Dave Minnett is the first to admit he has a need for speed.
It’s something that has driven him since he started driving motorcycles as a teenager. It’s something his wife Heather has been aware of since he would pick her up on his motorcycle.
“We dated on a bike 35 years ago,” Heather said of the couple who live in Rockwood.
Dave recalled, “When I went out to ride I was a maniac on the street. I was always going too fast.”
He realized his regular driving habits on the streets weren’t safe, but he loved driving motorcycles. He likened it to an addiction.
Then about five years ago, when his construction job took him to North Bay, he heard about a motorcycle race nearby and decided to attend. His wife had accompanied him to the northern Ontario community and they went to the track and experienced their first-ever vintage motorcycle sidecar race.
“I was hanging on the fence saying I could do this,” he said.
Heather and Dave’s cousin Dale Minnett paid $20 each to ride on the sidecar just to experience what sidecar racing was about. They were impressed and sold on it, suggesting Dave give it a try.
He did and eventually he and Dale teamed up, started racing and became members of the Vintage Road Racing Association (VRRA), a class of motorcycle racers whose machines are pre-1972 models. In racing circles they share race venues with other classes that include Racing Associates Canada Events (RACE) and Southern Ontario Association of Racing (SOAR).
VRRA bikes are not equipped with a traditional sidecar. The sidecar is what Dave characterizes as a “pizza pan with a wheel.”
It takes the driver and passenger – known in the VRRA class as “monkeys” – considerable coordination during the race to keep the bike on the track.
It’s a combination of balance and synchronizing when to give full throttle or cut back to master the curves and turns without tipping the machine. The same balancing act is necessary to keep ahead of the pack, which can often include 10 different sidecar bikes racing at the same time.
The driver is flat out on the bike, which in the Minnetts’ case is a 650cc Yamaha, and the monkey is constantly shifting position on the sidecar – from crouching at the back during the start to give the bike best traction, to lying flat out when maneuvering a turn. It’s a matter of both maintaining balance by shifting their weight.
The sidecar has to have a minimum clearance of three inches off the track, making the moves by the passenger look considerably dangerous.
For the two, according to Dave, it’s a matter of working closely between driver and passenger.
“I depend a lot on him because often I can’t see him,” Dave said. “If he’s not in the right position we’ll flip over. It does handle really hard. The thing is to master its idiosyncracies.”
Their machine, which the pair has dubbed “DM²”, is travelling at about 100 miles per hour or about 160 kilometres an hour for the 10 to 12 laps of the race that will be completed in about 15 minutes.
Race positions are determined by qualifying rounds with the bikes staggered according to their placement at the start.
What Dave realized when he first took up the sport five years ago was that he could satisfy his need for speed in an environment where speed and exact handling is a requirement.
They can be considered traditionalists, who will tweak their machine to try and get better performance out of it. Dave said some drivers may bore out their engines to improve performance and increase horsepower, but he and Dale will work on the transmission or another part to boost their bike’s performance and keep it a 650cc class.
The bike they are driving today is one they have invested in themselves. In previous years, they’ve driven a sponsored bike owned by Len Fitch, a retired pro-AMA (American Motorcycle Association) racer.
When Fitch decided to sell the bike, the cousins decided to get one of their own. Fitch had given up racing, but at age 67 he continues to be involved in the sport.
When they went to their first VRRA race, Dave and Heather were amazed by the sport and by the fact it’s not a competition confined to young drivers.
“The biggest thing that impressed me was these guys were coming off the track, pulling off their helmets and they were all gray haired,” Heather said.
She is quick to point out sidecar racing is a gruelling sport. It requires drivers and their passengers to be in good physical condition to handle the rigors of racing. Dave weight lifts and runs to stay in shape.
Indeed, the top racing couple on the VRRA circuit are Paul and Marie Whittaker, aged 73 and 62 respectively, of Gilmour, Ontario.
It’s a racing couple Dave and Dale have set their sights on. They’ve managed to beat them once, but only because the Whittaker’s bike had engine problems. On their next outing the Minnetts placed second to the couple.
“They are the best,” Dave acknowledged.
Dave, Heather and Dale enjoy the camaraderie of all the VRRA’s 250 members and racers. As Dave puts it, the competitive edge is always there, but it doesn’t overshadow friendships.
“People would sacrifice their own practice times to help a competitor get in the race,” Dave said.
Racers and their families are also dedicated to the sport, travelling hundreds of miles to attend and race.
In Dave’s case, competing also means an outlay of cash for motorcycle parts, travelling and accommodation at the four tracks races are held. He estimates it will cost him about $5,000 to race this season with little purse money coming back for wins.
Dale travels all the way from his home in Windsor to races held at the four VRRA sanctioned tracks at Shannonville, Quinte TT Shannonville, St. Eustache, Quebec, and the largest track: the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park, more commonly known as Mosport, near Bowmanville.
Round three of the VRRA race circuit will be held at Mosport Aug. 17, 18 and 19, with round 4 in Quebec.
“You get a trophy at the end of the season and bragging rights,” Dave said of racers going through the four-round season.
The VRRA has chosen Big Brothers, Big Sisters as its charity of choice, raising money for the organization and inviting its members to races.
Dave and Heather admit the sport is not without its hazards, particularly if the two riders don’t coordinate their weight shifts.
Heather recalls one time when Dave came too low with his knee, scraping it on the pavement despite having a protective knee wear pad.
“He split his knee and I saw his kneecap,” she said. Despite the hazards, racers take accidents and injuries in stride.
“You’re going to go down once or twice a year,” Dave said. “Every kind of racing is nuts.”
Adds Heather, “The pat answer (for injuries) is that’s racing.” The couple points to an expression used by famed Formula One racing car driver Mario Andretti, “If everything seems like it’s under control, you’re not going fast enough.”
Heather has tried the passenger position, but has not committed herself to participating on a regular basis. However, she hasn’t ruled out one day getting into racing.
For now, she’s happy touring with Dave on her road bike.
The Minnetts would like to see more people come and experience sidecar racing. The VRRA is now hosting a “Try the Track” program where people can get first hand experience taking a few laps as a sidecar passenger.
Dave admits VRRA racing has satisfied his need for speed on regular roadways when he and Heather go out cruising on their Kawasakis.
“One thing about racing on the track, I don’t feel compelled to race on the street,” he said.
