Motocross Bellegarde

Between Bellegarde and Saint-Gilles, off the D38 at the Pichegut pumping station, Moto-Club Bellegardais runs 1540 metres of natural track, four to six metres wide. The French track directory records the ground as a mix of sand, clay and stones - we file it as hardpack, which catches the stones but hides the sand content. The gate opens only on the first and third weekend of each month, 10:00 to 12:00 and 13:30 to 18:30; July, August, October and the month before a race are closed. Ten euros a day, and an FFM or UFOLEP licence is mandatory. The real planning factor is the width. On four to six metres there is exactly one good line per corner, and if you miss it you cannot place another one beside it. Take your first laps deliberately slowly and find the line instead of hunting for it at race pace. What is most likely to break your rhythm on technical ground: the engine stalls in the tight sections. Top of our cause list is a dragging clutch or a light flywheel - a flywheel weight or a properly sorted clutch pack removes the basis for the problem.