Winkle were only 0.8s adrift. Molyneux, the pace setter in practice, was back in third 1.4s further back with Simon Neary/Paul Knapton in fourth and Reeves in fifth. Just 5 seconds covered the top five at the end of the first lap.
Klaffenbock and Sayle still led at Ramsey Hairpin and had increased their lead by half a second whilst Molyneux was now a further four seconds back. Reeves had overhauled Neary for fourth with Conrad Harrison/Kerry Williams still holding onto sixth. Klaffenbock flew over the Mountain though and with a lap of 113.886mph, he completed the first lap over six seconds in front of Holden but Molyneux was closing in, now just 2.2 seconds behind.
Former World Champion Klaffenbock kept the pressure on during lap two and was rewarded with an extended lead when they swept through Glen Helen for the second time, his advantage now up to 7.8 seconds. Holden too had edged away from Molyneux who was, in turn, coming under pressure from Reeves, another ex-World Champion, the deficit now only two and half seconds.
With his fastest lap ever of the Mountain Course, 114.733mph, Klaffenbock’s lead was now almost ten seconds at the end of lap two with Molyneux now in second, the Manxman lapping a shade slower than Klaffenbock to overhaul Holden. Behind, the crews were holding station with Reeves, Neary and Harrison rounding out the top six.
Klaffenbock appeared to be controlling things at the front and this was confirmed at Glen Helen with a lead of over ten seconds. Holden was still in third but he was soon reported as having retired at Sulby whilst fellow leaderboard man Harrison was also out, this time at Kirk Michael.
The race was far from over though as Molyneux and Farrance began to eat into the Austro/Manx pairing’s lead and it was down to 8.7 seconds at Ramsey. This then became five seconds as they went over the tramlines at the Bungalow for the final time and the race was on to see who could come down the Mountain the quickest.
Starting at number one, Molyneux was the first to take the chequered flag and then the watch started to see if Klaffenbock could hold on. And he did – just! He crossed the line with 2.63 seconds to spare to take not only his first win but also his first podium since he first entered the races in 2004. It was, without doubt, a hugely popular victory. Reeves and Chauhan were comfortable in third with Neary and Knapton in a solid fourth.
The retirements of Holden and Harrison allowed Gary Bryan/Gary Partridge and Tony Elmer/Darren Marshall to be promoted into the top six, the duo having fine drives, with the top ten being completed by Greg Lambert/Jason Slous, Bill Currie/Robert Biggs, Dave Kimberley/Robert Bell and Gordon Shand/Stuart Graham.
Husky fans seeking more motocross riding than enduro will like what’s offered in the Husqvarna TC449 for 2011. This bike is based on the Enduro models (TE551 / TE449), but has a specially tuned engine for more track performance, and a 19-inch rear wheel over the standard 18-inch one found on the enduro models.
The engine is built directly for MX use. Husky says the timing and camshaft profiles are completely different as is the compression ratio which has increased to 13:1 instead of 12:1 in the Enduro version.
The electronic injection system still uses a 46mm Keihin throttle body but is fitted with a single flap instead of the Enduro twin flap version to provide a sharper, more aggressive throttle response. Additionally, the TC449 is fitted with a dual mode switch on the handlebars, which allows access to two different fuel injection / ignition timing maps to provide a softer power delivery for low traction conditions.
Additional features include multiple-adjustable suspension components from Kayaba, a five-speed transmission with specific ratios for MX riding, and a titanium exhaust system developed by Akrapovic.
Husky says a real refinement in the field of chassis design and exclusive to the new machines is the CTS, the Coaxial Traction System. This system represents an evolution compared to the one adopted on the BMW G 450X.
The solution, which originally used a single swing arm pivot spindle, now has two independent semi spindles which reduce the stress on the swing arm and facilitate the replacement of the gearbox sprocket.
The advantages of the CTS system compared to the traditional systems are huge. During the suspension movement along the whole stroke, the chain is not subject to any change in length. The tension of the chain remains constant regardless of the swing arm position, while the chain and sprockets benefit from reduced wear. An important positive effect on the riding characteristics is the marked reduction of the impact of alternating the load on the transmission.
This aspect has been studied by a spin-off company of the University of Padova called Dynamotion which has proved that the CTS improves traction in the various stages of acceleration and consequently during also the vertical movements of the suspension on rough terrain.
The result is better traction during acceleration and surer, more confident gear changes. More in general, the values obtained by adopting the CTS have a much more uniform trend in all conditions, leading to improved ridability and stability of the motorcycle.
Front Forks: Kayaba upside-down telescoptic hydraulic fork with advanced axle, compression and rebound stroke adjustment
Rear: Kayaba progressive link with single hydraulic shock absorber, spring preload adjustment, compression (high and low speed) and rebound adjustment
Julie Andrews and Andre Previn recorded a Christmas LP for Firestone back in 1966, and later was released by RCA under ‘Julie Andrews Christmas Treasure’, and recycled on various other Christmas albums in following years.
The album has been remastered in great sound and is currently available as ‘Greatest Christmas Songs’ along with some other holiday tracks by Julie.