Johan Van Damme, St-Gillis Dendermonde Winner 1° Nat Brive with wonder pigeon ‘Locco’! FULL REPORT

The weekend of 29-30th of May was the opener of the national long distance season, with the traditional opening classic from Brive on the programme! The weather forecast was in sharp contrast to the weather picture of the previous weekend when the national Bourges was flown in very sunny weather with a light head wind. Now for Saturday good weather was predicted in the morning and swift advancing clouds and rain for the afternoon. Although the weather stations could not agree on how late the clouds and rain would enter our country. The English ‘Reading’ and ‘Meteo France’ forecasted the rain at around 5pm on the coast… whilst our own VTM forecast the rainclouds around midday. In the end the English and French weather stations were right and the middle distance races and the national Chateauroux could be completed in good racing weather. The pigeons from Brive… where they had to wait an hour longer to be liberated at 8u10… were confronted with the thickening clouds, although the ‘front pigeons’ remained dry… the first drops of rain fell during the further course of the race, followed later by the predicted downpour although by then the prizes had been divided.
Driven at the start by a light south to south-west wind, fanning later in the day… the pigeons achieved a speed of about 100 Km per hour. The Belgian Verstandhouding – Entente Belge counted 16.813 pigeons for Brive, a slight decline of just over 600 pigeons compared to last year 2009, possibly because this long distance classic had to compete with a national ‘grand middle distance race’ from Chateauroux. Although the real ‘long distance fancier’ will have probably chosen Brive!

Johan Van Damme laureate!
Winner was the ‘super crack LOCCO’ from Johan Van Damme from St.Gillis Dendermonde and was clocked at 15h02’13” from a distance of 682,633 Km which gave the highest velocity of 1656, 01 m/min. This pigeon hereby had a lead of almost 10 minutes on the 2° prize national which goes to Etienne De Vos from Deerlijk, Leon Vandenbergh from Londerzeel has third place in the provisional prognosis!
The best don’t always get what they deserve… yet in any case this Brive occurred ‘justly’! Because this ‘Locco’ isn’t just any old winner of Brive, quite the contrary… because without fear of exaggeration, or stepping on someone’s toes… we can honestly say that the ‘Best Long Distance pigeon’ in our country at the moment, has won the national opener of the long distance season from Brive… namely the wonder pigeon ‘LOCCO’ from Johan Van Damme!

‘Locco’ BE05-4333360
This super pigeon had already been flagged as  7° Nat. Ace pigeon Long Distance KBDB at the end of 2009… but he was also the ‘Best Long Distance pigeon’ of Belgium  in 2009, counted over 5 national long distance races (Brive-Cahors-Limoges-Souillac-Tulle), just in front of the now world famous ‘Eagle Eye’… you know, the pigeon in the international spotlight as the most expensive pigeon ever in the auction of Erik Limbourg on the 5th of December 2009, where he was bought for a shoddy 132.000 € by Marc De Cock from Temse.

This ‘Locco’ is a son of the ‘Bob’ BE04-4375514, brother of star racer ‘Tom’ (coming self out a ‘grandson 1° Nat Ace pigeon ’91 and Olympiad pigeon by Karel Hufkens: the ‘Stock father Hufkens 879/95’ by Johan Van Damme x ‘Blue 699/02’ De Rauw-Sablon, inbred to the ‘Dream Couple’) x ‘Anna’ BE04-4375970 (daughter of super breeder the ‘Bourges 008/00’ x ‘Granddaughter Limoges 700/02’ De Rauw-Sablon. The ‘Bourges 008/00’ won self 1° Bourges 336 p., 5° La Souterraine 349 p., 7° La Souterraine 858 p., 7° Noyon 1.124 p., 10° Dourdan 367 p., 11° Toury 385 p… etc.). ‘Locco’ is then a 50% De Rauw-Sablon pigeon with 3 x the ‘Dream couple’ or the ‘Ace pigeon blood’ in the veins… and as the saying goes: the cream always comes to the top… and here the enormous ‘class’ came straight to the surface! Once again that ‘golden’ De Rauw-Sablon blood lies at the basis of ‘national success’! Take a look at the staggering honours list of this giant of a ‘super crack’:
In 2010:
Blois       FCD       608 p. 82
Brive      Nat    16.813 p. 1

