Trofeo Rosso 2008-Guzzis

Following the Ducati post

Here are some Guzzi pics for you,

taken at this years Trofeo Rosso,

the Italian Bike weekend held at Val de Vienne

a race circuit near Poitiers,Central France

mid July 2008.

Allways well represented in France,

the Guzzi marque has legions of followers here.

Heres a nice outfit for you…

Or maybe a red one?

NOT FAST ENOUGH??

Well it says RACER.…..!

Just look at this beast-CLASS OR WHAT!!!!!!!

I want one!

Italian style!!!

Last shot now,I promise….

This TRIKING,

3 wheeler,Guzzi powered

(a true homage to the Morgan Aero trike;

and a worthy successor,

dont you think?)

was so well executed.

OR—-how about this for a restoration,

or is it new…….

(actually it is-yours for 8000 euros)

BRILL innit?

The detail work is amazing…

Trofeo 08 ducati

Lots of Dukes at the Trofeo Rosso,

val de Vienne,

july 2008

Heres some pics to drool over .

An absolutely stunning restoration!

the same guy had a Guzzi 750 in even better condition

(see the trofeo guzzi post for pics)

Ever seen one of these before?

I couldnt get any closer;sorry,to see any details of this special…

They dont always  run as they should

What a classic bike design-perfect!

Looks like a bargain to me

(look at the frames behind-500 euros with log book)

“Any colour you like sir,as long as its red!”

Simple pure lines on this ducati single

and this one too….

Val de Vienne circuit

Le Vigeant-Val de vienne motorcircuit.
Between Poitiers and Confolens
in the flat centre of France.

Considered a very technical circuit
and probably built with car racing in mind,
it is similar in size to Oulton Park

The main straight(the pits straight)
is 500 meters.
There are a plethora of continuous radius
and double apex bends.

The back straight is 300 meters long.
The track surface is excellent with very few bumps.
Exit views are very limited on many of the bends
and good track knowledge is vital.

The fast guys lap at around 1minute 40 secs.

Anns best time here on a stock FZR400 is 2minutes 24 secs.

By way of comparison,

none of our friends,
CBR 600 mounted
could better 2 minutes 36 secs!

The best trackdays are organised by TEAM 18
-the Pompiers(fire brigade)
-18 is the emergency tel no -like 999 in the UK;
They run a very successful
endurance road race team
and are all bike mad.

The days are seen as a legitimate way
of letting road riders test their machines
in safe,controlled , conditions.

Heres a piccie of me on Ann,s FZR400

Quick but soooo cramped

I had backache for a week!

All sorts turn up
-kids on 125 screamers,
pukka racers,
even seen a guy on a boxer BMW
with panniers attached!
He was no slouch either!

Riding kit is optional
-from full leathers to jeans and trainers!
As long as you are insured
and the bike has all the legal documents
-your safety is YOUR responsibility
(Typical French pragmatism)

5 sessions of 25minutes are the norm.
Same as UK trackdays except for the cost-80euros(£50)

There are some seriously quick French riders!
Probably because they have grown up with bikes,
riding mopeds from 14 years old,
riding skills seem high.

I cant remember ever seeing an accident
stopping play during one of the sessions

Le Vigeant also hosts some interesting events.
In July there is a charity day hosted by the Ferrari Owners Club
-200 Ferraris and other exotic cars
-quite a sight;

The best weekend is the “trofeo Rosso”
-an exclusively Italian bike only gathering

-19th and 20TH July
All day track sessions enable fans to see classic Italian machines
(road and race)
being used as they were intended.
I hope to attend again this year
If I do

-I,ll show you some photos,later.

(Bit pressed with the housebuilding work

-keep watching )

Bye for now:P