By A who’s who of yesteryear racing specialists excelled over the weekend at the 26th Chimay Classics meeting, including multiple British riders including Welshman Alex Sinclair.
Regularly touted amongst the UK’s leading classic racers, he reigned supreme in the 350 races, finishing over 3.5 seconds clear of tenacious nearest pursuer Will Loder in both seven lap races.
Fellow Brit Olie Linsdell, returning to race action for the first time in over eight months, showed he had lost none of his competitiveness by claiming in dominant fashion back to back 500 G1 class race victories.
2013 Senior Classic TT winner Linsdell went onto take the victory spoils within the second IHRO race, whilst others from UK shores to enjoy tumultuous Circuit De Chimay stints included 750cc class victor Andy Hornby, plus respective post classic two stroke/four stroke, Vintage 50cc/200cc race 2 winners Luke Notton and Mike Hawthorne.
Germany’s Tobias Werner proved the man to beat in the 500 G2 races, the experienced German also scooped the spoils within the opening IHRO class encounter.
Remaining solo class winners from Saturday, Sunday’s competition at Circuit De Chimay were as follows: Patrick Vanmaekelbergh (Vintage 50cc/200cc Race 2), Oldrich Wisniowski (250 Race 1/250 Race 2).
Looking back on the series of Sidecar races at Belgium’s most famous roads course, there was British success a plenty.
Eddy Wright/Kieran Clarke secured overall four victories, having gone unbeaten throughout the Sidecar G1/G2, G3 class races.
Joining Wright/Clarke as race winners this weekend were respective GP/Post Classic class conquerors Kenny Howles/Efe Bergerot and David Tibbles/Raitch Greenwood.
Attention now for organisers at Chimay following another memorable Classics meet, turns towards hosting next weekend the fourth round of the 2019 IRRC Supersport, Superbike championships.
High profile racers hoping to taste the champagne on the rostrum next week include IRRC Superbike championship leader Davey Todd, Wepol Racing team mate Marek Cerveny.
Plus German roads great Didier Grams, Erno Kostamo and anticipated Supersport front runners such as Matthieu Lagrive, LSE Racing’s Christian Schmitz and local hero Laurent Hoffmann.
Words by Stevie Rial