In 2009:
Best Long Distance pigeon of Belgium over 5 national races
3° Prov Ace pigeon Long Distance KBDB ‘09
3° Nat Ace pigeon ‘Entente Belge’ 2009
7° Nat. Ace pigeon Long Distance KBDB ‘09
1° Ace pigeon Long Distance FCD ‘09

Brive       Club       252 p. 1
            Zone B 4.800 p. 4
            Nat    17.456 p. 138
Cahors      Club       111 p. 2
            Zone B 2.141 p. 28
            Nat     7.347 p. 113
Limoges     Club       245 p. 1
            FCD       945 p. 1
            Zone B 4.331 p. 11
            Nat    11.869 p. 41
Souillac    Club       169 p. 1
            Zone B 2.601 p. 42
            Nat     7.597 p. 96
Tulle       Club       113 p. 4
            Zone B 1.689 p. 27
            Nat     5.676 p. 179

In 2008:

Blois       FCD       519 p. 1
            Prov    2.710 p. 70
Chateauroux Club       190 p. 3
            Prov    3.491 p. 44
Poitiers    Prov    2.571 p. 576
Blois 06/7 FCD       269 p. 8
            Prov    1.069 p. 60
Blois19/7   Prov      821 p. 64
Bourges     Club        84 p. 1
            FCD       621 p. 2
            Zone B 4.282 p. 7
            Nat    11.875 p. 37
Vierzon     FCD       182 p. 4
            Prov      679 p. 10
Argenton    FCD       214 p. 36
Tours       FCD       104 p. 19

In 2006:

Blois Oude FCD       183 p. 3
            Prov    1.127 p. 21
Blois YL    FCD       221 p. 4
            Prov    1.245 p. 18
Vierzon     FCD       172 p. 38
Argenton    FCD       566 p. 52
In 2005:
Argenton    Prov    4.303 p. 647
Bourges     Zone B 13.050 p. 2630

He further won from Dourdan 419 p. 4, 233 p. 4, 353 p. 6, 216 p. 6, 209 p. 5, 924 p. 11, 258 p. 14 etc…
This ‘LOCCO’ has not only proved that he is a real natural talent in the racing lofts of Johan Van Damme, because he is also looking very promising for breeding, he is
• father of the 1° Intprov Chateauroux 4.793 p. by De Groote-Delapierre from Kluisbergen
• father of the 15° Prov Ace pigeon Middle Distance Youngsters KBDB 2009
‘Daughter Locco’ B09-4017023
So as her name says, a direct daughter of super crack ‘Locco 360/05’ x ‘Blue Princess 696/02’, a direct De Rauw-Sablon (out the top breeding couple ‘Kastaar 541/99’, full brother of the ‘Dromer’… x ‘Aline 958/96’, a daughter ‘Dream Couple’!). This ‘Daughter Locco’ performed the following in 2009:
15° Prov Ace pigeon Middle Distance Youngsters KBDB E-Fl ‘09
Angerville      176 p. 1
Angerville      133 p. 5
Angerville      531 p. 10
Angerville      772 p. 15
Ecouen          721 p. 19
For those who still doubt that ‘Crack pigeons’ come out ‘crack pigeons… and ‘Ace pigeons’ out ‘Ace pigeons’… this wondrous ‘Locco’ is once again living proof’!

