International Six Days Trial Yankee, Go Home.

INTERNATIONAL SIX DAYS TRIAL Yankee, go home.

B. R. NICHOLLS

Part of the Sky Hill section. Bogged down are Steen (280), Kretz (295), Farmer (287), Green (300) and Cliff Coleman (298), all on Triumphs.

Two-HUNDRED AND NINETY-NINE starters, eighty-two finishers. Only eighteen gold medals awarded. All the American riders out by the end of the third day. Only one manufacturers team unpenalized. East Germany miles ahead in both the Trophy and Vase contests. All five BSA factory entries out with the same ignition fault, all the BMWs retired. Weather played havoc on that fateful third day accompanied by poor sportsmanship and bad machine preparation. But the most difficult course for years made the 1965 International Six Days trial one to be talked about for a long time.

First though, a little about the event before telling the story of this year's trial. The idea behind it started as far back as 1903 and from that date until 1912 was run as the A-C. U. six days trial. In 1913 the International Trophy was donated by the British industry and the event adopted the character that is basically the same today, maintaining set speed schedules over a variety of terrain and completing a speed test at the finish. However, this basic formula was not enough to sort out a team winner, so in 1960 a series of special tests were devised whereby riders could gain bonus points; thus, major awards would be decided in the field rather than at the speed test. These consist of timed cross country sections, hill climbs, acceleration and brake tests, all against the clock. Bonus points are awarded for performance up to a maximum of sixty but the method of determining each rider's tally can be difficult. In normal circumstances where there are five or more riders in one class, an average of the fastest three sets standard time. To get an individual's performance, his time is divided into standard time and multiplied by sixty. It is not necessary to go into the complications that arise where there are less than five in a class the readers will already have a good idea of how complicated life can be.

A Trophy team has six riders on three different capacities of machines, all to be manufactured in the country they represent. For a Silver Vase team two capacities must be represented by four riders, but two teams per country are allowed and there is no restriction on machinery the riders choose to ride. So countries compete on an international level for the Trophy and Vase awards while the individual aims for a gold medal which is gained by losing no marks and gaining at least 500 bonus points out of a maximum 600. A silver medal goes to all who lose between one and twenty-five marks and gain at least 300 bonus points; the bronze goes to all other finishers who gain one hundred bonus points.

The course runs about two hundred miles a day with as little on surfaced roads as possible. Speed schedules are worked out before the event, there being a fast schedule and a slow one which is not allowed to be more than a 25-percent reduction of the fast one; it was this rule that led to the mass fall-out on the third day. Many considered it impossible to run such a trial in the Isle of Man which measures a mere thirty miles by ten. Geoff Duke was clerk of the course and overcame the difficulty by having three routes of a little over one hundred miles each. One was in the north of the island, one in the middle and the other in the south. Each course in turn was done twice one way and twice the reverse way the following day. The exception came on the final day when only one loop was done — the second part of the day being devoted to the speed test over a three and a quarter-mile mixture of Clypse and T.T. courses. So much for the introductions; now for the bitter tales of woe that beset all countries except East Germany who alone finished the week with a complete Trophy and Vase "A" team.

The trial started badly for the American entries for they provided the only non-starter on the first morning when Lloyd Lingelbach had to play second fiddle to a flu bug. Then John Steen, who won a silver medal last year, lost twenty bonus points because his 500 Triumph would not start and cross a measured distance in the time allowed. He was in good company for the same happened to six other riders, including Alan Lampkin (BSA) of the British Vase "A" team. Not a good start to the first day which almost traditionally was being run on the slow schedule. Instructions on this point were given in four languages as was a large board by the parc ferme detailing the meaning of the various route signs, but somehow the Russian teamsters went rushing off into the blue on the fast schedule. Fortunately the weather was quite kind as it kept dry though overcast. However, the first test, a speed hill climb, soon had the organization stretched to the limit as wheel grip became less and less. Then to cap it all one rider lost a chain, completely blocking the narrow path; a thing like this always happens where the track is narrowest. The arrival of a couple of BMWs completed the chaos and resulted in many riders losing marks at the next time check.

