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This year for a change the advanced
party set up an Officers Mess in a converted barn South of Le Mans. It
was a great base for sorting out the logistics, and a remote spot where
we could relax in the countryside. In fact we could have spent the week
there, but for some sort of race thing up the road..
The chateau was perfectly equipped
with an outside stores area for the bikes!
The weather was a pain - heavy
showers aren't a usual part of Sarthe in June. A 5 minute trip in the
jeep turns out into a hypothermia inducing shower.
Baldrick takes his Chopper
maintenance very seriously - we had a spare machine this year, something
that proved invaluable.
The bikes after a day of race
preparation. Our new machine (Black Six) had an electronic siren fitted!
Sadly though we had to retrain our
pilots on them, so they didn't stay in newly restored condition for very
long. Seen here Flt Lt Disco gets his head down and attempts to overcome
high speed wobbles that can cause nasty accidents on Mk 2 Choppers.
Really nice countryside, but a bit
hilly on a Chopper!
Although the locals didn't quite
get understand what Beermountain was all about, we had some great times
- and some excellent food.
Swiss found some interesting cars
en route too.
It took Toad a day or so to sort
out the kit and set up the Squadron Quartermaster's store.
Our jeep - quite simply nothing
better exists to potter around the countryside in.
We had a meal outside every evening
despite the weather - and a good sing along!
The road home is always fun, and we
explored the D Day beaches for a few hours before the obligatory meal in
Ouistream - this year we stopped in Falaise as well as Bayeux and along
the coast back to Caen.
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