2005 Maxxis 12 Hours of Pont de Vaux, France

[Andy Lagzdins]

It's that time of year to pack up the bags and head over to Europe for the 12 Hours of Pont de Vaux. I always try go go over a few days early to check out the area and also to get acclimated to the 6 hour time difference.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The first order of business after a 9 hour flight was to get a shot of caffeine. I thought I had asked for a large coffee! Not exactly a Great One 24oz from Dunkin' Donuts.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The next thing on the list was to assemble my bmx bike which I had smuggled into the country in a guitar case. I put the wheels and front fork in my gear bag.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is the bike known as "PeeWee". I know its not the most technically advanced bike in the world, but its beauty lies in its simplicity and durability. The goal was to get PeeWee into the country, and ride it up the most notorious hillclimb of the Tour de France!

[Andy Lagzdins]

The Alpe d'Huez is a monster of a hill in the French Alps. It is a road that starts in a town called Bourg d'Osains and goes 3400 feet up a mountain to the ski resort of Alpe d'Huez. The hill is 9 miles of constant uphill at an average grade of 9%. Some sections are 12%, and the amount of grade is painted on the road along with other TdF graffiti. This is a view from about half way up.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The road has 21 switchbacks on the way up, and many are cut into the side of the mountain. Make sure you have good brakes before going down this sucker! It took me about 1 1/2 hours to get up it. Guys on nice road bikes were passing me and talking in French and German, but I could only make out a few phrases- "going all the way up?" and "single speed" were the two I remember most.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is the top. The finish line from the Tour de France was still marked. I figured a 12 hour quad race should be a cake walk compared to the suffering involved with pedaling a bicycle up this *******. They were having a Supermoto race at the summit on the weekend, but I had the Pont de Vaux to attend.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Friday morning and time to go to the race track. Pont de Vaux is a small town in southeast France. The race is a big event and ads for it can be seen on all the surrounding roads and in the towns.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The track is laid out in a totally flat field. The track is best described as a very long and fast TT course if you would compare it to tracks in the US.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The longest straight on the track is about a 1/4 mile long. It is long enough that 120 teams can all pit down the side of it next to one another. We ran 16-36 gearing on our TRX450R and had it wide open down this straight every lap.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The back section of the track has 3 long straights that border a corn field and are connected by 90 degree corners. The straights are 4-5th gear and the turns are 2nd-3rd gear depending on the conditions. There is plenty of room for passing almost everywhere on the course.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is one of the 6 jumps on the PDV track. This one and another similar jump are located back to back and are 4th or 5th gear jumps with a mostly flat landing. The width of these jumps is about 30', so there were plenty of passing opportunities.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is a tunnel jump that has the riders going in opposite directions over each side of it. There is barely enough room to squeeze two quads side by side over these jumps, and the safe way is to go over single file. It is a delicate balance of being aggressive in passing and not taking too great of a risk.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Here is a local Honda dealer with a display of new quads and modified quads for sale.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Laeger components are very popular in Europe and they had a nice display booth at the PDV.

[Andy Lagzdins]

How would you like to buy a street-ready GasGas?

[Andy Lagzdins]

Polaris was out in full force with their huge transporter and three teams.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Team Polaris France had their act together and were looking very professional.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Here's a good view of one of the team's fully modified Predators.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is a W-Tec Eraser which uses a KTM 525 4-stroke motor with electric start. This is probably the most exotic quad I've ever seen. Almost every component is of an unconventional design.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Check out those front arms!

[Andy Lagzdins]

Gotta love the dual rear shocks and center mounted exhaust.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is a KTM 950 V-twin. The instrument panel is illuminated and looks cool at night. The plastic is right off of a Dakar quad.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The 950cc motor has to make this quad an arm-ripper. The weight of the quad may have been a factor in the team breaking an axle during the event.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This YFZ450-powered quad sports dual radiators and a down-swept pipe mounted onto the nerf bar.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is the #5 Honda of the KIK HM Plant Team. This 3-rider team was led by multi-time PDV winner and current top UK rider Paul Winrow.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Here's the #10 machine with a 525 KTM motor in an aftermarket chassis. Check out the massive single round frame tube where the lower a-arms bolt to the frame.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Another view of the #10 quad shows the very unique swingarm design that incorporates an inboard-mounted disc brake and sprocket. Also notice the rear bumper and chain/disc guards that are mandatory at the PDV. Any quads not having these items would not pass tech inspection; and if a quad was spotted during the race without these guards they would be black-flagged to fix it.

[Andy Lagzdins]

One of only a hand-full of 2-stroke entries was this KTM 560cc quad. The Down-swept expansion chamber was massive!

