Russian Motorcycle Racers Carry Sochi Olympic Torch

A pair of Russian motocross racers took part in the Olympic torch relay this week, carrying the Olympic flame on their motorcycles on its way to Sochi.

On Dec. 15, Russian sidecarcross racer Evgeny Scherbinin (pictured above) carried the torch into Kamensk-Uralsky, an industrial city described as the birthplace of motorcycling in the region. Scherbinin is usually the rider in competition, but this time he stood in the sidecar while by his father Sergei Shcherbinin brought him into town.

Kamensk-Uralsky is about 140 miles southwest of Irbit, home of sidecar manufacturer Ural, but Scherbinin rode on a sidecarcross racebike. Evgeny Scherbinin raced for several seasons, finishing in the top ten of the Sidecarcross World Championship five times including second overall in 2006. His father Sergei was also a racer in the ’70s, racing in the Sidecarcross European Cup.

A few days later, Alexander Platonov, motorsport director and 15-time Russian cross country champion took his turn, carrying the flame on a motorcycle through Chelyabinsk.

[Source: Sochi2014.com]

By Dennis Chung