Continental Report
CONTINENTAL REPORT
B.R. NICHOLLS
NEW RIDERS FOR AJS, BULTACO
Vic Eastwood is the latest motocross man to join the AJS factory and will assume the role of development engineer and rider of the works 250-and 410-cc scramblers. He joins the Swedish rider Bengt-Arne Bonn who will contest the world series in the 250 class. Eastwood will, in some measure, replace Malcolm Davis, who has signed for the Spanish Bultaco factory now that they are showing renewed interest in the motocross scene. A Bultaco man in 1966 and '67, Davis' victory in the 1970 250 British championship gives him certain entry to the 1971 world title series, which he will contest for Bultaco. His 1971 debut, however, on a Pursang model was not very inspiring when he finished 5th at a television meeting. It is a result that should be forgotten though; Davis will soon have a brand new lightened and more powerful model to take title chasing.
TELEVISED MEET
That television meeting was to have been a great international event but a tour-week-old postal strike and subsequent breakdown in communication meant that the only Swedish rider present was Bengt-Arne Bonn, who lives here anyway. Fortunately, the Suzuki trio of Joel Robert. Sylvain Deboers and Roger DeCoster were present to challenge the home riders. They did not fare too well, though, on a slippery and muddy course that favored the fourstroke BSAs swamping the board.
The first race was an invitation 50ÜCC. Bryan Wade set the pace on his Husqvarna, but he was pipped at the post by John Banks (BSA), whose teammate Dave Nicoll did the same thing to Deboers in a battle for 3rd place.
The big event of the meeting was a two-leg motocross for the Norton Villiers trophy, who was sponsoring the racing. In the first race lanky Dave Nicoll, a firm convert to a Bell helmet after his American tour, took the lead, which he lost to Wade after a fall with Andy Roberton (BSA), taking 2nd. Wade continued in the lead until three quarter distance, when he tell on an adverse camber hairpin at the bottom of a hill. This particular spot caused a lot of trouble with riders slithering around and having to pull away uphill virtually from a standstill; it was ideally suited to the BSA characteristics.
With Wade out. Banks took the lead. He held it to the finish, but Roberton lost 2nd place on the final bend, when he fell. Nicoll then took 2nd. though Roberton remounted to take 3rd. ahead of Deboers and Robert.
In the second race Andy Lee (BSA Metisse) had a brief moment of glory leading for the first lap. But then he collided with Roberton and found at the bottom of the next hill that he had lost his rear break lever in the collision-exit crowd very quickly!
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By then Wade had taken the lead, but he was in turn ousted by Roberton. Wade then slid to earth. It was all good viewing stuff, especially as Nicoll and Banks then whistled past Roberton, who went right down to 5th in the end when both Vie Fast wood, riding Husqvarna for the last time, and Robert passed him. Nicoll held off Banks, and was declared the overall winner by less than a second from Banks.
DeCoster had his moment of glory in the final race of the day for 250 machines when he led from start to finish from Geboers. Bonn placed 3rd and Davis 4th on the Bultaco.
TV DEBUT FOR VIC ALLEN/BSA
A week later we had another television meeting on the commercial channel that had taken place two weeks earlier; that, no doubt, sounds very Irish. It is easy to explain, as the company thought the moon walk was the highlight of that Saturday afternoon. Consequently, they recorded racing for later viewing.
The meeting marked the debut for Vic Allan on the works BSA. The Scottish ace beat his team leader John Banks in the Allcomers final, to win first time out on the new machine.
It was a day of surprises. In the 500ec final veteran Dave Bickers (C'Z) hustled Wade to such an extent that the Wild One fell off. He was quickly after Bickers again, though, and just snatched victory on the final lap.
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In an under-21 championship race Stuart Nunn (C'Z) underlined his great potential with a win over Martin Lampkin (Husqvarna) and similarly mounted Mick Jones. With the right guidance Nunn could become a world champion.
BELGIAN INTERNATIONAL MEET
The international television meeting was Joel Robert’s first ride of 1970. “Fit?” I asked him as he tucked into an Fnglish bacon and eggs breakfast. “Fat,” he replied with a grin. The following weekend he was winning in Belgium.
A week later the sweet smell of success turned rather sour for Robert in front of his home crowd at the first Belgian international meeting of the 1971 season. The Suzuki quartet was lined up against such stars as John Banks, Vic Allan, Adolph Weil, Hakan Andersson, Jacques Van Velthoven and the Flying Finn Heikki Mikkola.
