European Motocross
PART ONE
GAVIN TRIPPE
TWO-WHEELED SPORT seems to run in cycles, if the pun is pardonable.
In road racing we have the Duke era, the Surtees era and now the Hailwood age. Machinery wise, there were English, Italian and now Japanese periods of dominance.
And now, the motocross world is going through perhaps its most critical and momentous change. Two years ago, the big 500-class four-stroke machines seemed to be the ultimate. The 250 class, with its hordes of underpowered two-strokes, was very secondary. But, this year sees the end of the heavy, "valved" machines and the dominance of the 360/400cc two-stroke lightweights, with the works BSAs providing the last challenge from the old school, with their powerful lightweight 498cc four-stroke singles.
The world championship series has also undergone a change. Both 250 and 500 series this year have been reduced from 17 rounds to 12 rounds each, which will make the contests closer and induce more competition.
Television has boosted public interest in this branch of the sport to a great degree and spectator interest is mounting. In Europe, now, motocross riders get more start money on the average than road racers, and iron curtain countries have to pay half their money in Western currency.
The number of competing nations has gone up. Russia and Japan are but two of the newer and bigger threats to the traditional European dominance.
Big strides forward have been made in machinery development, and a short analysis of the top bikes would be well.
CZ
This Czech concern has won the title twice, but lost it to Torsten Hallman on the Husqvarna last year. Their answer is a new single-port version of the production twin-exhaust machine. Simple and functional in design, it has a very low center of gravity, combined with a considerable power increase. This neat little unit produces about 30-32 bhp at the gearbox sprocket. The clutch runs at engine speed on the crankshaft, and the primary drive is through gears.
EUROPEAN MOTOCROSS
CZ has developed this bike to a high degree of reliability and should be capable of winning back the title with the riders they have. Many seem to think that the temperamental Belgian, Joel Robert, will regain the title he lost two years ago, although his teammate from Russia, Victor Arbekov, could spoil Joel's chances. The only other CZ works man to be any threat is young Petr Dobry from Czechoslovakia, but his chances have been spoiled by a damaged knee, which has put him out of the first few rounds.
HUSQVARNA
The Husky is a machine that has looked basically the same for years. It has won two European and two world titles since 1959. This year, the factory models are much the same as the production bikes. It produces a modest 27 bhp at the gearbox sprocket with very good torque. Weight is just over the 200-pound mark and the unit is very reliable. Mods to the factory bikes are a slightly lower frame made from thinner gauge tubing, an ignition coil under the tank instead of in the flywheel magneto, where it tended to overheat, and a bigger rear chain which runs in a roller type chain guide at the rear sprocket.
Obviously, main hopes lie with the current Swedish world champion, Torsten Hallman. Torsten is so consistently good under all conditions and so very fit that he will probably overhaul the rest of the riders toward the end of the series. Backing him up is Olle Pettersson, who, although he has been riding many years now, is experiencing a new lease on life. Last year Olle won the Swedish 250 championship and this year is proving to be very fast.
BULTACO
This Spanish concern has a new, lower, single downtube frame, and a big change in the engine department, too. The motor unit now has a five-speed box and four mounting brackets instead of three, to preclude the fractures that were previously encountered. The power has been increased to 33 bhp with a more flexible power band. The new Pursang scramblers are proving very fast, and already replicas are being snatched up on American and European markets. Factory riders are two Belgian cousins, Jacky and Marcel Wiertz, who already have notched valuable championship points this year.
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MONTESA
Montesa is not a serious contender because they have no world-class riders. The Montesa is a very fast bike and looks typically Spanish. It develops 30 bhp, handles quite favorably, and is currently selling well and scoring national wins.
SUZUKI
Once again, the Japanese concern is tentatively doing the early rounds with their Japanese Number One, Matsuhisa Kojima. The bike is much the same as before — a unit-construction, twin exhaust-port engine and four-speed box mounted in a single downtube frame which is on the tall side. The engine is very strong, but the frame has the usual Japanese trouble of not being up to the engine. Already it has broken several times. On one occasion, when asked why they retired, the answer given was, "Suzuki retire with ignition troubles."
Immediately they were asked, "But what about the frame?"
Replied the inscrutable manager, "Ah, yes. Frame break, pulling lead off ignition — therefore, ignition troubles!"
They really need someone of the caliber of Hallman to sort the thing out, and next year, this is a possibility, when they will probably sign a championship-caliber rider and win the title. They come, they see, they conquer. . .
THE 250 CHAMPIONSHIP SO FAR
It is always said that whoever wins the first round in Spain, never wins the title, and so far this year, it holds true. When Victor Arbekov won the Spanish GP, he handicapped himself with this jinx, and although the sturdy Russian is unlikely to be superstitious, bad luck has dogged him in the five rounds so far.
After five rounds, world Champion Torsten Hallman has shown his consistency and taken the lead in the title chase, with two wins and two seconds from five rides. Joel Robert is fractionally behind, while Olle Pettersson and Victor Arbekov make up the near challengers.
The first round of the series in Spain is always popular, as it raises the curtain on another year and a winter's developments. The affluent Swedes arrive in their new Mercedes and matching trailers, the Russians in tank-like cars and an army lorry loaded with CZs, while the Czechs roll up in a bus splitting at the seams with riders, mechanics and machinery.
