WHEELS & WAVES 2017: EL ROLLO - El Solitario

WHEELS & WAVES 2017: EL ROLLO

On the Wednesday of W&W we race flat track!

In its second year, El Rollo has already become by its own rights a classic of the motorcycle. Many voices ask why it is not highlighted and celebrated on the Saturday of W&W and that is exactly why (not!).  El Rollo is probably the most exclusive and flamboyant flat track race in the world and I mean it in a good sense. Come and race with your family. Its all there is.

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Poor old girl doesn’t deserve our bad manners
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Go, Marcos & Jimmy trying to figure out if we could save the rear brake, for the last time, with no luck
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Wouldn’t have made it without the help of Richard Vincent

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Sometimes I wonder if El Solitario racing squad is the most unprofessional & ruinous team on the planet still we always have fun so there is never a chance to improve. With so much going on with the brand and its official projects there is no time to think about our fun bikes and they pay the toll.  Last year our 1932 Indian exploded on the track and then just  sat, neglected, for 11 months at the back of the garage. Unfortunately It goes like this. Just days before W&W we realized we had not worked on the Indian so I had no bike! Now it was time to do all those things that someone responsible should NEVER do to a beloved motorcycle. Cutting corners, we put a new piston on the rear cylinder, rebuilt the magneto in a record time, and tried desperately to make it work. The old Linkert did not want to cooperate so in the end our dearest machinist built us a manifold and we adapted an Amal TT. On the Friday before the race I tested the bike for the first time on El Solitario Ranch. The engine fired right up and the Amal worked great, giving the engine way more usability and control, but the transmission was totally fucked and 3rd wouldn’t go in. With a 2nd way too short, and no time, we decided our best option was to increase the front sprocket by 3 teeth, elongating the 2nd gear,  maybe giving us a chance to stay on the track. Miraculously we found a Suzuki sprocket on Saturday morning among all the scrap that could be adapted to fit he Indian by our loyal machinist who (again) swore a few bad words at me but did a terrific job.

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A bug in the electronics killed the chances of E.S. Pluto with Ferran Mas even before the start

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E.S. Team Rider Ferran Mas was riding 3 bikes in 3 different categories; his Bultaco Astro in Vintage; E.S. Pluto in Modern & an Indian Scout in Hooligan Class

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Jimmy had never raced in his life and had goose bumps just thinking about how things were going to be on Hooligan Class onboard E.S Desert Wolf #01
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Geoff & Tara always so rad to share the grass, dirt or ice with you
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Girls just make life so more interesting and beautiful! Zoe Chatokhine was racing her daily rider 1969 BSA Thunderbolt
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FUkken Legend & King of Latigo Garage Mr. 517 always knows more about fun than anybody else on the track or life. And look at those Bespoke Rascal Leather Pants!@#
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Mauro was on DW-01

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Among the news this year, was that El Solitarios 50cc racers from La Copita ruled on asphalt & dust, showing the rest of the world that you do not need hundreds of horses to have the most fun.

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Super Villain Arne Toonen’s Batkiller, the king of glam
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ELL Silver trying to fix his moped just minutes before the start
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La Mosca Chosca by La Urbana Bike was so much fun to watch

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La Mosca Chosca!!!
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Jonas “El Rayo” Hendrix and his gang
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If we need to explain, you wouldn’t understand
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Fucking Gordo was leaving a saliva trail fighting for his favorite toppings

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Vintage (Pre-75) was divided into 2 categories below and above 500cc.

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Sensei Go Takamine. Always so rad to ride with you amigo

No brakes, one hand on the air intake, right foot on the clutch and a failure in the kickstart… Wasn’t easy to get the old Indian running…

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Tadashi holding my horses, and another great guy (#14, whoever you are you are rad) took care of our multiple jump starts.
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Beware of these eyes. Ferran Mas, another bad wolf to join our mad pack
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Legend Steve Caballero! I think it is the first proper name I recall to remember the first childhood hero for many of us

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Missed Masumi on the track this time! Why didn’t someone give this lady a bike!??!?!?!?!??!?!?!
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Zoe

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Anvil #01

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RACE!
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Young guns Nik Heer on the ex Bud Ekins Triumph this year was fast!
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Our old Indian keeping Caballero on the ’49 WR750 behind! What an honor to ride with you dear Sir 🙂

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Olivier Lequellec overdid it on his fabulous brand new Chatokhine BSA
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My man Julian 517 Heppekausen & his Triumph

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Ferran & the Astro
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Frank Chatokhine and his Triumph 500 ruled again his No.1 on El Rollo Flat Track
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JR and his Flathead killing it sideways
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Go Takamine
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Chatokhine awesome Celebration Wheelie
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Racing & surfing in So Cal since the 60s. Richard Vincent you’re a legend! So many thx for the TLC
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So good to see Jerome at the track!

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Dangerous x2. The Anvils… Or was it Devils? x

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I think JR had a crush with flat track on Tank shifters
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Lucy meeting the one & only Fred Jourden. Bad tongues say he french kissed 27 girls in one night… I believe it
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Brother an honor to walk along you

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Hooligans never disappoint on any terrain. These heavy and scary fast motorcycles can bite and more than a few brave riders have already tasted the venom on their skin. Dear Dimitri Coste was watching from the fence, already healing up, how Nick Young Guns tried to tame his whip around the track (He could not!). When this rage started 2 years ago I felt the need to jump in and enjoy the ride but soon realized this was not for me. I like the throttle too much and I am too old and unfit to handle a mistake on these bikes. Nonetheless Mauro and Marcos wanted to try the Desert Wolves on the ring. Still covered in Saharan dust they had nothing to give against the purpose built Indians or Yamahas. With their increased height, longer wheelbase and rear seating position they make fantastic ADV bikes but in flat track the front simply wasn’t there even to take a chance. As competitive as Mauro & Marcos might be they just had to accept this and survive the day.

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E.S. Desert Wolves Geometry. A rear rider position, 390mm shocks, 880mm forks and 70mm longer wheelbase made the DW pretty uncomfortable at the track
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Mauro on El Solitario DW-01
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Jimmy DW-02
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Dead Pluto
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Sketchy but cool as fuck is the Hooligan Class

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Jamie Robinson
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Nick & Geoff
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Ferran Mas & Marco Belli
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Young Gun Nick trying the whip of the Hooligan Scout

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El Solitario Marcos on El Solitario DW-03

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Jimmy on DW-02

Special Thanks:

Wheels & Waves, Alpinestars, The Dyneema Project, SHOEI & Dunlop Spain

Photography by KT Fender

 

5 Responses

  1. Hey David, here is #14, your roller starter rad guy – it was a pleasure to give you a hand! Great article – see you next year – i’ll takemy roller starter with me just for El Solitario Racing Team 🙂
    Best,
    Sven

  2. That’s the spirit. We all missed you at Dirtquake, I may have to start bringing my canyon to Basque country again and have some wacky races with you good compadres. Vamos a la casa de la playa x

    1. Julius!!!!
      Mi cassa es tu casa cabron!!!!
      How was Dirt Quake? Have you written your chronicle?
      Missed you all too ;( Shouldn’t have missed it but have too many things going on at the moment
      Can you die of good stress? Jaajaaaaaajaaa

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