[Andy Lagzdins]

Here is the #6 Duncan/ATV World team of Chad Lohr and Tavis Cain. They campaigned a YFZ again this year after coming so close to the podium on one last year.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is the Honda TRX-mounted #4 Duncan/ATV World/PAR Homes team of Ricky Tordoff, Nathaniel Camps, and me. Ricky is a top UK racer who has been coming over to the US and racing the GNC's. He has done the PDV many times and was on the team that finished 4th last year. Nathaniel is the current Belgian champion and is also a PDV veteran. I can ride a BMX bike up big hills.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Here is the #1 Duncan/ATV World powerhouse duo of Doug Eichner and John Mitchell. John is from Scotland, and won the PDV last year with Doug. The only 6-time winner of the PDV, and holder of many other titles in the USA, Doug Eichner is the man to beat at this race. Their Laeger Banshee is the winningest machine at the PDV.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Loren Duncan of Duncan Racing and Martin Fletcher of ATV World are very determined to win this event every year, and the dedication has paid off with many wins.

[Andy Lagzdins]

On Friday evening, all the quads are ridden on the street into downtown Pont de Vaux for technical inspection. Then later in the night each team and their quad are brought up onto a stage for photos and an interview. After that, the quads are ridden back to the track and the timed qualifying begins the next morning.

[frank mb]

Originally posted by Andy Lagzdins
This YFZ450-powered quad sports dual radiators and a down-swept pipe mounted onto the nerf bar.

This is the VLS Factory bike of OLD FOX Wil v/d Laan. This is the best steering bike in my opinion and for myself I race a VLS KTM 560 like the other picture. And those two stroke engines are the bomb :D
And for the number 10 bike, That is a copy of the VLS. They only steer not good and often break down.

And Andy if you race next year in Pont de Vaux let me know I hope I race the 12 hours myself. And not the 2 hours contest race like this year. But it was a great experience.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Timed practice starts at 10am on Saturday and lasts for two hours. During this time any of the teams' riders can take their quad out on the track and cut laps. The lap times for each team are recorded with transponders and the fastest lap is taken and compared to everyone else's to determine start position for each session.
The weather was very dry, and the track was a dustbowl. This photo of riders going down pit lane does no justice to the actual amount of choking dust that was in the air.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Pit lane is very long; at least 1/4 mile. It takes roughly a minute and a half to ride down the entire length of pit lane because of the speed limit, which is enforced by course marshalls. If you are thought to be going too fast, you get a penalty and lose time. Its very difficult to keep your quad barely moving in 1st gear when you have so much adrenaline going.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is Chad Lohr and Tavis Cain's YFZ450 getting some final gearing adjustments during practice.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Here is the #97 Walsh/Quad Briel KTM 540 ridden by Jeremy Lawson, Josh Creamer, and Cody Grant. This all-American team was accompanied by the #99 Walsh KTM ridden by Cale Downen, Chad Wienen, and Polish rider Gregor Brzozowski.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This is Stuart Walker, a veteran of the PDV both as a rider and team leader. I had the privilege of working with him last year, and his managing was instrumental in our underdog team finishing a respectable 6th place. He was back on the quad for this year's race.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The #2 YFZ450 of the Yamaha Motor France team was piloted by 3-time PDV winner Gregory Lassaigne, Jay Clement, and Jeremie Warnia.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The #18 CT Racing/Laeger's team of Harold Goodman, Justin Reid and Josh Fredricks had motor problems during practice and were hurrying to change engines before racetime. Harold won the PDV in 1998, teamed up with Tim Farr and Shane Hitt.

[Andy Lagzdins]

CT Racing/Laeger's also fielded the #17 team of Nick Granlund, Sergio Gilli and Morana Levi on a Honda TRX450R.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The #1 Duncan/ATV World Banshee is such a proven machine at this race that very little setup is required. The design has been refined over the years and works well. (Some dusting was required before the start of the race.)

[Andy Lagzdins]

This was the rider's meeting on Saturday afternoon. They did a French version and an English version. The first of three racing sessions would be 3-6pm, the second from 8pm-1am, the third on Sunday 1-5pm. All the times are combined towards the overall.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The #3 Moto & Co machine ridden by Pat Brown and Romain Couprie had the fastest qualifying time and would start each session on pole position. Pat Brown had the fastest lap time overall at the 12 Hours of ATV America in Iowa last year.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The start is very tense as 120 quads all take off at the same time. With the conditions as dry as they were, the dust was everywhere. It takes a few laps for the pack to thin out.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The traffic was heavy at the start of each session, and it seemed as though we were always passing others riders in almost every turn. Here Tavis Cain cuts through some slower riders.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The pit crews had to keep a constant watch over their riders. If the lap times started to drop off, another rider would get ready to take over. It is best if each rider runs out a complete tank full of fuel before pitting to minimize the number of pit stops. With the lap times for our team right around 3 minutes, you had to get ready to ride in a hurry if needed.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Ricky, Nathaniel and I started from 22nd on the grid, and worked our way up as high as 4th during the first session. Our Duncan National motor ran strong and would sometimes pull the front wheels up unexpectedly, even with 16-36 gearing! Here we are pitting for fuel and changing riders.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Chad Lohr gets off the quad and tries to get a little fresh air after inhaling French soil for an hour straight.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Doug Eichner and John Mitchell were getting down to business on the #1 Banshee and won the first 3 hour session convincingly.

