Those of us who have wandered around the paddock area behind the Grandstand
will possibly have seen a young girl, sporting oversize overalls, or the same girl sitting alongside
the pit lane, biting her nails, whilst high velocity machines pass within inches during a
practice session or race. Well, that little girl has ‘become of age’... Estelle LeBlond, daughter
of sidecar exponents, Francois and Sylvie, was sixteen in May and now races her own Shellbourne
Honda outfit. Dad was obviously keen for Estelle to follow her parents into sidecar
racing as he bought the outfit for her. Experienced ballast, fifty year old Loic Ansquer, also
known as Lolo, who took part in his first TT in 1985, has been one of her passengers.
We’ll let Estelle tell her story of a meeting at Albi...

Hello, everybody. It’s my first race impressions. We arrive on Friday morning at the
circuit of Albi and we meet again Lolo (the mercenary passenger) at the gate.
First free practice, we go away, 4 laps and stop. “Hum, Dad, is it quite normal it’s
moving so ? Maybe, I’m too much close to the inside, or maybe ....”
And Dad and Mommy laugh a lot. They reply it’s normal it’s moving a lot.
“Go and race the TT ....” “Ok, so, flat out, it’s the only way We go back on the track. So, it’s really better when you don’t have that kind of question inside your mind. In fact, to be a sidecar rider, you don’t have to ask any question!! During the evening practice, Johnny times some laps and we only need one second less to qualify. Great !

On Saturday, timed practices, GLOOPS!! In the morning, the practice is stopped
because of some oil on the track. Go back to the pits and to the screens: with only 1 timed
lap recorded, we are 3 seconds faster!! We can do it!!
The pressure goes down and disappears to make room to joy. WE QUALIFIED!!

First thing to do: big kisses to Dad and Mommy and I call my sister to announce the good news ( and to have some news of the cats !!).
In the evening, we lap mainly to learn the track again and again. It’s the only way.
Also, I have a long discussion with Lolo to know how we could be better here and there ...
During Friday, I was stressed about qualifications. On Saturday, I was stressed about
Sunday races ....And Sunday is there : race day. But, everybody is quiet ...
“What a mess, why are they so calm. They forgot it’s race day. Maybe we have to tell them!!”
Don’t worry, I’m not like that. I hang around in the paddocks for years. I deduce it’s
normal I’m the only one to be so nervous!! 11.20 am : warm-up lap, we place ourselves on the starting grid. We are not disturbed : we’re alone on the last line !! The red lights move to green and only one thought in my mind : “They are all crazy !!” But, it’s so great ! Too much.
Thinking about that and they are all gone away. I’m stuck on my place. The only time
I had to use the clutch as now, it was on open roads with my tiny Aprilia 50cc RS.
Let’s go ahead!! But, during the race, the engine is losing power. And we linger. And
where are those boards about the remaining laps? How many of them? Woaw! My parents
are stopped alongside the track. Woaw! Le Bail too !!
Half a lap before the end (but I knew that after the race because I didn’t ever find the
boards), the engine misfires. So, I decide to stop at the place where my parents are. They
shout me to carry on and finish the race. Only one half lap! And Lolo fidgets. What says he?
So, as I’m nasty, we continue and see the chequered flag!!

Yeah, we did it!! It was a close shave. But we did it! We go back to the paddock. My
parents come back ... oily (the oil filter was unscrewed despite the wire). Their outfit is cleaned
and oil is refilled. My engine is changed during the afternoon in time before the second race.
Thanks God, there was a lot of delay because of 3 starts for the 1000 class race.
So, we start our race very late, but we start. This time, we jump ahead and we gain
ground behind Gérard and Françoise (some good friends) ahead of us. We are just fol-lowing them and, who is standing alongside the track at the same place as this morning?
My parents, waving their arms, encouraging me. Their engine didn’t like the loss of oil this morning.

Next lap, I’m flat out in the long straight and the machine feels like to throw me in
the kitty sand. I have to pull hard the handlebars, expecting that Lolo is always there! Flat
out again. The brakes now! And the machine tacks from port to starboard. Impossible to
drive straight on. Now, Gérard and Françoise are gone away and, me, I’m furious and I shout
inside my helmet : “MERDE (in French), not now Kiki (it’s the name of my sidecar), don’t drop
us, we can follow them, the engine is running so well, not now!” decided not to abandon
because of mechanical vagaries. But, it’s the only solution, instead of driving off the track !

So, we finish our lap, slowly, to the pits. The front tyre got a puncture, and we watch
the other teams finishing their race... I have to accept this kind of trouble.

At last, I spent a wonderful weekend. I discovered plenty full of things so rewarding. And I send a cheerful thank you to all those who encourage me, to Lolo who came from so far away (Spain). And a big bravo to the marshals because, despite the rain, the wind, the snow (?), they are present.

Despite her youth, Estelle has ridden 125 Aprilia and Guzzi machines, but her dream
is to ride the Voxan Café Racer. Still a student, Steloune [her nickname] has already competed
at Ledenon, Albi and Magny Cours circuits, with her fondest memory, the half point
she gained at the latter in a French Championship race. For her first meeting, at Ledenon, for
which she failed to qualify [her biggest disappointment to date] her passenger was Florence
Sec. What of sponsorship?....La Vinsobraise, the Cote du Rhone cellar where her Dad works.
What ambitions for our young Led Zeppelin and Sting fan?.... to win the French Sidecar Championship and to race at the TT? Why the TT?...because the TT is the most beautiful race in the world.

We thank Estelle for ‘talking’ to us and wish her every success in the future.