Le Mondial de Quads
The Race

As a major event in the international world of quads, this unique competition is considered mandatory for all major teams worldwide.
Organized by AMPV (Motorbike Association of Pont-de-Vaux), it is staged by a small team of enthusiasts including the Maingret brothers, experts in bike races in the '60s and '70s, and now rally/raids. They even prepare the incredible Paris-to-Dakar Mitsubishi prototypes!
Les 12 Heures is a world championship-level endurance race for 80 European and American teams representing 15 countries--each team comprised of two or three riders. The 12-hour race is broken down into four rounds, one of which is at night. All rounds are started LeMans-style. When the flag is dropped, riders sprint across the track to their machines. Excitement builds as the 80 quads roar to life and scream towards the first turn. On the main straight, quads reach 100 mph!
Quads can be maintained and repaired only during the race. Between rounds they are locked in an impound area to prevent access.
The return : Euros versus the USA
The absence last year of the extraordinary American riding team of Ehrhardt/Eichner&endash;three-time winners&endash;allied to the formidable Philip Charles Racing, 350cc Yamaha Banshees opened the door to enthusiastic new competitors. After France's Gobert (also a three-time winner) and Bigault's victory on just a 250cc Honda, this year we expect a total confrontation on track, in the pits and in the workshops where the immaculate machines are currently under preparation.
Winning Pont-de-Vaux is a dream that every ATV team in the world wants to make a reality!

The Teams

Two engine manufacturers are competing for the #1 place on the podium: Honda and Yamaha. By combining the best prepared engines and chassis, the American and British teams have savored victories at Pont de Vaux in recent years.
After extensive modifications to each, the Honda single-cylinder two-stroke competes against the Yamaha twin-cylinder two-stroke. The Honda offers torque and reliability, while the Yamaha provides more actual power, but not necessarily more traction. Chassis and special mods are provided by the top US aftermarket companies. The riders are the best from the US championship&endash;all eager to test their skills against the challenges of Pont de Vaux On the European side, Phillips (Britain) and EML (Holland) build specific chassis for various engines between 250 and 680cc, usually KTM, and sometimes, in the case of Phillips, the Rotax 250 single-cylinder two-stroke. Custom-made machines are making a huge comeback with the huge twin-cylinder Cagiva 900s and Yamaha TDM850s. And guess what? There's even a Yamaha Warrior that competed in the Paris-to-Dakar in January!

PDV Quad Contest

New for 1998 at Pont de Vaux is an endurance race for stock quads (equipped with compulsory safety equipment) piloted by male or female individuals or teams of two riders. The class allows two- or four-strokes between 200 and 600cc, two- or four-wheel drive, with manual or automatic transmissions. The most important rule in this class: Have fun!

WBGO

Special thanks to Bill "WBGO" Lanphier, photographer, publisher of "ATV 4-Wheel Action", our spokesman for "Les 12 Heures" in the States.

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