For anyone who’s ever felt bored by an Formula One race, motorcycle sidecar racing is a happy alternative. As you can see, it isn’t bound by the strict rules of F1 that ban anything on the car not interacting with the air.
See that guy leaning far out in bike 25? He helps steer the car by throwing his weight around that tiny little platform in the back. The passenger’s weight transfer helps shift traction around to whichever tire needs it the most, and helps change the aerodynamics of the car. For all intents and purposes, the passenger is the active aero for the car.
If this looks dangerous, it’s because it absolutely is. In July 2014, a German racer named Enrico Becker lost his life after a crash at the German track Sachsenring. He was the passenger.
There is no amount of money in the world that would get me to do this. I’m perfectly content to sit back and watch people with more courage than me swing these things around corners. Maybe if they lined the track with mattresses and pillowcases. Maybe then I’d give it a shot.
Maybe.