BAR2 - Lot 37

BAR2 JOE BAR TEAM Volume 1, Vents d'Ouest, 1990 Continental Circus and paneling, original plate no. 18, prepublished in Moto Journal 1989-1990. Signed. India ink and white gouache on paper 28.2 × 35.2 cm (11.1 × 13.86 in.) What's special about this plate is that, even more than some others, it seems to be aimed above all at experienced motorcyclists. Or, to be more precise, connoisseurs of racing. So that the laymen who read this gag can fully appreciate it, perhaps it would be a good idea for the author to tell us what the term "Continental circus" means, and what that strange black sign brandished by the cafe owner is for. "Continental Circus was the colloquial (and English) term once used to designate the world motorcycling championship. A championship which, for a long time, was almost exclusively contested on European circuits. As for the big black sign, its function is simply to tell the rider on the track everything he needs to know: the time he's just set, his position in the race, the number of laps remaining, etc. And it's obviously only used on the racetrack. And of course it's only used in official competition, which is not the case here. In fact, so little is the case that Joe doesn't quite understand why the two police officers felt it necessary to come and worry him."