Despite the deaths of a brother and prospective father-in-law as well as a near-fatal accident, John

Easdown and James

Chambers are determined the dangers of high-speed sidecar racing will not

prevent them from being champions, as Gordon Law discovered.

An Orpington-based sidecar racing team is hoping to overcome a near-fatal crash at the end of last season by winning this year's British Champion-ship.

Image Racing's John Easdown and James Chambers were preparing for a two-day meeting at Cadwell Park when, during a qualifying session, a piece of debris hit a wheel and their machine somersaulted off the track.

John had five stitches in a neck wound and three days off work, while the sidecar was was completely broken in half by the impact of the crash.

That ended the season for the team, but despite that horrific crash, the pair are ready to start what promises to be another enthralling year.

John, who drives, said: "James, my passenger, sustained severe concussion and kept drifting in and out of consciousness. But we remembered little of what really happened.

"All I recall was hearing a loud bang and then the next thing I was being stretchered out of an ambulance and into hospital.

"One of the paramedics at the crash-scene said James was spinning in the air like a top. He said he didn't think we'd be alive and that we were very lucky to have survived.

"My girlfriend's dad was killed on the same circuit about 15 years ago. It's not a forgiving circuit because if you make a mistake, you've had it.

"But I take the view that very many people are killed on the roads each day, so it's no different on the racetrack. But someone was definitely looking down on us that day."

However, James's story is an even more remarkable.

He and his brother Ewan raced a sidecar the season before until his brother was killed while on his bike out on the roads. Despite that tragic fatality, they had amassed enough points to finish second in the champ-ionship.

Undeterred, James vowed to continue racing and said: "My parents supported me and my brother in our racing and wanted me to get back out there. It's something Ewan would have wanted me to do.

"After the accident at Cadwell Park, I thought someone was trying to tell me something.

"John wants to miss the meeting at Cadwell Park next season as he feels it's a bad omen, but it will also be a good thing to have a rest midway through the season.

"The way the point-scoring works in the championship is that you drop your two worst results so, hopefully, missing Cadwell will not hinder our title challenge.

"When we had the accident, I heard the tyre burst and we went flying into a tyre-wall. Prior to that, we were in third place and went onto to finish runners-up in the title.

"We were very pleased with our podium position and next season we believe we are well capable of overhauling the reigning champion. We're certainly very confident of

winning, it's as simple as that."

Sidecar racing is considered one of the most exhilarating forms of motor sports and is the only one which

requires two people to react as one

to control the machine.

The modern sidecar looks nothing like the old-fashioned types and is more like a three-wheeled bobsleigh.

The driver is almost lying in the machine and has complete control over acceleration and braking, while the passenger, by moving his body from one side of the machine to the other, helps control handling and

stability at speeds that reach 170mph.

John added: "Sidecars are pure-bred with regulations for Formula 1 machines allowing the use of specialist materials and components.

"As a result, the chassis is made of carbon fibre and ours was designed by Terry Windle in conjunction with Arrows' F1 racing team."

Arrows are the leading company for carbon-fibre chassis and Terry has been building chassis since 1972. He is regarded as one of the best in Europe and the championship has been won by using one of Terry's chassis in each of the last four years.

Image Racing team spokesman Dave Morgan said: "The braking system uses AP racing brake callipers and vented discs, and the two-piece bodywork is aerodynamically tested to reduce wind resistance and also provides a large advertising area

for sponsors.

"The complete machine, including driver and passenger, only weighs 360-kilogrammes and with an expected power output of 170bhp from the 1000cc Yamaha R1 engines, which

we use, the acceleration and perform-ance from these F1 sidecar outfits is incredible, especially when driver and passenger are little more than four inches from the track surface.

"John Easdown has been involved in various forms of motorsport since childhood and sidecar racing for the last eight years, winning two championships.

"James Chambers has been racing since 1988 and has proved to be

an exceptional addition since joining Image

Racing for the 2001

season."

Roger Easdown, Image Racing's team manager and father of John, is an engineer reknowned and respected by the world's best sidecar teams and prepares and maintains engines, chassis and braking systems to the highest possible standards.

The team will be competing in the British Motorcycle Racing Club

series and also the ACU/MRO 2002 Championship, which is run in association with Sky TV and is a joint venture between two of Britain's largest motorsports clubs, the British Racing & Sports Club and BMCRC.

John added: "We had five races last season and came fourth in one competition and seventh in the other

before the crash.

"We have the ability to do it. The people around us are tremendous and I know we can win I'd even put money on it!"

The championships are designed

to give riders and teams a creditable platform to refine their skills before moving up to the challenge of world-level events.

With the support of team members, and sponsors, Image Racing believes it has the talent and potential to succeed at the highest level, and should any company or individual want to sponsor them for the 2002 season, various packages are available.

The team can arrange corporate days, where logos can be put on T-shirts, vans, programmes and, of course, the sidecar. Call Roger on 01689 857581 for more information.

December 31, 2001 09:30