The Café Racer Festival 2019 Experience

We've just returned from the Harley Days in Morzine, and we have an article for you about the Cafe Racer Festival Yes, it's been a while now, and even though we often say that women can do several things at once, it's a bit complicated to write an article in Bobby or about our stand!

Arrival at the Festival

So, on June 21st, after a 5-hour drive to the Linas-Montlhéry circuit, we (Camille, Caroline, and Marie) finally arrived! It didn't take us long to find our sign, which was tucked away in a corner, right next to the KISS'N'VROOM ; the leaders of the 'women's village' who also appeared on Télématin 😉!

Once there we enter the Monthléry circuit and it's quite impressive, this great wave of concrete which is none other than a huge banked corner! Legendary! We already find some familiar faces that we meet again at different events, then others that we meet and that we often have trouble leaving.

But anyway, no time to dwell on it too much, as usual, we have to set up the stand. The motto: speed and efficiency. We're well-practiced and now know roughly where each item goes, so it's fairly easy to organize everything, even if it's still quite tiring!

Once the stand was set up, we headed to the bar for our first beer of the trip, and our first game of pinball at the same time! 😉 After a bit of chatting, we tried the first food trucks there and we weren't disappointed!

We decided to take it easy that evening and go back to our hotel, which is actually quite lovely, right on the edge of a lake not far away… Camille always finds us great accommodations! Time for a good night's rest so we're in good shape for the next day at the stand (and at the Sultans' party of course!).

First day of the festivities

From Saturday morning, we could feel the sun illuminating our stand; the blue sky was lovely, but it heated up very quickly. We had the pleasure of seeing or meeting some customers for the first time. It's always a joy at festivals to chat with all these motorcycle enthusiasts! The day was punctuated by track sessions for the Kiss'n Vroom girls; they've created a women's category to introduce them to the circuit without too much pressure! And judging by the girls' smiles throughout the afternoon, it seems to be working! We were lucky enough to attend a short lesson on racing lines and body positions on the track, given by... Nathalie Betelli Who's coaching today's drivers? We're keeping our ears open, you never know 😉

It was around 5 p.m., when the Sultans "awakened," that the day took a different turn! Sultans of Sprint What is it? Haha! If you don't know, it's worth checking out! It features exceptional riders and motorcycles, crazy looks, and incredible performance! A real spectacle not to be missed! They head to the stands for their standing-start race at the wheel of increasingly original machines; all the riders are in costume and ready to battle it out 😉!

Between music, roaring engines, exhaust pipes, and a microphone blasting at full volume, they created an amazing atmosphere from one end of the festival to the other! So much so that almost all the visitors to the show were gathered around this race!

The race was as crazy as the drivers 😉 and it was a really fun show that everyone could experience in their own way. Personally, it was my first time, and I can tell you I was totally immersed in the atmosphere. The starting burnout and crossing the finish line are so quick. Yet, it's a real thrill that happens during every race; everyone feels the adrenaline rush when the checkered flag waves and the dragsters roar to life! The crowd goes wild!

It was late afternoon, continuing the momentum as the visitors began to thin out, that we organized a happy hour in our women's area! The atmosphere was fantastic, and we were able to chat and meet the women who had been riding all day! That's also what we love about events: the close interaction with other exhibitors, with whom we share our experiences, with the visitors, and also, as in this case, with the riders!

Our pre-dinner drinks were just a warm-up, as we then headed to the party organized by the Sultans of Sprint, which promised to be as badass as their reputation suggests! And sure enough, we'd barely arrived when a game was thrown to get us in the mood: a sort of motorcycle limbo! This was followed by some wild dancing until a brief power outage surprised us… But it was only a matter of minutes before the problem was fixed and the party resumed with even more energy ;). The dance floor was on fire!

The following day was difficult...

After a night that wasn't really restful, we had to get going and get up early to be operational on the stand, a delicate mission for Marie who decided to rest in the stockroom :'), and yes, it's not easy to take responsibility!

The day is also rather calm, until we're offered the chance to drive in a standing start race! Goldy takes the wheel, on the BSA of Zoé David of the’Chatokhine workshop, That was her old racing bike. Zoé, on the other hand, will be on the new version of her machine! Very proud to be able to put into practice the starting techniques she tested during the Speed Challenge a few weeks earlier, Goldy takes a short ride around the festival to practice the reverse controls of the 70s motorcycle.

Indeed, the brake and gear shift pedals are reversed! Easy to say, but not at all natural in practice! All the participants head towards the track. The stands are packed! Two short practice runs (where Goldy leaves two seasoned riders in the dust), she's on fire! First qualifying run, she finds herself facing Zoé David! The pressure mounts! In position, facing the flag, a last look at the crowd, she concentrates, the flag goes up, an unstoppable standing start technique, go! She accelerates and feels the BSA respond instantly! She gets a great start! Zoé is right behind! The run is super short, 80m! Anything is possible! But the champion quickly regains the upper hand and Goldy (under pressure) tries to shift into second with her left foot! Haha! Don't be disappointed, it was a good defeat! The public was delighted by the suspense and Caroline was thrilled with the race and the atmosphere!

After all that adrenaline, it's time to pack up the stand, reluctantly say goodbye to everyone, and head home for the 5-hour drive in Bobby, with a traditional stop at Buffalo Grill! No choice, a super important meeting awaits us first thing Monday morning! We'll tell you more very soon!

PS: Thanks to Cafe Racer Magazine featured us on 5 full pages in their summer “GARAGE” edition, that's so badass!!