Half-way through the first day, twentyone riders had retired, including Walt Axthelm who had drowned his Jawa in the river section near the Cornaa time check and Dick Vick (125 CZ) who crashed spectacularly when his front brake failed. He went through a hedge, over a ditch, hit a wire fence, bounced back into the ditch and was almost pinned under water by the bike which fell on him. The afternoon run contained no special tests, but again the Glen Auldyn section caused trouble, especially to the later numbers, with at one time Steen, Ed Kretz (650 Triumph), Mel Green (650 Triumph) and Cliff Coleman (650 Triumph) fighting for wheel grip. Then at the end of the day's run it was obvious that if the time check following the chaotic morning section was not ruled out, there would be a host of protests. In addition Dave Deyo (246 Greeves) had lost one mark for clocking in one second late at the same check because an official had caused Dave to stop in his hectic dash for the clock. Dave wisely put the wheels of protest in motion and subsequently regained a clean sheet when the international jury scrubbed that check from the results of the first day's run. As a result of this, Dave Ekins (500 Triumph) Nick Nicholson (250 Greeves), and Mike Patrick (250 Jawa) joined Bud Ekins (500 Triumph), Brian Slark (246 Greeves), Leroy Winters (90cc Honda) and Max Switzer (250 Greeves) to make eight Americans out of twenty starters still in with the chance of a gold medal. Chris Cox had a condenser fail on his Bultaco, making it three out of the running. Taking into account the scrubbed time check, Thorwaldson (175 CZ), Boehler, (246 Greeves), Richardson (650 Triumph), Kretz, Coleman and Green were still silver hunting, while Rogers (650 AJS), Steen and Penton (245 BMW), were on their way to a bronze.

Five Trophy teams were clean and in the following order, taking into account the bonus points earned: Great Britain, West Germany, East Germany, Czechoslovakia and Russia. Sweden had 29 points lost while both Spain and Poland had a rider retire meaning a hundred marks a day for the rest of the week. Twenty-eight riders retired or were excluded on time on the first day. Tuesday the weather was brighter with some sunshine. Nothing particularly bad about the day's run although visibility on the mountain was pretty poor. At Cornaa river crossing, Switzer drowned his Greeves and was busy drying it out when Ted Wassail, managing one of the Yankee Vase teams, urged him to push into the control four hundred yards away to clock in and retain his clean sheet. Sound advice indeed, especially as his parting shot was, "Shove it in second and see if it goes." It did, so at the end of the second day Switzer, Winters, Deyo, Slark, Nicholson, Patrick and the Ekins brothers were still on the gold standard. Steen had retired with severe chest pains as had Kretz, following a crash when he damaged the forks of his machine and did his own ribs no good. Thorwaldson lost marks that put him down to the bronze, Green lost one mark but was still running for a silver, while Coleman, Richardson, Rogers, Penton and Boehler had a clear day's run. In all, seventeen retired during the day including Rolf Tibblin (360 CZ) who smashed up the front end of his machine avoiding a child who ran into the road. His departure, unhurt, was welcomed by many, for he was a "spoiler" put in to cut down the bonus points which could be earned by riders in the top capacity class. His moto-cross ability enabled him to set very fast times in special cross country and hill climb sections, thus reducing the points earned by lesser riders. In the event of bonus points deciding the Trophy, it could have a bearing on the result. This year, bonus points did not matter on the destination of the Trophv but at the time of Tibblin's retirement this fact was not known.

The Swedish and West German Trophy teams both met disaster when they each lost a rider. Arthur Lampkin (BSA) forfeited twenty bonus points when he clobbered a timing clock at an acceleration and brake test, which meant at the end of the dav that East Germany took the lead with 1047.72 bonus points to the British score of 1031.33; the Czechs were third and Russia fourth, all four teams having dropped no marks. But now the Sundav school treat was over. Everyone knew that the Wednesday route was to be really tough. It was designed so the Trophy could be won without resorting to the bonus point system, so that a gold medal would be worth winning. It was a superb course, nearly every rider questioned on this point said the same thing, but there was utter chaos and wholesale retirements because the slow speed schedule imposed was not slow enough for the diabolical conditions brought about by continual rain and thick mist which, on the mountain sections, reduced visibility to under ten yards in places.

Two hundred and twenty-five riders faced the starter on that fateful morning. At the end of the day only 124 were left in with the miserable thought of having the same thing in reverse the following day. Only thirty-three were left with the chance of a gold. "Another day like this and everyone will be out," said Walter Kaaden, the East German team manager. But he could afford to feel pleased, though expressing anger, for his Trophy team leapt into a 45 mark lead. This was where team organization came in and the Czechs, Germans and Russians were superb on this score while Britain, the host nation, had nothing to offer her riders. Wherever one went on the cross country sections there were helpers to point out the best track to the Germans, Russians and Czechs. No need to say a word, just a pointing finger. Incredulously surveying a route pointed to him by a Czech, Bud Ekins said "You sure?" A nod of the head was sufficient and, aiming his machine for the worst looking bit of the bog he found himself riding through a couple of inches of mud on a hard base.