[Andy Lagzdins]

After the start of the night session, teams were installing their headlights during the fuel stop. Here the #6 YFZ450 gets their light installed.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The single 8" light seems to be the most popular design, and the mount frame style allows the unit to be installed as fast as a normal fuel stop. Here Chad Lohr pulls out of the pits.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The #1 Banshee of Eichner and Mitchell stayed consistent throughout the five hour session, and with their second session win amassed an overall lead of 2 laps over the #13 TRX450R of the Spanish Honda team.

[Andy Lagzdins]

This pitstop during the night session would be our last, as the swingarm pivot bolt broke 10 laps later. This ended our team's race as the crankcases were broken and leaking oil badly.

[Andy Lagzdins]

As Sunday dawned, it was apparent how hardpacked the track had become during the night session. There was a very wide blue groove around most of the track, and it was very fast. A little rain over the night helped the dust situation greatly.

[Andy Lagzdins]

With the condition of the track being slick and a little wet, many people were curious to see if the 2-stroke Banshee of Eichner and Mitchell would stand up to the 4-stroke onslaught.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The #6 YFZ450 of Cain and Lohr sits on the start ready for the third and final session. They had some troubles during the night session and sat just outside the top ten.

[Andy Lagzdins]

After the start, many teams pitted and the leading teams pulled away. The CT/Laeger's team of Nick Granlund took a turn at the front until their YFZ threw a rod. The #5 TRX450r of Paul Winrow (shown) broke the upper subframe mount bolts, and spent alot of time in the pits. Pat Brown's #3 Moto and Co YFZ450 also had subframe issues and needed multiple headpipe changes.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The third session win belonged to the #97 Walsh/Quad Briel team of Creamer/Lawson/Grant. They were flying and edged out the Duncan/ATV World Banshee for the hard-fought win.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Eichner and Mitchell took overall win with a 4 lap lead over the Honda of Spain team of Escudero/Ullastres/Ullastres. The Banshee had once again persevered over the 4-stroke threat. The podium celebration immediately after the race was a mob scene.

[Andy Lagzdins]

One of the ongoing traditions of the PDV is the post-race tour of the track by Lenny Duncan in the Team Polska 4x4. Lenny graciously gives everyone in attendance a complimentary ride.

[Andy Lagzdins]

Romain Couprie accepts the 4th place overall award for his Moto and Co/Yamaha team, which included American motocross rider Pat Brown.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The Honda Europe TRX450r mounted team of Lamet/Arseneault/Tusset were on the podium with a 3rd place overall finish.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The happiest finishers of them all were the Ullastres brothers and Sobrado Escudero, who came within 4 laps of dethroning the Banshee and Doug Eichner. This is the closest that any four stroke machine has come to winning the event, and the Honda of Spain sponsored team almost did it on their TRX450r.

[Andy Lagzdins]

The 7th win for Eichner and the 2nd win for John Mitchell. This duo had everyone else covered. After so much doubt and speculation over the competitiveness of the Yamaha Banshee, this seasoned team did it once again against even tougher odds. So ends another chapter in the illustrious career of Doug Eichner and the Duncan/ATV World PDV-conquering Banshee. Here are Doug and John accepting their awards along with happy team leader Loren Duncan.

[lostcreekz450]

why did u have to smuggle the bike in the country ??

[400grl]

Great coverage!!!! Good to see Eichner win again as well as a Banshee still kicking some butt!!! :)

[Andy Lagzdins]

I didn't have to "smuggle" the bike into the country; it just seemed that way because I had it in the guitar case. It's not illegal to take bicycle parts on a plane as long as they're not in your carry-on luggage.

[lostcreekz450]

oh hahaha ooopss

[BFELIX]

great coverage...;)

Here in Portugal we are thinking in doig something like this..but with nacional team's...

that would be the real World championship!!!!:D

[CannondaleRider]

Nice coverage!!

Its great to see Eichner still doing great.

Sorry you guys had the problem with the swingarm bolt...

Andy, Whats happenin pimpin? Im the guy with the red 400ex that stopped and talked to you a few weeks back on the tracks by allison. I said I was going to meet the beerman.

[poogi]

you so crazy:D