British 500cc Moto-Cross
BRITISH 500cc MOTO-CROSS
B. R. NICHOLLS
THE BRITISH ROUND of the 500cc motocross championship was held as usual at Hawkstone Park near Shrewsbury. In dry weather the one-and-a-half-mile course, with its terrifying three in one hillclimb, sandpit and bumpy undulations, can be very dusty, but this year there was sufficient overnight rain to make both riding and spectating conditions almost ideal. It was ironic that the best race of the day was a qualifying heat for one of the supporting races. In this, BSA works rider John Harris on a 340cc BSA was narrowly beaten by 498cc Matchless-mounted Dave Curtis, who had recently come out of retirement. He rode with all the old fire and enthusiasm that won for him the main races at the same meeting two years ago, so it looks as if Dave is going to prove a valuable asset to the A.M.C. concern. At present the works team consists of three youngsters, Horsfield, Nicoll and Eastwood: the
knowledge this trio can gain from Curtis’ experience could make them the strongest post-war team of any manufacturer.
After the first supporting race final came the first of the two 12-lap events that decide the winners of each championship round. Points are awarded in ascending order of finishing, the rider with the lowest total being the winner, and any ties are resolved by the time factor. The setting this year was perfect, with good weather, the flags of all competing nations fluttering in a slight breeze and a championship-winning brass band present to play the national anthem of the riders’ home country as they paraded before the first race. After the ceremonial, 23 riders from 10 nations, including Ray McCarty of Seattle wearing a “Stars and Stripes”
vest, lined up for the first race. With a clutch start the roar burst as the elastic starting gate flicked back and John Burton (499cc BSA) led a bunch of 5 British riders into the first lap. Tibblin was downfield in 9th spot. After 2 laps Burton lost ground with ignition trouble and Don Rickman (498cc Matchless Metisse) took over but only for three laps for then Jeff Smith (420cc B^A) blasted his way to the front to take a lead he held throughout the race. Meanwhile Tibblin had been fighting his Husqvarna through the field and took 2nd place when Rickman’s timing slipped. The battle for 3rd place was being fought by Arthur Lampkin (420cc BSA) and Don Rickman’s brother Derek (498cc Matchless Metisse) and that was the finishing order, followed by the Matchless teamsters Eastwood and Horsfield. The pace had been hot and machine mortality high, the worst being to the Husqvarna of young Jan Liljedahl, a Swedish rider who crashed and bent the frame and forks of his machine. Eager helpers with staves and crowbars straightened it for the second race in which he finished 8th, riding with a style and dash that gave him a champion’s look.
The start of the second race saw 5 British riders again out front, but Burton had his forks seize and he went over the bars and into retirement. Sweden’s Per Olaf Persson lost 6th place with mechanical trouble and this let in Tibblin, who had made a bad start. Then he fell and choked his carburetor with sand so, for the first time this year, Rolf Tibblin failed to score championship points. By the 5th lap, Don Rickman was way out in front with Smith content to hold 2nd place, knowing that if he held it he would be the over-all
winner. Then for 4 laps a real ding-dong went on for 3rd place between Lampkin, Derek Rickman and Matchless-mounted Mogens Rasmussen from Denmark. Then Rasmussen dropped back but maintained 5th spot to have his best ride of the season. Behind him came Walter Baeten of Belgium, brother of a previous champion, and he was riding a bored-out Jawa two-stroke. Ray McCarty was handicapped by having to use an old BSA engine in his Lito frame as his race motor was being repaired, but finished 13th overall whilst Canadian Gunter Sauren on a 499cc BSA was 11th. Smith’s win gives him 2nd place in the championship as Lundin did not go to Hawkstone, a circuit for which he has a pronounced dislike. Lampkin moves into 5th place and with 3 more meetings to be held will surely take over 4th position from the luckless Bill Nilsson who, as reported earlier, has broken a leg. It is still possible for Smith to win the title if Tibblin fails to finish higher than 2nd in the remaining fixtures and provided Smith wins all three — a tall order but not impossible in the chancey world of motocross. •
CHAMPIONSHIP TABLE (Nine meetings held; best 7 performances count) 1. R. Tibblin, Husqvarna .... .............. 48 2. J. V. Smith. BSA __________ 37 3. S. Lundin, Lito ........... 36 4. B. Nilsson. Bilsson ............. 17 5. A. J. Lampkin, BSA ...... 16 6. P. 0. Persson, Husqvarna .......... 11 BRITISH ROUND RESULTS 1. J. V. Smith, BSA ___________ 8 2. A. J. Lampkin, BSA __________ 6 3. D. E. Rickman, Metisse _________ 4 4. M. Rasmussen, Matchless _____ 3 5. C. Horsfield, Matchless ..................... 2 6. W. Baeten, Jawa _________ 1
