Riding the Race Scooters Huh? Change Gears With A Twist of the Wrist?
RIDING THE RACE SCOOTERS Huh? Change gears with a twist of the wrist?
"DAMN IT TO HELL," I CHAStised myself as I slid and tumbled off the pavement into the dirt lining the edge of the Amago kart track. This wasn’t the first time I’ve exited a race course in spectacular fashion, but this time the machine sliding along next to me was a Vespa motorscooter, of all things.
And I’d been doing so well up until that point. First, Fabio Bailarín had checked me out on his stock Vespa P200E. “The clutch works like the one on your motorcycle, but you twist the left handgrip to shift gears,” he cautioned. Odd, but lucky for me the shift pattern was stamped into the handlebar’s shifter-grip assembly.
After completing a handful of laps on the stocker, I stepped up to a modified P200E. “You’ll like this one much better, it has a front disc brake, motor work and a cut-down seat,” said the rider of the Vespa Supershop-sponsored machine. After nearly overcooking a few turns, I began using the rear brake to handle
much,of the stopping chore. The power and handling were noticeably better than the stocker—or perhaps I was getting used to these wheelbarrow-tired racers—and within a few laps, I was dragging my knee through corners as if I owned the rig.
Then it happened. While negotiating the tricky left-right-left set of esses, I flicked the crate over hard onto the skidplate that protects the low, rear-mounted motor. Quicker than you can say, “Scooters are for school girls,” I’d spun a 180 and tossed ’er away at 25 mph. Less than an hour into riding, and I was well on my way to becoming a scooter-racing regular: I’d drug knee, drug motor and drug butt.
After dusting myself oft', 1 moved on to the exotic machinery, hoping for increased ground clearance. A few go-’rounds at the reins of Nyle Schafhauser’s custom-framed, 190cc Lambretta SX was a harrowing experience. Its short wheelbase and hyper-quick steering combined with pogo-stick suspension action for a package so ill-handling it could put fear into the likes of GP broncobuster Wayne Gardner. My hat’s off to Nyle for winning races and a class championship with this evil device.
Saving the best for last, Vince Mross then sent me out on his liquidcooled Lambretta 200. Now this was a two-wheeler I could relate to. It had a clubman handlebar and motorcycle footpegs, the brakes worked bitchin’ and there was enough cornering clearance to hop curbs.
I’d finally arrived in scooter heaven. Now, if I can just put together a sponsorship package, can the World Scooter Championships be far off? Maybe they’ll even let a clumsy Novice like me run in the schoolgirls’ class. — Don Canet
