13ième Trial Classic de Rochepaule

1 et 2 juin 2019

After 35 years I came back to the Centre Touterrain Rochepaule. In April 1985 I went there with my friends from TWN Club for a training week at the age of 20 years on a Montesa Cota 349 twinshock. My friends already had their mono Yamahas and Betas. Claude Coutard was running the Centre and he let me ride his Greeves. There was no Twinshock movement at that time.

Spring 1985, Claude Coutard with his Greeves	Claude on the Greeves

My first time to ride this 2 day classic trial. Start is at the trials centre in Rochepaule, about 2 hours from Lyon and 7 from Zurich.
Great weather for the whole weekend!!! Charles Coutard started on a beautiful Bultaco 250, about 1972. And wow, he lost only 6 points in 2 days!

Big smiles: HondaPat and Johannes

Friday / Saturday

Centre Touterrain	Suzuki
	Mayesty 320
	Alfred with BSA
Bultaco about 1972, 250 or 325?	Charles Coutard's Bultaco Campeon
great Honda  TLR	Roberto Visconti with Ossa Apricot
Frank's Yamaha	yellow peril Suzuki 325
Spanish armada Ossa	and Montesa. looks like a MH200 with 349 tank and special clutch cover or 242 engine
Vanessa's nice little Yami	green Kawasaki
Johannes proudly on his new built Ariel HT4 400cc	puh, stop this smokey Fantic, please
wow a Honda TL250 like new	with his proud owner
a trick Honda TLR 250	Michel Petitdemange on Ossa
line up for start on Saturday morning	Daniel Gilemont (B) on Ariel at Start
2 Honda TLR	the champ Jean-Luc Nictou on Ariel
Ariel HT4 400cc, newly built in Germany
great escape and yello cylinder	Suzuki shining in the sun
Honda RSC 200 1981
Patrick Lepeule on Honda RSC 200
Johannes on Ariel	Centre
point of view
my neighbour on Yamaha TY 175
zone 9 was at the Col de Rochepaule 892m	Jo waiting to enter zone 9
Charles Coutard, multiple French Champion of the 70/80ies
this was a former military head quarter	paysage
2 Fantics	zone 13 with a long que
selfie during waiting time	Last zone 16 at the centre, about 17.30h

I rode a big part of Saturday with Johannes. There were 2 boucles with 30km for zone 1-10, back at centre, refill, zonde 11-16 with 25km. My Honda with 3.5 litre tank was fine, didn't need the reserve in my back.The zones were dry and nicely made, mostly possible with 1 dab or zero for me in the blue line, few tricky. But you always had to contentrate not to omit on flash, what happened once. Unfortunately Jo's Ariel begann to made bad noises after zone 11 and he had to ride back to the park. Everything was rebuilt, except the crankcase, which an "expert" rated good. It wasn't. Anyway, Jo had a good time here, did a rando and enjoyed the nice french countryside. There was only one huge que at the long hillclimber zone 13, lost 40 minutes there and even made a 5, as my brakes were not good enough to stop in the last downhill.... After 55km and riding from 11.30h I came back to the centre with last artificial zone 16 at 17.30h. Exhausted, but happy. Coutard on the old Bultaco and Daniel on the Ariel cleaned it in the blue line, bravo!

After beers and shower, there was diner served in the center.

Sunday again with great weather! and mostly same zones. As Jo could no more start, I rolled myself easyly, stopped at 2 bars for a coke. I knew the zones, but I missed one flesh in zone 4 (the rocky one) and my front wheel slipped in zone 11 (zero on Saturday), so 2x5. Other than that, lost only 4 more points. zero in almost all the zones on any of the 2 days. Still, in 2 days and 32 zones I lost 29 dabs x 1.5 penalty for my past 1980 Honda. Again, Charles Coutard was impressive with 6 lost on Saturday and zero on Sunday! A real Champion and riding legend.

great BSA
bar 1 before zone 9	a happy Belgian on his BSA
back for fuleing up after 30km on Sunday	view in the interzone
second bar after zone 11	uuh, must be there for years
typical yellow bushes
John Bull on DOT, over 70y rider	Vanessa from Jersey, best woman rider

Resultats pdf

Pictures from the homepage www.motoclubrochepaule.com

Honda Pat zone 1, ups,	me inspecting zone 4
last zone 16	Charly in zone 9 at 892m
Jo on Ariel in zone 1	Jo in zone 4
papa et fils Nictou	Christoph on Gilera

Video clips with links to my youtube channel HondaPat

Jean-Jaques Nictou Ariel	Johannes Ariel
Michel Motobecane	Jo Ariel
Daniel Gilemont in zone 13, observed by Chares Coutard	brake Ariel, brake!
Jean-Luc Nictou en rouge sur BSA zone 16
Daniel Gillemont Ariel	Daniel zero ! en zone 16
Christian Nourisson Bultaco	en zone 16
Charles Coutard	en zone 16
Charles à zero	sur Bultaco Campeon
difficult exit
Jean Luc Nictou en zone 1 Sunday
	Eric zone 1
Honda TLR in zone 4 on the rocks	Vanessa, best female rider, zone 15

A great weekend, sunny, amical atmosphere, nice landscape, good zones, merci beaucoup!

Rochepaule 5 minutes video

Hope you liked it, HondaPat

(patrick_at_twnclub.ch)