Bikes, beer, BBQ's and racing

Trip Facts

Last month I took a week out and headed over to Liege in Belgium for the 2010 International Police rally. I jumped on a Ferry to Calais, turned left to Dunkirk, Brussels then on to Liege to meet up with the British team.

Triumph sent a tank bag specifically made for the Speed Triple to help out on the trip. It holds up to 50 litres and fitted the tank like a glove. Its biggest advantage was the increase in wind protection. The front of the bag is slightly scoop shaped and on the motorways it acted as an ideal wind deflector.

The driving standards were excellent, I could of had flashing blue lights on such was the extent that people would see you and move out of your way. On the silky smooth long stretching motorways the Triple was blatting through the miles with ease. The Bridgetsone BT023 sport touring tyres were grippy and smooth but the best thing was the noise, roll on the throttle and the triple braaps through the revs resonating off cars and walls with immense satisfaction.

The police rally is a big deal in Europe and my brother is in British team. I said I would tag along and take some pictures. The team had hired a Git in Ferrieres and that was the base for the duration of the rally. The event takes place over three circuits of three stages on tarmac farm track type country roads. Teams compete representing police forces from all over the world using full spec rally cars, racebikes, naked street bikes and supermotos.

The cars were first to start the stages and were throwing up a host of mud and gravel all across the course making it hugely unpredictable for the competitors on bikes behind. Most of the roads cut through farms, small villages and woodland and were lined with barbed wire fences, fallen trees and stone walls. Every corner would be different on every stage. Jason Emmett ex BSB racer now turned Metropolitan Police officer was competing in the British team and at the end of stage three he pulled of his lid and said “This is mad, if you go wrong you either hit trees or barbed wire, I mean it makes the TT look tame”.

I spent most of the day ripping up tight and twisty hillside roads in the bright sunshine. I was using the Triple to get me from A to B ahead of the rally to get some shots of the competitors coming round the corners. It’s the first time I’ve had a chance to see what the bike is capable of and with hot tarmac, clear roads and some sticky boots on the Triumph had me grinning from ear to ear.

In the end the British team returned home glorious having beat the French to the fastest overall team award. During the awards ball amongst stories off crashes and people riding straight into fields there was a report of a deer running out in front of a bike on a straight flat out section, one of the Finish rally car drivers laughed and said in his best English “for the bikes if you hit a deer its no so good, I think in that case you may come second podium no?”

Overall it was a week of Bikes, Beer and BBQ’s, couldn’t have asked for more.

By Andy Stevens