PIKES PEAK OR BUST

RECON

PPIHC PRACTICE DAY 2

Day #2, we practice on the middle section while the cars are on top or bottom section. i thought i was more confident in the dirt, but i actually did love the asphalt section. the only prob is that i'm the only one to race a 60's stock engine and gearing, and it misses some hp for sure. 

Bill Brokaw, organiser, and Trial National hero back in the 60's and 70's, i'd like to know more of his racing stories in Europe back in the days.

MARCO BELLI

Marco Belli is Italian and Europpean FlatTrack Champion !

and a very cool guy. he came racing Pikes peak for the 3rd time this year,

but not alone, he came with 4 other Italian racers, and he impressed the crowd on his

Zaeta and his fast & stylish riding skills. so good to meet him on top of the mountain.

HAPPY

1st RUN

we practice section by section. day#1 : Bottom section. first run i lose a piece of my kickstart due to high vibrations, second run i get off on "Engineers corner" straight into the trees 3 meters down ! i'll have to finish the week with a bended bar and a broken front brake lever...but no more crashes on the programm for the rest of the week.

PPIHC PRACTICE DAY 1

Practice starts at 5.30am till 9.30am. riders have to be in the pits at 4 am ! it's damn early but when the sun
comes up on the mountain it's just unreal.

THE ROOKIE MEETING

The rookie meeting is mandatory for all PPIHC first timers. a good way to be aware of all dangers and the mountain rules. Safety first, the race is dangerous.

RUBY RACING LEATHERS

We've worked with my brother Jerome and his crew at Les Ateliers Ruby on those leathers for months.
The first prototype for Catalina was great, this one made especially for Pikes Peak is even better.
Jerome came with a new design for the paddings, using Chevrons style padding, and defining
the upcoming Ruby's own leathers style.

i am very proud to have the opportunity to wear, race and test those amazingly beautiful Ruby Leathers.

Thanks bro, and David & Joss who helped hard till the very last minute.

Photos taken at 4am the morning before the flight to LA. Ultimate Rush

PPIHC TECH INSPECTION

"i haven't seen drum brakes since a long time !" said tech inspector.

LAST CHECK

i wasn't really early on the planning, but the organisation was strict on the fact that the bike needs to be clean and shiny. well that's not usually the case of mine, so we stopped by a carwash to clean the dirt from
Catalina. i haven't washed the bike since.

The Triumph is basically the same as for the Catalina GP, just changed tires, bar and add a front brake.
a quick test ride on the parking to check how it runs with the altitude....not that bad, for the moment down in Colorado Springs.

AIN'T NO MOUNTAIN HIGH ENOUGH

it was the desert thru the windshield just few hours ago and now we can see the snow, well it might be colder than estimated.

VAIL, CO

RIDE TO COLORADO

From California to Colorado Thru Nevada and Utah. A unique experience

TWENTY HOURS

it will take us 20 hours to drive to Colorado, trippin ride to legendary PPIHC.

PISS BREAK

Oldschool drinks a lot of sodas.

MAGE S NEW STUDIO

before the 1200 miles drive to Colorado Springs, i had to stop by MAGEdesign drop off the developped
photos of the next MARCH-LA.B campaign i shot 2 weeks ago in Palm SPrings, CA.
always a pleasure to see Mr Mage and his amazing crew.

then i stopped by the March LA.B showroom managed by Alexis Sepkovic

FAMILY

on my way to Mage Design studios, a wall cought my attention. on Melrose Avenue, painted
on Sportie LA's shop wall a Vans ad with my OTW family. it's been a long time since we hooked up
all together now, Eric was in Paris last months and it was great, i hope to see the twins next week.

ZOOTZOFF

i can not fly thru LA without stopping say hi to the one and only Steve Zeitzoff.

FOUR ACES CYCLE

Wes White from Four Aces Cycle is helping me in the O.S.F.A project.
he keep the bike at the shop and worked on it to make it ready for Pikes Peak.
new bar, new tires, he added a front brake, all the oil changes, new sparks and spark plugs and new sealings for the Ceriani fork. well the Trump was well taken care of and i thanks much Wes for his help.
he's a real cool guy and speaks a little bit of French.

PALM BEACH GMC

1974 GMC Palm Beach, ideal & dream step up after the Boogie Van ?

NO SLEEP TILL PIKES PEAK

here we come, the second stage of the O.S.F.A.
The legendary Pikes Peak International Hillclimb Competition.
after a very busy month, i finally got accpeted to race my 1967 Triumph TR6C at PPIHC

my schedule was tight as hell, but i finally made the flight to LA with Stephane Lascols AKA Oldschool.
aster the third allnighters in a row, the flight was the best and we both slept the all way.

Our first stop was at Mr Ponce in Ocean Bitch to pick up my Boogie Van, we then had dinner
at the Blanchards designer's crib. the occasion to share some crepes with true friends. Marc is the co-founder and was the designer of One Industries since he quit a year ago. he's a man of taste and a
living motocross human encyclopedia.

check what kind of art he displays in his living room.

O.S.F.A ON TOUR

SOUTHSIDERS 3RD YEAR PARTY

Both Le Admiral and i were invited to participate at the groupshow organised by The Southsiders during their 3rd year anniversary party. amazing venue, cool people, nice rides and great global vibe. we loved it.

after the party on our way to sleep somewhere in the pink city, my brother Jerome got hit by a drunk driver. too drunk to see the light was red for him. bim. i saw the crash in my mirror. Jerome is tough and only got serious browses while his 71 Triumph got more damages. it should be alright, we stopped by Ateliers Chatokhine on our way back to Paris to leave the Trump in the best capable hands.

thanks again to Vincent Pratt and his Southsiders crew.

Polo Garat , Local photographer, and very cool work

Le Admiral as mysterious as usual was on site with 

amazing fine art homemade printsabout Pre 65 Trial

Paul D'Orleans, Nick Clements & Vincent Pratt on their way to a good sleep

My Brother Jerome couple hrs before car assault

Vincent Pratt and the Family Falcon wagon

cool TriBSA cafe

Polo Garat, badass

Paul D'Orleans aka The Vintagent always cool & ready to ride

local BMX activists Alex Barret & Christophe Canitrot

Milla Chatokhine loves flowers

Frank Chatokhine 11pm checking the Trump