Alain Michel (motorcyclist)
Alain Michel (born 23 February 1953) in Montelimar is a French sidecar racer and motorcycle preparer. He is the only French World Sidecar Champion.
The career of Alain Michel began on 2 wheels 1972. He also won this year's Cup Four Seasons category on a Honda 450 and finished in second place in the championship of France 500 national.
Considering this experience as inconclusive, he embarked on three wheels 1975 and in 1976 began to a career Grand Prix category sidecar in which he obtained some good results.
His first Grand Prix victory, he won in France at Paul Ricard in 1977, with Gérard Lecorre as a passenger. That year would be marked by a classic race in the rain at Silverstone (England) but would result in abandonment. They finished 5th in the World Championship.
In 1978, the team ended runner-up in the world with its new passenger Stuart Collins earned after two victories.
1979 a new "monkey" took place in the basket; Michael Burkhard. The crew had two victories at Mans and Assen and a 4th-place finish in the World Championship.
In 1980, 1981 and 1982 the crew won four victories, many podiums and finished respectively 2, 3 and 4 in the championships those years.
1984 with Jean-Marc Fresc in the "basket" and still the 3rd position in the world at the end of the season before having a "catastrophic" season 1985.
In 1986 Michel and Fresc struggled all season against the crew of Streuer and Schnieders. A 5th place at Hockenheim (Germany) because of a loose headphone lost the crew valuable points for the championship final, they would be perfectly equal on the number of points. But thanks to 5 wins against 2 to the French crew, it is the Dutch team that are world champions.
Undeterred, Alain Michel and Jean-Marc Fresc went on to fight in 1987 with 5 podiums in 1988 still 4th with 2 podiums, then 1989 3rd in the championship with three podiums.
In 1990 it is the dedication with his passenger Simon Birchall and the title of world champion sidecar, won on a LCR-Krauser.
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