Nicol Sidecar Rally
HMCCQ Don Nicol Memorial Sidecar Circus
In any club there are people whose dedication and passion for their club enables us to enjoy what we do today. Sometimes unfortunately those people are no longer with us and it is necessary to remind ourselves of how much they achieved, and to also let those who never met them understand the importance of their contribution. This was the gist of Richard Speck’s eloquent summary of the impact of Don Nicol to the Pine Rivers Area. Subsequently the Sidecar Circus is held each year in his memory at the Clubhouse he fought for ten years to get, but sadly never saw. The third running of the Don Nicol Memorial Sidecar Circus was held in the most beautiful crisp, sunny weather just perfect for motorcycling. As a non-sidecar rider I had asked Laurie Godde what made a good route for sidecars – “flat roads” was the swift reply, and that was the course that he set for the rally. 15 sidecars made the run, with at least 6 different marques propelling them to my counting. We asked for marshals to let the sidecar riders enjoy the day and got more than we could wish for, led out by another stalwart of the Club, Billy Cochran. Everyone returned safely to the Clubhouse without bothering Rob Patrick with the back-up trailer. All in all, a great day of enjoying what we do in beautiful Queensland. A free barbeque lunch was provided at the end of the ride to recognize and pass on the contribution made by those special individuals to the Club.