The 16th Sunday Ride Classic, held from May 17 to 18, 2025 at Paul Ricard, promises to be exceptional. This unmissable event for all motorcycle fans never fails to celebrate the jewels of motorcycling history, whether they are riders or competition machines. Alain Michel, sidecar world champion, will be there to celebrate the 35th anniversary of his world title. Not to be missed under any circumstances!
When we think of France's great champions, we immediately think of Fabio Quartararo and Johann Zarco. If you're even slightly older, the names Olivier Jacque and Christian Sarron will soon come to mind. But what if the greatest of them wasn't on this list? Alain Michel, the 1990 sidecar world champion, definitely has a place in this discussion, but his sport unfairly holds him back. Today, let's take a look at the career of this legend. ; let's not be afraid of words.
A legendary livery, and a color combination that should be used more often
Born in 1953 in Montélimar, Alain developed a passion for motorcycle racing in the early 1970s. At that time, it was definitely two-wheeled, and the young man from Drôme was far from ridiculous with some great results on the national level. During those years, he was even vice-champion of France 500cc behind Jean-François Baldé (vice-champion of the world 250cc 1981), which proves the quality of his handlebar stroke.
However, he found the experience inconclusive, which may seem surprising given his performance. So, he tried his hand at sidecars, this somewhat strange category which is an integral part of the Grand PrixHighly regarded at the time, the discipline suffered from a competition problem. BMW had crushed the championship for nearly 15 years, allowing Germans Max Deubel and Klaus Enders to build an impressive track record.
Alain began his new adventure in 1975, and was already racing in 1976. He's fast, right away. With Bernard Garcia in his basket, he achieved a feat in his first participation in the world championship, during the French Grand Prix at Le Mans, finishing in second place. By the following year, he was one of the best drivers in the world. Alain won his first race at the highest level at Le Castellet, this time with Gérard Lecorre in the role of the "monkey".
The face of the championship changed somewhat. The Rolf Steinhausen/Joseph Huber duo won the title with a Busch with a König engine. The category became increasingly diverse, moving away from the BMW hegemony. Michel swapped his GEP chassis for a Seymaz, still powered by a Yamaha engine. In 1978, he entered another dimension: that of the title contenders.
At the time, no Frenchman had been a world champion in any motor sport. Unfortunately, if we can put it that way, he fell to another unparalleled talent, Rolf Biland, who could easily be called the greatest sidecar driver of all timeThe Swiss beat the Frenchman by just three points. While this runner-up spot is encouraging, it marks the beginning of a series of disappointments.
Fourth in 1979 with Marcel Burkhard in the basket, then third in 1980 with five second places. In 1981, despite eight podiums in nine races, he lost again to Biland and his no less legendary teammate Kurt Waltisperg. Switched to an LCR chassis in 1983, the successive “monkeys” changed nothing.Racing in a sidecar is difficult. Resources are sometimes lacking, and drivers, even the best, often take care of their own mechanics. Alain is constantly beaten, despite his remarkable consistency in performance.
Alain Michel at his peak. A French pride.
However, the door opened in 1986. Now alongside Jean-Marc Fresc, Alain Michel was in the game after a 1985 season that he described as " catastrophic "All the top riders ride Swiss LCRs, equipped with Yamaha TZ500 engines. The Dutchman Egbert Streuer, in tandem with Bernard Schnieders, is faster at the start of the season. But our French duo gains in performance thereafter. More than ever, the title is within reach. They are even in the lead at the start of the last weekend, at Hockenheim, and they only need to finish in 4th place to finally win the Holy Grail. But fate is relentless. His NAVA helmet is not properly attached, due to an interview given for TF1 in the last moments before departureThis mishap resulted in a fifth-place finish, but more importantly, a victory for Streuer. Both crews had 75 points, but Streuer and Schnieders were crowned champions due to their greater number of wins. Cruel. Even today, Alain Michel still claims it was the worst moment of his career, so crazy were the circumstances.
The years go by and they all look the same. Facing the British Steve Webster, Michel continues to suffer. He and Fresc cannot find a solution even with the Krauser engine now shared by a majority of teams. For the 1990 season, Jean-Marc Fresc is replaced by the Englishman Simon Birchall.
The season got off to a perfect start, with a victory in the USA in addition to the pole, followed by a podium finish in Spain. Could this finally be the one? Halfway through the season, the main rival was identified, in the person of Egbert Streuer. Everything could have changed in Rijeka. Birchall fell from the sidecar at over 200 km/h and injured his shoulder. Fortunately, Doctor Costa saved the day. This time, there was no question of being fooled like in '86. Alain and Simon were regular podium finishers, but the Dutchmen wanted it just as much. Arriving at the legendary Hungaroring for the final round of the season, they were comfortably in the lead and even allowed themselves the luxury of starting from pole position. A sixth place was enough to cheat fate; after fourteen seasons, eight of which were spent in the top three of the championship (!), Alain Michel is finally Grand Prix world champion! Better still, he is ahead of Streuer, Webster and Biland, the three drivers who gave him a hard time.
A farewell tour in 1991 and then he left. At 38 years old, Alain hung up his boots with all the same 18 wins and 77 podiums in 138 races. He then took charge of developing GasGas enduro machines, before gradually moving away from the world of motorcycling. It is important to pay tribute to such a great track record, but also and above all, to such a great man.
To make sure you don't miss anything in the tribute to Alain Michel, See you at Paul Ricard for the Sunday Ride Classic 2025, on May 17 and 18!
To share this historic moment, the SRC offers you access to its ticket office at a reduced rate
https://www.sundayrideclassic.com/billetterie
May 17 & 18, 2025
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https://www.facebook.com/SundayRideClassic
Here in 2010.
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