High on the moors, a rider went up to his armpits in mud. Mary Driver retired and it took a couple of days to retrieve her machine. She and Sebastian Nachtmann, who also retired, rescued a Czech heard calling for help in the mist. On the high ground mist was the problem, made worse by rain; on the low ground the little Honda 90 went out during the morning run with a collapsed rear wheel, a great tragedy for it still had standard (Continued on page 80)

spokes. An immaculate tool for the job, his machine brought much favorable comment, as did his unflurried style of riding which leaves no doubt why he has had a thirteen-year run as class champion. Surely he must be considered for any future American Vase team? AÍ Rogers went out on time after two tire punctures in a tight time section. Max Switzer had his Greeves blow up sixty miles out, and Cliff Coleman's Triumph did the same after 80 miles. All the others went out on time, with Bud Ekins failing by only one minute at the last check to stay in the running. To have kept on schedule that day meant taking risks which the American riders in the main did not consider acceptable and on this score none can blame them.

And here we touch on a subject that arose after last year's trial, which is basically one of attitude. There are strong political and commercial undercurrents to this event, particularly with eastern bloc countries where there is the strongest desire to win and every possible thing is done to help the rider to that end. Help on the course of an indirect nature has already been mentioned. At check points it was even more open. Apples, oranges and bananas were already cut up and peeled, ready to eat, so that all the rider did was state his choice and it was fed to him. Clean goggles, towels, hot drinks, cold drinks, dry gloves — everything possible to make it an easy ride. But little sense of humor — and here, surely, is the essential difference between the American attitude and that of the other riders. I prefer the American way myself; it brings fresh air to a smoky room with a debonair style that often hides grim determination. And to succeed in the Vase contest there must be more than determination; there must be complete dedication to finish at all costs, no matter what the hazard.

At the end of the third day, team managers sat back and licked their wounds. Only thirty-three riders still in with clean sheets, but bonus points were no longer needed for Trophy placings. East Germany had lost only seven marks, Britain and Czechoslovakia lagged with 52 and 58 marks lost. Sweden moved into fourth place as four Russian and two West German Trophy men retired. Wednesday evening's jury meeting dealt with a request for moto-cross tires to be used instead of trials type, to assist riders on the rough. It was refused, as was a suggestion that a twenty-minute time cut should be reinstated.

Conditions on Thursday were a little better, but not on the high ground where thick mist and rain still caused a great deal of trouble. East Germany's chance of a hat trick of wins went further ahead when Arthur Lampkin lost half an hour starting his BSA. He made up ten minutes of lost time but was twenty marks down at the first check. Later in the day it packed up completely as did Sammy Miller's similar machine. They both joined Bryan Sharp (Greeves) who had crashed and retired earlier. These three British Trophy men were joined by one each from Russia, Poland, Spain and West Germany. The East Germans lost only four more marks, making eleven compared to the 139 of the Czechs in second spot. Only twenty-two riders could still get a gold medal.

Still no let up in the weather on Friday, but as Czech Trophy team man Jaroslav Pudil had been taken to a hospital the night before to have his appendix out, East Germany was virtually assured of the Trophy. British Trophy teamster Triss Sharp (Greeves), already 49 marks down and feeling the effects of riding without goggles, decided to stay in bed rather than face another day. Not content with just dropping out, he made statements to the press severely criticizing the team management and lack of assistance to riders. Greeves rapidly sacked both Triss and his brother Bryan who associated himself with the remarks; most people considered them to be well founded. To my mind neither party comes out well on this incident. A Trophy team man must continue at all costs if his machine is still capable of carrying him. If, however, his morale is so low that he quits, then time for tempers to cool should pass before judgment is passed. The attitude had even rubbed off onto spectators by Friday for when asked where they were going on that day one group said "Shopping." I asked why and was told in no uncertain terms that they were fed up with the whole British effort, had nothing but grudging admiration for superbly reliable German two-strokes and, being enthusiasts, considered all the color had gone out of the trial with the departure of the Americans and the two big BMWs.

