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Amherstburg man part of championship team at off-road motorcycling race

Jeff Pillon (above left) was part of a championship Canadian team at the ISDE race in Spain recently. He is pictured with teammates Guy Giroux and Mark Cahill.
Jeff Pillon (above left) was part of a championship Canadian team at the ISDE race in Spain recently. He is pictured with teammates Guy Giroux and Mark Cahill.

A local man was part of a Canadian team that took first place in one of the categories at an international off-road motorcycling race.


Jeff Pillon of Amherstburg competed on the Canadian team that took home the championship in the vet club category of the ISDE race held in Spain. It was a six-day event and his team made a little bit of history in the process, as Pillon said it was the first Canadian team to win at the event in 98 years.


The enduro race saw the riders go 250-350 kilometres each of the first five days, with the last day being more of a motocross race, he explanted. Pillon said riders have to work on the bikes themselves, noting there are rules as to who and how long riders can work on them during a race.


The ISDE Spain race drew riders from all over the world.


“This was a really big event,” said Pillon. “Over 600 riders in over 30 categories were there.”


Pillon said he got into motocross racing at age 27.


“I was a little late getting into it,” he said.


As part of the ISDE’s website, it lists the history as, in part: “More than a century ago, in 1913, the most exciting and venerable of off-road motorcycling events was born. We know it as the International Six Days of Enduro and its story is still unfolding today. The British launched the idea of a contest known as the Silver Vase for teams consisting of three riders who had to use bikes manufactured in their own countries. Later on, the World Trophy was introduced. This Trophy was competed for by groups of four riders and, unlike the Silver Vase, the riders were allowed to ride motorcycles from anywhere in the world.


“The World Trophy marked the beginning of a new era characterised by British domination. The Trophy was won by the same delegation sixteen times! However, in the Silver Vase, it was Czechoslovakia that was completely unrivalled. They set a record of seventeen victories that is still unbeaten. For three successive decades, the 50s, 60s and 70s, Eastern Europe led the field with Eastern Germany and Czechoslovakia in the vanguard. However, from the early 80s, when the name of the event was changed from International Six Days of Trials to International Six Days of Enduro, Italy and Sweden became the strongest nations, battling it out for the next fifteen years.”


Pillon said he plans to do a rally race next year in the United States. He has raced and won in the U.S. before but this is a different style of race that he wants to do next September.


Pillon had his daughter Kaitlyn with him in Spain for the ISDE race and she helped him but other Canadian riders as well.


“It was extremely special to have her by my side,” said Pillon. 


Pillon added “it was exciting to ride with the top riders in the world. It was quite an honour.”

Amherstburg man part of championship team at off-road motorcycling race

By Ron Giofu

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