Description:

When gray clouds, the short days and not less, making the mood even more grim, only helps one – from the south to motorcycling.


For years, the same program: Shortly after Christmas, the skis strapped onto the car roof, packed cold-resistant clothes and then head to the jam. Traffic jam on the freeway, traffic jams on the ski lift, jam at breakfast, jam on the way home.

MOTORCYCLE reader Knofe Matthias and his motorcycle gang infested the winter program have changed now, instead of the skis lashed their bikes in the trailer, stow mountain biking, hiking boots and the dog in the car and let the snow-covered mountains in the truest sense of the word on the left. On the way to Spain, they are not alone with its idea of the different kind of winter sports. Innumerable vans, light trucks and cars stuffed to the rafters to make in the sun. Wherever you go: the motorcycle.

This idea has been kicked off 30 years ago by a couple of crazy motorcycle racers who wanted to secure a pre-coated by a training advantage over their competitors. And of course the Motorcycle Test team, the best conditions found in the South, even in winter to deliver reliable tests with fast machines.

Then, long before the big boom in motor sports, the selection of tracks was limited in the Mediterranean. Calafat, 120 kilometers south of Barcelona, in the southern Rhone delta Ledenon located or the former Grand Prix circuit at the time Yugoslav Rijeka were possible contact points where prevailed from November to March spring-like temperatures with little luck.

Today, the choice of routes is virtually unlimited, and interpreted the wide range of training on the track for non-racers. A complete annual overview of organizers, schedules and conditions can be read on the relevant web pages.

However, it is advisable to discuss any unclear issues regarding the training sequence on the phone with the organizer. This primarily involves the grouping, or the quickness of the groups. Anyone who finds himself as sporty drivers without racing experience in a pack of ambitious racer has waxed. Because these gentlemen on the hunt for best lap times just purely stab times in gaps, where is no gap. And good advice for self-protection circuit for novices: let the stop watch at home. Who tried after the first day, wegzufeilen seconds, has good chances of some nice X-ray images from the Medical Center.

Under the watchful eyes of professional instructors risk on the other hand more and more motorcycle riders on the downhills. Not daring to burn lap times in the asphalt, but to perfect in peace with their own driving style on her own bike. That was exactly the reason for Matthias Knofe, first to start the way to the south. His wife Anne is with her Yamaha MT03, son Robert, with a racy MV Brutale in spring training a good start to the biking season, and his girlfriend Irina wants to explore their own mandatory limits on their shrill Yamaha YZF R6. And as a serious track training helps with Dr. Scholl in Calafat clearly more than three days of skiing in Zermatt.

Thus, the long journey worthwhile to Spain, next to the hustle and bustle on the race track a couple of days have been scheduled stress-free holiday. So the day on which to let off steam when the hot-blooded racer four-hour race will be used to spy on the traffic in this season extremely poor mountain trails around Tarragona. A curvy area, how can it not be more exciting and beautiful. Even for a test drive MOTORCYCLE editors heard by the bizarre rock formations, a favorite program. The great thing is most of the Spanish race tracks are surrounded by mountainous landscapes with spectacular winding roads. Even in summer hopelessly overcrowded coastal roads are out of season, almost car-free zones.

No wonder that show up in the paddock tour more and more machines and coarse dirt bikes and explore this endless curvy area. Especially off-road enthusiasts thrilled with the Spanish hinterland adventurous gravel tracks through steep canyons and over ridges tricky with a fantastic view over the azure Mediterranean.

Although wild cross-field retraction in Spain is taboo, but who are proficient in reading good maps, the most beautiful paths and trails is for coarse vehicle. What is the fickleness between skiing and motorcycling has finally settled.

To break away from training and racing to bring the runway under a hat, the training days should be discussed with the organizers. Those who have no ambitions to plunge the race at the crazy hobby pack; these should be recorded as a leisure day off. Or are you a complete training program spread over several people, so that changes in one or two companies are available. Because one thing is: If more than three days in a row rages on around the race track is one hundred percent and gas terminally ill. If, however, pushes the odd day off in between, the matter will be exciting to the end. And you have time to shake with the movement for many sports and surprisingly tiring ride on the track from the bones.

In order for the vacation of the first hour of leave is also, the accommodation should be settled before departure. Most operators have the training to contact us or even give accommodation in bungalows or apartments. Anyone setting off to good luck should remember that in the winter time, especially around the turn of the year, many are closed or fully booked hotels in the south.

The best seasons for the trip to the South depend on the particular situation of the racetrack. In general, the southwest, the weather conditions and temperatures are safe. However, the sun-seeking biker in specific areas of a cold north winds, the mistral, blowing the soul from the body. This includes the catchment area around the Rhone delta in southern France (tracks: Ledenon, Le Luc, Paul Ricard), the slope in Calafat / Spain near the Ebro delta and the former GP circuit of Rijeka.

However, there is neither wind nor weather for a safe prediction. For over 25 years of experience with winter testing has emerged that the most sensitive time of year is pending in the south around the turn of the year until mid-February. Then you have to expect even with short but intense cold spells with snow up to the Mediterranean coast. Who would prefer the long-awaited spring a few weeks ago, in early March in southern France and in Tuscany the best chances to catch the first rays of fire? In addition, the bike routes are around Ledenon at Mugello, near Florence, to Nîmes or very best thing you can do to them selves. In this sense: let your skis in the basement and the pure pleasure of motorcycling its course. See you under the sun.