“We do it with colleagues and, after three rounds, we're left behind”: good humor at the Mob Festival in Gard

This Saturday, June 8, the end of the day is marked, during this event organized in Salindres, a town located in the north of the department, near Alès, by an endurance race of & quot;grindstones". Preparations, originality and a beautiful show are there.

The Mob Festival in Salindres, a town in Gard near Alès, is renowned for its endurance race. It’s "good child", says Bernard Ganozzi, the president of the Salindres-Rousson Moto Club, which organizes this event. Even if, obviously, "some come to win".

A circuit of 1 300 meters, created in a field

This Saturday, June 8, for the 2024 opus, some are already hungry at 4 p.m., during the warm-up laps. While “mills”, scooters and other prepared two-wheelers turn on the 1,300-meter circuit, created in the field next to the gendarmerie, Médérick Michaud stands next to his “beast”. With his buddies Hervé Solignac and Geoffroy Devèze, he who has been taking up the gauntlet in Salindres for fifteen years is getting into condition for three hours of racing. “We did ten races with this one. Basically, it's a Peugeot 103 SP. With a lot of modifications! Everywhere…", he smiles. "We make improvements every year." This weekend, the trio of drivers from Alès arrived with a new ignition and "a bigger engine". For the win ? Not really, laughs Médérick Michaud : "We do it among colleagues and, after three laps, we're behind. We're not going to see the results at the end…"

More participants than last year

Alongside them, nearly fifty crews are expected on the starting line. "That's more than last year ; there had been 36", rejoices Bernard Ganozzi. The president then looks at the field, marked by the weather of recent weeks. "The grass is tall, and it’s soft underneath. It's going to get ruts…"

Everything comes together for a nice show

In the paddocks, meanwhile, all the teams are preparing. They are sometimes in costume. In short, everything comes together to make the show fun.

It’s finally 5 p.m. The start is given. It backfires in all directions. And the show is indeed there. With a few bowls as a bonus! The public, on the edge of the meadow behind the barriers, does not miss a single thing.

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