By this time, of course, the trial had virtually sorted itself out, and even Sweden's loss of two unpenalized Trophy men had no effect on her position in the table. At this stage the only British ray of sunshine was the Triumph works team of Roy Peplow, Ray Sayer and Ken Heanes, of whom only the latter had lost one mark. But on Friday the jury reinstated the Hercules team rider Augustin with no marks, as his five marks had gone assisting an injured competitor. This left the German team as the only manufacturer clean out of 34.

It was still raining Saturday when the riders set off for the speed tests. Although there were one or two minor spills, it was fortunate there were no serious casualties, for some riders were really having a go, and on wet roads with trials tires that was no joke. This test was run in two sections and it stopped raining for the second group of larger capacity machines. Out of the 83 starters, only eighteen qualified for a gold medal and the arguments are still raging as to whether the course was too tough. I do not think it was, though with ten golds won by under-lOOcc machines, it would suggest the lightweights were favored. This again is not strictly true; number 299 out of 300, Ken Heanes, lost only one mark as next to last runner, and 278 Roy Peplow gained a gold. Heanes was the only rider of a machine over 500cc to finish.

Many purists argue that if one man wins a gold medal then the course is not too tough. The whole point is that it is an international event for the world's best riders, supposedly on the world's best machines. It is best summed up in the words of Norman Sharpe who in Motor Cycling wrote, "Tough, nerve-racking, complicated, unique - that's the I.S.D.T. This annual race against the clock is the most gruelling test of men and machines in the whole of motorcycle sport. To win demands superb riding skill, first class mechanical ability, a cool clear brain and sheer guts, plus slick organization and strategy - sometimes even low cunning -on the part of team managers and helpers." Add to that superb fitness, the will to win and a sense of humor, and you have the perfect contestant. The United States has the talent, all it now needs is the orga nization to win the Vase contest in the next three years.

To conclude, no praise can be too high for the magnificent way the two MZ teams performed to win the Trophy and Vase contests. No doubt the standardization of having all from one factory, with inter changability of parts, is a great help to organizing the attempt. This prompted one American to suggest that the only way Britain could win again would be to put the whole team on Triumph machines -a suggestion that subsequently appeared in the British press. Of eight Trophy teams, the Czechs all rode Jawa-CZ, the East Germans MZ, the Spanish Bultaco, the Swedes Husqvarna and the Russians IZH, and every one of those were twostrokes. West Germany took half the gold medals with five going to Hercules and four to Zundapp, both makes being small capacity twostrokes. Of thirty-eight dif ferent makes and variations entered, Jawa-CZ was most popular with fifty, Greeves second with thirty-one and Tri umph third with twenty. Only fifty-seven of the three hundred entries were on four strokes and of the seventeen countries entered, only four won gold medals; seven had no finishers at all.

BONUS TROPHY CONTEST: MARKS LOST POINTS EAST GERMANY 14 3404.04 CZECHOSLOVAKIA 344 2977.83 SWEDEN 1061 2606.53 GREAT BRITAIN 1195 2734.74 WEST GERMANY 1603 2195.71 POLAND 1906 1821.26 RUSSIA 1943 2062.10 SPAIN 1968 1817.13 BEST MANUFACTURERS TEAM: Hercules, no marks lost BEST CLUB TEAM: Dukia Praha (Czech), 239 marks lost BONUS SILVER VASE TEAMS MARKS LOST POINTS EAST GERMANY "A" 86 2129.44 WEST GERMANY A" . . 303 2113.91 CZECHOSLOVAKIA "A" . 374 2032.67 SWEDEN `A" 548 1932.24 CZECHOSLAVAKIA "B" . 554 1738.93 EAST GERMANY "B' 600 1827.96 GREAT BRITAIN "B" 712 1781.59 WEST GERMANY "B" 974 1453.51 HOLLAND "A" 983 1616.07 U.S.S.R. "A" 1013 1491.72 GREAT BRITAIN "A" . 1409 1212.62 HOLLAND "B" 1418 1200.09 U.S.S.R. "B" 1562 1003.83 POLAND 1591 956.07 FINLAND 1600 1026.83 SWEDEN "B" 1642 972.38 BELGIUM 1642 952.29 U.S.A. "A" 1739 685.16 AUSTRIA 1776 815.93 IRELAND 1782 531.65 U.S.A. "B" 2068 538.09