Sidecar-Cross racing, also known as Sidecar Motocross, is very similar to regular, "solo" motocross but with a different type of motorcycle chassis, and with a team of two people riding together instead of one, a "driver" and a "passenger".
Several sidecar manufacturers (for example VMC and EML) in Europe make special chassis which, except for the engine, wheels, plastics, and other components from commonly available large-bore motocross bikes such as the Honda CR500, Kawasaki KX500, and large KTMs. There are also specialised monster-size 2-stroke engines such as the MTH 630, and 700cc Zabel which are made just for Sidecar Motocross racing. The Zabel and MTH are currently the top engines in the World Championship. HOCOB manufacturer of VMC chassis won the FIM award for the best manufacturer motocross sidecar 2007.
Handling characteristics
A Zabel engined outfit.
Sidecarcross is carried out in the same way as regular motocross on very much the same tracks. Handling is different due to the sidecar. Thus the driver cannot lean over in the turns to overcome the centripedal forces, instead, to make sure the sidecar does not flip over, the passenger leans out (of the sidecar) as much as possible in the corners. The passenger does much more physical work than the driver since they move their whole body around continuously.
One of the most important aspects of sidecar racing is teamwork; the best sidecar teams in the world have been racing together for many years.
World Wide Appeal
A World championship is held over several rounds at top motocross venues, throughout Europe, with a season ending Sidecarcross des Nations. The sport is extremely popular in Eastern Europe. There is a much smaller scene in North America and Australia. The most successful sidecarcrosser in history is the Dutchman Daniël Willemsen, who has become worldchampion six times so far. The most successful team in history however is Kristers Sergis / Artis Rasmanis, since Willemsen won his six titles with four different passengers.
The Sidehackers
The Sidehackers is a 1969 film (also known as Five the Hard Way) about motorcycle racing with a twist. Each motorcycle has a sidehack (or "sidecar"), in which a passenger rides and tilts to one side or another when going around curves. The credits thank the "Southern California Sidehack Association"; sidehacking is also known as sidecarcross or "sidecar motocross racing".
Plot
The film centers around Rommel, a mechanic/sidehack-style racer, who turns down the offer of J.C., a hot-tempered entertainer, to join his act after J.C. witnesses a sidehack race for the first time. During this time, J.C.'s abused girlfriend, Paisley, falls for Rommel and attempts to seduce him. He rejects her advances and sends her away crying. Later, when J.C. and his crew return to their hotel, they find Paisley drunk and her clothes tattered, claiming that Rommel raped her. Angered, J.C. and his gang beat Rommel unconscious and kill his fiancee, Rita. Rommel then spends the rest of the movie plotting his revenge against J.C., who goes into hiding from the police.
The film's end is nihilistic in nature. After both Rommel and J.C.'s men have killed each other, the two men brawl. When Rommel manages to gain the upper hand, he elects to walk away when the police are about to arrive, but J.C. picks up a gun and shoots Rommel from behind. The last images of the film are a flashback of Rommel and his fiancee rolling about in a grassy field, superimposed over a shot of Rommel's dead body.
Mystery Science Theater 3000
On September 29, 1990, Sidehackers was the featured movie in episode 202 of Mystery Science Theater 3000. The episode is notable for a unique gag pulled during the movie, when Cambot added an ESPN-like score graphic during one of the racing scenes. The episode is available on DVD from Rhino Entertainment as part of the third volume of Mystery Science Theater 3000 DVD box sets.
The MST writers initially did not watch the entire film when they selected it for the episode. During writing, they were horrified after watching a scene where Rita is brutally raped before being killed (which was later deleted). After this incident, they made a point of watching each movie from beginning to end before writing for the episode.
Viewer reaction to the episode has been generally positive. The episode has a user ranking of 8 (of 10) on TV.com and 8.1 of 10 on the Internet Movie Database. The original cut of the film, in contrast, holds the #44 spot on the latter site's Bottom 100 list with a ranking of 2.2 of 10.
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