B2A & B2B

realroadracer · Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:45 am

In 1979 there were two sidecar World Championships. Bruno Holzer was B2B World Champion and Rolf Biland won the B2A version. I remember the B2B being referred to as the "wobbly wheelers".
What were the differences between the classes? Presumably some outfits were later outlawed. What happened to them?

Unread post by **steve-e** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 11:49 am

Ah you're referring to the Beo where the passenger just sat there and didn't move (leave it PhilL

)
That was around the time Biland was really pushing the limit between car and sidecar. Everyone thinks it was Louis but I reckon it was Rolf, since he's packed in the development is definitely slower

Anyway,... bob B will be your man to explain all that stuff.

ianw · Unread post by **ianw** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:00 pm

If my memory serves me right, the BEO was racing before the B2A & B2B championships. Your right realroaderacer, B2A was wobbly wheel, ie centre hub steered whereas B2B was convensional front forks.

Bob B · Unread post by **Bob B** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:07 pm

Thanx Steve

Also thanx to IanW for a very neat explanation

Certainly agree that development in some directions has certainly slowed since Rolf quit racing, reckon he was the ideas man and Louis certainly is the engineer par excellence.

Reckon we need more of the ilk of Doug Young and Jack Levy these days just to make life a little more interesting

ianw · Unread post by **ianw** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:09 pm

There was no greater innovator, bender of the rules than Rolf Biland. Whenever the rule book was altered to bring Biland back in to line with convensional thinking, bang, he came out with something different again. Rudi Kurth was his early inspiration & then he was aided by Louis Christian. Rolf Biland single handedly progresed, some may say, ruined sidecar racing. Innovation has slowed down since he left the scene.

ianw · Unread post by **ianw** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 12:11 pm

Bob, coildn't agree more, do you have any photos of the "Unorfordox"?

realroadracer · Sat Jun 23, 2007 2:23 pm

Was there any steering of the sidecar wheel? I seem to remenber seeing all sorts of weird and wonderful linkages. Of course, I was only a lad then.

ianw · Unread post by **ianw** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 2:40 pm

Yep, there were a couple with sidecar wheel steering. I started to build a monocoque centre hub outfit with sidecar wheel steering in 1977. I bought all the hubs, suspension, wheels etc from Chevron Racing Cars of Bolton which cost a bomb, then half way through building it the FIM banned sidecar wheel steering.
There were a lot of innovators around at that time. From up this way, John Rae had built an outfit for Dave Kruse with centre hub steering & parrallelogram rear suspension, with a Barton Pheonix engine in it.
Another local guy, John Swindlehust built his own chassis with torsion bar sidecar wheel suspension, John would cast all the parts himself, wheels, hubs etc. There doesn't seem to be the innovators around anymore but then the rule book has stiffled all that.
Sad but it's a fact off life, all modern racing in the U.K now a day's is production based, the exception being sidecar racing but then again they all use production engines.

Jim Sinnott · Unread post by **Jim Sinnott** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:04 pm

John Bingham built an outfit with sidecar wheel steering,think it had a set of forks and was raced by Bryan Rust, great for 2/3 laps them he was knackered. Reckon Fritz Scheidegger had a centre hub in the 60's, but dont think it was to successful.

Bob B · Unread post by **Bob B** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:40 pm

Right again Jim, Fritz did play with hub centre but it never (AFAIK) saw any actual racing. I suspect that Camathias was involved in some way or another too with what Fritz did as he was the brazing and frame man for the two.

Bob B · Unread post by **Bob B** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 3:42 pm

Ian - lots of mind pictures of Jack and his Unorfordox which unfortunately I can't download to my PC

Now there's a new challenge for Mr Gates :p

ianw · Unread post by **ianw** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:04 pm

Bob, many years ago, in the 60's I remember seeing a picture of the unorfordox in the MCN with the fairings off & I'm sure Jack lying on the bike. Never saw it in the flesh.
Wonder what happended to all those photos from the 50's, 60's 70's etc. Would they be archived somewhere? I'm certain Classic Racer
have their own archive but dont know about MCN?

Unread post by **steve-e** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:06 pm

I'm pretty sure I have photos of both the unorfordox's at mum's in the collection somewhere. Trouble is the way they're stored it would take months to find them :lol;

Bob B · Unread post by **Bob B** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:12 pm

Steve reckons "New Project
ah Trevor Bayliss.. I know him.. the original wind up merchant."

Even newer project Steve, hunt down pics of Jack Levy and the Beast

Bob B · Unread post by **Bob B** » Sat Jun 23, 2007 4:14 pm

Ian - Jack lay prone on the right side of the device as you say. Early one was steered with a car type steering wheel and later by 'conventional' handlebars.