Johan has thought long and hard as to whether he should keep his ‘Locco’ in his racing team for 2010, or if should give him his well-earned place in the breeding loft. Yet it started itching inside and Johan dreamt of… being the ‘pigeon racer’ in heart and soul that he is… of being able to leave for Poland with ‘Locco’ as ‘Olympiad pigeon’! In preparation for his Brive victory, he was given an ‘easy programme’, being 2 x Quiévrain, and 2 x Noyon as trainings races. Because of the negative weather forecasts for the weekend of the 1st of May, Johan kept him at home… apprehensive as he was, of losing his super pigeon in a disaster race. After a week’s rest he went from Noyon, on the 9th of May straight to Blois… followed by 3 week’s rest and then victory from Brive! Probably his very last race… although Johan has not yet decided what he is going to do with his ‘wonder boy’. He is dying to basket him once again… to ‘stunt’ one more time…  because he is only 1 top performance away of possibly attaining ‘Olympiad pigeon’… on the other hand there are enormous amounts being offered to obtain this pigeon… and the most obvious is that Johan will keep him for his own breeding loft!
From almost ‘anonymity’ to ‘national fame’!

The colony of Johan Van Damme has managed to get into the headlines quite a few times over the last few seasons. Whoever looks at the honours list of his super pigeon ‘Locco’, can’t do anything else but observe that with this pigeon Brive had a rightful and ‘more than deserving’ winner! Certainly when you know that Johan Van Damme is not a man of ‘many pigeons’, quite the contrary. No-one will argue with us when we say that here a ‘smaller fancier’ (in numbers) has walked off with the highest honour… and rightfully so! Johan is not a man striving for success with a ‘mass’, but rather strives for the nationals with the ‘small basket’, usually with 2 to no more than 4 old birds! Admittedly, these people often don’t get the media attention that they deserve, and one stunt or another… prominent championship title… or important victory is necessary, before they come into the (inter)national viewer, or enjoy press interest! Although there was no shortage of sensational performances by the colony of Johan Van Damme, because…
• In the period 2005-2009  Johan Van Damme achieved 104 x 1° Prizes
• between 2005 and 2009 he classified no less than 42 pigeons in the Prov. Championships KBDB E-Fl… which at the end of 2009 finally resulted in the winning of the most  prominent title in his honours list up until now, that of ‘General Provincial Champion KBDB East-Flanders 2009’!

His brand new ‘national victory’ is anything but coincidence!  When you also know that Johan already lies at the basis of many successes in other lofts, then these figures mean so much more! So is the mother of the now world famous ‘Chipo’ from Benny Steveninck, a direct Johan Van Damme… as a result of which he lies at the basis of the winning of the 1° National Limoges Yearlings 2009 by Benny Steveninck (Son ‘Brother Chipo’)… as the 1° National Limoges Old birds 2009 by Luc, Bart & Jurgen Geerinckx (mother is a ‘daughter Chipo’ Steveninck). The Apple didn’t fall far from the legendary ‘tree’ here then… winners always come out winners’!

His loft consistency is built up for 50% with pigeons from De Rauw-Sablon… and in ‘Frans Sablon’ he has also found an ideal ‘adviser’… who is ready and waiting to help when necessary… especially in orienting his colony more and more towards provincial ‘grand middle distance’ and Long Distance! Something which has immediately borne fruit. Johan is really a ‘pigeon animal’… some-one, who lives for his pigeons, is prepared to do anything to be successful in the pigeon sport… to achieve the maximum from his pigeons! This ‘national victory’ from Brive is then also a more than deserving reward for his dedication to his pigeons! Johan sounded quite laconic, but ironical on the Telephone when he told us… ‘Locco has left me with a pretty damned stickler… if only he had waited until Limoges or Souillac to perform this stunt… now I have no choice but to stop racing him!’ It typifies Johan as a real ‘pigeon racer’, who has to stop racing his best pigeon with pain in his heart! Johan had clearly planned things differently… but ‘Locco’ evidently had the last word, as if he wanted to make it clear to his boss… mister, enough is enough!
A ‘hearty congratulations’ to the always sympathetic Johan and Sara with this magnificent national victory with their wonder pigeon ‘Locco’!

P.S. in the month of February we made a detailed report over the colony of Johan Van Damme. You can find everything concerning his racing method, stock building and sensational performances from the last few seasons.