BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

03-07-2005

Celebrating a fine piece of Soviet engineering

Start your engines: Competitors prepare for the daunting yet silly Comrade Struggle, an event requiring passengers to pick up an inner tube with their feet while being steered towards a pole upon which the tube must be successfully placed. Sounds easier said than done. - VNS Photo Sam Wiseman

by Sam Wiseman

Over the weekend of June 18-19, any unfortunate tourists who chose to spend a couple of quiet days relaxing at the Thac Da resort, 60km west of Ha Noi, were surprised to find the peace shattered by an invasion of a veritable army of motorbikers who descended upon the mountain retreat for the third annual Minsk Olympics: two days of beer guzzling, dancing and bizarre competitive events, all to honour a seemingly innocuous example of Soviet transportation.

For a mere VND350,000 per person, Ha Noi's Minsk Club had arranged accommodation, DJs, live music, plenty of food, and - most dangerously - unlimited beer supplies, all in the beautiful surroundings of the ecotourism resort, nestled amongst the foothills of Ba Vi mountain. As the encouragement of heavy drinking the night before events suggests, the contest's name is tongue-in-cheek; a point further emphasised by the fact that the "olympics" consists of only two rather silly events, and by the inability of one "athlete" to even arrive at the resort without avoiding a low-speed altercation with a cow.

The popularity of the Minsk amongst Ha Noi's expats is one of the many anachronisms evident in modern Viet Nam. Manufactured since 1939 in the Belarus capital from which they take their name, these brutish yet endearing examples of Soviet engineering typify the resourcefulness and defiance of the Soviet Union in the Cold War era; yet they are also the vehicle of choice amongst the capital's resident representatives of the world's most advanced capitalist nations. Add to this the fact that these clattering, smoke-belching hulks are being driven around by the very people who often express concern about Southeast Asia's carefree attitude towards pollution and climate change, and you appear to have a real riddle on you hands.

The answer, however, is straightforward. Minsks are undeniably great machines. Incredibly cheap (a mint condition bike will set you back around US$500), reliable, and easy to fix, the vehicles are a demonstration of the beauty inherent in pragmatic, simple engineering - a welcome antidote to the relentless appetite of modern manufacturers to adorn our transportation with patronising, unnecessary gadgets and flashy design. That is not to say, however, that the Minsk doesn't have aesthetic appeal. Quite the opposite, in fact: the bike's alluring simplicity is also reflected in the timeless design, and its visual potential is not lost on the Hanoians who choose to decorate their bikes with a variety of imaginative colour schemes and accessories.

The Minsk Olympics, of course, is the place to witness the impressive results of the love and affection lavished by their owners on these machines, and some of the vehicles present could even be described as elegant, although there is something contradictory about using such terms to describe a motorbike which derives its essential appeal from refusing to bow down to the common pressure to put style before substance. This point was hit home nicely by the first event, a slalom obstacle course which saw the machines doing what they do best: taking a beating. Time and again riders were unceremoniously dismounted by the ditches, rocks and trees lying in their way, to be heralded with cheers by the amused onlookers, but the Minsks pressed on uncomplainingly - excepting one bizarre incident in which a competitor's seat fell off, perhaps the motorbiking equivalent of a horse throwing its rider.

If the prospect of a bunch of hungover, sunburnt expats competing in motorcycle events without helmets sounds a trifle irresponsible, it should be pointed out that the Minsk Club has ingeniously designed the events to discourage fast, reckless driving. The winner of the slalom course is the rider who manages to complete it in the slowest time possible, with ten seconds reduced for every time their feet touch the ground. This made for an interesting and skillful competition and significantly reduced the risk of injury - to my knowledge, nobody received more than a few cuts and bruises.

Similarly, the second event was mostly harmless fun, excepting the odd exhaust pipe burn. Dubbed "Comrade Struggle" in a nod to the Minsk's Soviet roots, it involved teams of two driving around a field, with passengers picking up tyres with their feet and then attempting to throw them onto a pole mounted on a stationary bike. Predictably, this soon descended into enjoyable anarchy, as tires flew in all directions and teams struggled around the bumpy field; but again, a calm and sensible approach was rewarded, since the most effective method of collecting and throwing the tyres required slow, steady driving and concentration. This event made for better spectator sport than the slalom contest, and the crowd gathered on a hill above the field cheered the teams on enthusiastically. After two heats, tension was (relatively) high for the final, which was predictably won by a founding member of the Minsk Club.

The award ceremony continued the lighthearted atmosphere of the weekend, substituting champagne for water and gold medals for a trophy made from a motorbike piston. Like the bikes themselves, the competition offered a refreshing respite from some of the pressures of modern society: nobody seemed to mind who won or lost, and silliness and fun were prioritised over skill and achievement.

"It's just great to get out into the countryside and mess around for a couple of days," said one competitor, before we began the sunbaked drive back to Ha Noi. "Its not like a typical motorbike competition, which would just be lots of macho guys showing off. Here the events are not really important. What's important is that we have fun."

Mission accomplished. - VNS

Source:

http://vietnamnews.vnagency.com.vn/showarticle.php?num=01SUN030705