The course in Spain is situated in the rather poor suburb of Santa Coloma, a dusty anthill of a place surrounded by dusty houses. On race day, which invariably enjoys spring-like weather, the fanatical crowds swarm in and cover the area like ants — not only on the circuit, but perched on nearby rooftops and hanging from every available vantage point. A crowd of 30.000 at about a dollar a head is not bad business.
This year Victor Arbekov was the decisive winner. He opted to ride his twin pipe production CZ around this tortuous and bumpy track, his consistency spotlighting the heavy toll on other men and machines.
Torsten Hallman (Husqvarna), Don Rickman (Bultaco) and Joel Robert (CZ) were all potential dangers for the Russian, but all suffered troubles that eliminated them from the leader board.
The unfortunate Suzuki rider, Matsuhisa Kojima just made the first corner before he was run over. A certain well-known rider remarked afterwards, "I saw a pair of legs on the track and thought, Ah! Wheel grip!"
In the early stages, the Belgian Joel Robert led from Arbekov and Don Rickman, but a stone flicked his chain off, which dropped him many places. Then, Don Rickman — making his one annual outing on a 250 — fell and blocked his bike's exhaust, which left Arbekov in an unassailable position. He was followed to the flag at a respectable distance by another Russian, Leonid Shinkarenko (CZ) and Olle Pettersson on a Husky.
Don Rickman led the second leg on the Pursang for 14 laps, until a flat rear tire made the "Bui" unmanageable and he steadily lost ground. Arbekov sailed home, followed this time by Torsten Hallman and Joel Robert, both of whom had their overall chances shattered by their first leg troubles. Overall, the valuable eight points went to Arbekov, followed by Pettersson, Shinkarenko and Jacky Wiertz on the Bultaco.
The week after the Spanish round saw the circus in Switzerland and the surprise appearance of current 500 world champion Paul Friedrichs. "I have just come to get a bit of practice before the 500 series starts," commented the East German.
This time it was the turn of champion Torsten Hallman to scoop up the eight points for first. Victor Arbekov who won the Spanish round, had an off day and may have thought there is some truth in the supposed Spanish jinx, after all.
Hallman easily won the first leg after disposing of Arbekov. Paul Friedrichs was second, in front of Joel Robert, who admitted he left his challenge too late — a mistake which probably cost him first place overall. In the second leg, Joel won after Hallman's rear dampers collapsed. The Swede managed to hold second place, though, from English Husqvarna rider Alan Clough and Paul Friedrichs on a CZ.
Still boiling over the mistake that cost him the previous week's Swiss round, Joel Robert made no bones about the French round held in Southern Brittany on a very narrow and twisty circuit at Vannes. He won both legs with ease, earning eight points, to lead Hallman in the series by two points. The Swede came in second to Robert in both races, trailing the young Russian, Shinkarenko, behind him.
Joel Robert marched on, full of confidence, at his home round at Hechtal, in Belgium. Flushed with the previous week's success, he was firm favorite to win this fourth round. He won, but not before he had displayed his temper and worked the home fans into a fit of frenzy. A big aspect of this round was the internal political battle among the Belgian riders. Belgium is split politically into the northern Flemish-speaking area and the southern French-speaking populace. There is fanatical rivalry among the two sectors in everyday life and in sport. This meeting was held in the Flemish half of the country on a deep sandy course on which Belgian riders excel.
Local Flemish hero was Jef Teuwissen on a CZ, and all his faithful fans wanted to see him blow off French-speaking Joel. These battles can come to such a pitch that spectators hurl handfuls of sand at the opposition if they are beating a Flemish rider.
With this charming situation brewing, the race headed off in front of this possibly murderous crowd of 40,000.
Things were stretched to fever pitch in the first race, when Joel battled all the way with Teuwissen, to beat him by a mere three seconds. Overshadowed but not unnoticed was Torsten Hallman, who rode steadily into third place in front of Olle Pettersson.
But the man who caused a stir was the young Finnish rider, Jykry Storm on a Husky, who carved through from the rear to finish fourth. To prove this was no fluke, he stormed into the lead in the second race to take a hefty lead. Behind him all hell broke loose as Teuwissen, Hallman, Robert and Roger DeCoster swapped places every lap.
Then Joel pulled into the pits with a bent gear lever. His Czech mechanic, Victor, tried desperately to pull it straight. Joel leaped off the bike, the engine screaming flat out, pushed the mechanic out of the way and lunged at the lever with his boot. The pedal straightened and he jumped aboard; the clutch went home, nearly burying the rear wheel in the sand. Joel's temper was up. One by one he picked off his assailants. DeCoster, Hallman and Pettersson went. Only two left, Teuwissen and Storm. Joel's luck was in. Teuwissen fell, burying himself and the CZ in the sand, and then in the last lap, Storm faltered and Robert made his bid slipping through to win by a whisker. While Robert was being mobbed, Storm and Hallman came home, the Swede getting second place overall.
Robert took the championship lead with
24 points to Hallman's 20.
But his lead was short-lived, for Hallman won the West German round and Robert failed to add to his score. The Belgian had injured a foot two weeks previously and only raced in the first leg, when he retired, his foot paining him too much.
This round, at Bielstien, got underway after eight false starts. Victor Arbekov seemed to come back on form when he beat Hallman to the flag in the first race. The Russian's hopes were soon dashed, when he crashed heavily in the second leg and had to retire. Hallman sauntered on his way, picking up the eight points that now put him at the head of the table with 28 points to Robert's 24.
