Motocross Des Nations
MOTOCROSS des NATIONS
GAVIN TRIPPE
IN 1947, NET NORTIER of the Dutch federation, staged an international team event just north of the Hague.
Auguste Mingels, of Belgium, won the race, but Britain won the day with Bill Nicholson, Fred Rist and Bob Ray making up the best scoring team. This was the start of the Motocross des Nations and since that day Great Britain has won it 14 times out of 20, the latest addition being this year’s event at Remelard in France.
There were 10 teams competing; the eleventh, Czechoslovakia, failed to turn up due to lack of funds in the sporting kitty.
The meeting was run as two 45-minute races with a country’s best three runners out of the five-man team, scoring the points. This course was a typical French horror, consisting of a series of hairpin bends with various length straights, plus many large artificial jumps.
The start was very ragged, and several men were left on the line. Russian Victor Arbekov led the field away, with Don Rickman (GB) behind. Sweden’s Torsten Hallman was well up, with the rest of the British team close behind. Up and down the many loops the field fled, Arbekov holding his own out in front. For about three laps the wheat was sorting itself from the chaff, so that a good team perspective could be roughed out. Rickman was still second, but Belgian Joel Robert had moved up, dropping Hallman and Dave Bickers down a place. A quick calculation showed that England was leading Sweden by five points.
As the minutes of this first leg ticked by, fortunes began to fluctuate, the first blow coming to Sweden on the 11th lap, when Ake Jonsson’s Husqvarna went sick after he had worked through the field to fifth place. Roger DeCoster moved the Belgians up a slot, when he took the British pair of Eastwood and Lampkin to snatch seventh. This, combined with his teammates’ efforts, improved their lot. At the end of the first race, it was Arbekov from Joel Robert, with Dave Bickers and Don Rickman behind for Britain. This put England in the lead at half distance with 13 points, four in front of Belgium with 17 and Sweden with 28.
Then came various pep talks from team managers before the second race. Already the two teams closest to Britain took a knock — Belgium, when DeCoster had to change a coil and started a lap behind, and Sweden, when Jan Johansson had problems with his Lindstrom.
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Hallman led. but was soon passed by a flying Dave Bickers. Arbekov sitting in behind this pair, while Lampkin, Eastwood and Robert held station behind the Russian. On the move, Robert eased through the field to split Hallman and Bickers, while Arbekov headed a string of Britishers in line astern.
The team signallers rubbed their hands. England, Belgium, Sweden, Russia, then England, England, England for about six laps. But along came Ake Jonsson from way back to spoil the picture, passing the English trio and moving in behind Arbekov on the last lap.
Another Swede moved up. This time it was Bill Nilsson, who split Rickman and Eastwood to take sixth place. The Swedes were definitely picking up on the British. Nearly over, it now read England, Belgium. Russia, Sweden. Sweden. England. Sweden, England . . . Then fate struck. Hallman's chain broke on the last lap, losing them valuable points, so it was left for England to sweep up the winnings.
Final score: England, 26, 10 ahead of Belgium with 36, and then came Sweden with 54. All teams scored except East Germany, excluded for receiving outside assistance for one of their riders.
East Germany not classified due to protest upheld by International jury. (Rider receiving outside assistance) 171 points. GREAT BRITAIN TEAM.
Dave Bickers (CZ), Don Rickman (Metisse). Arthur Lampkin (BSA), Andy Lee (Metisse), Vic Eastwood (BSA). Team manager, Harold Taylor.
BELGIUM TEAM.
Joel Robert (CZ), Roger DeCoster (CZ), Walter Baeten (CZ), S. Geboers (Lindstrom). J. Teuwissen (CZ). Team manager, Nie Jansen.
SWEDISH TEAM.
Torsten Hallman (Husqvarna), Ake Jonsson (Husqvarna), Bill Nilsson (Husqvarna). G. Johansson (CZ). H