For Suzuki it was a poor day. Robert was sidelined, having aggravated an old back injury after taking 2nd place in the first race. Geboers retired in both legs of the motocross, and Pettersson fell when 1st in the first leg. He then finished 4th in the second. DeCoster was obviously still finding his Suzuki feet but was good enough for 6th overall.
But Mikkola was the man of the day and clearly indicated that his elose-ofseason form last year and riding in the States was no flash in the pan. He had Robert well beaten in the first leg of the motocross, and won the second as he pleased. Then, just to show who really was the boss, he started from scratch in an international handicap race, tell on the first lap and still stormed through the field to take the lead after eight of the 1 0 laps.
He was riding a 400-cc Husqvarna, and the Swedish factory must be very happy about their representative in the coming 250ce world title struggle. One swallow does not make a summer, but this early winning form is a great psychological boost for Mikkola, especially as he knows that Husqvarna are readying a new five-speeder for the championship battle.
HALLMAN SIGNS WITH YAMAHA
At last Yamaha has taken the plunge into the stormy sea of motocross and has signed Torsten Hallman. It is hoped that the four-times world champion will do for them what his fellow countryman Olle Pettersson did for Suzuki. He will be a development rider and engineer and already has one of the factory 250 machines in Sweden. He and Yamaha have a big task on their hands, tor Suzuki already has a world title to their credit and three of the finest motocross men in the world to fight their battles in both the world championships this year. Robert and Geboers will again fight for the 250 crown, whilst DeCoster will be a loner in the 500 battle. I he die is cast for a great season.
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U.S.-BRITISH CHALLENGE MATCH
The big Eastertide challenge match between American and British riders is definitely on and will take place over three meetings to be held on Good Friday at Brands Hatch, Easter Sunday at Mallory Park, and the following day at Oulton Park. It promises to be a battle of the big Tins, as both five-man teams will he mounted on three-cylinder BSA or Triumph machines. They will compete for total prize money of $12,000.
Choice of the American team is simple: just take the first five men in the 1070 championship, Gene Romero, Jim Rice, Dave Aldana, Dick Mann and Don Castro. The British method is not so simple. So far Paul Smart, Percy Tait, Ray Pickrell and Tony Jefferies have been chosen, leaving one space to be filled at a later date.
We are told the races will be short, so I imagine that they will be over five laps at Brands and Oulton, and eight lappers or maybe 10 at Mallory.
In short races a good start is essential. All competitors will be ensured of that by the use of clutch starts, so there will be no advantage for home riders weaned on the athletic and gymnastic run and bump lark.
There will be plenty of opportunity for the visitors to practice, as they arrive 10 days before the series begins. 1 do not think they will stand a great chance of winning the series, though it will be a wonderful thing for racing if the American eagle upsets the bulldog.
EUROPEAN TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP
When the European Trials Championship scene moved to Northern Ireland, title leader Mick Andrews found himself out of luck. Plagued by punctures in the rear wheel of his 250 Ossa, he finished the day pushing his machine with the tire completely detached from the rim! Andrews’ misfortune gave Gordon Farley his big chance. The Montesa ace had shown little of his best form since winning the British Championship last fall, but he found the course near Belfast to his liking, although the slippery rocks claimed a massive l 28 marks from him. His victory put him level with Andrews in the title chase, each with 43 points.
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Two weeks later the French round was staged in Paris forests within sight of the Eiffel Tower. Sub-zero temperatures had frozen the ground, and sections which should have featured deep clinging mud were dry and easy. With little to test the riders’ skill, the event developed into a tense battle of nerves. It was tough at the top; although Montesa team member Rob Edwards had lost only three marks on his first two laps, he was placed no higher than 7th at that stage! He covered the final lap without a single mistake and moved up into the runner-up position behind Andrews, who had put a foot to the ground just twice all day!
Farley will want to forget the event. Soon after the start his Montesa jumped out of gear when he was in an observed section and he lost five marks. Depressed by this setback, he added to his score at regular intervals and could finish no higher than llth place. He failed to improve his championship score, as points are awarded to the top 10 only in each event. Andrews had again opened up a big lead and Farley’s 2nd place in the championship table was threatened by the more consistent Malcolm Rathmell, who has been signed by Bultaco to replace Sammy Miller.
From Paris, most competitors traveled immediately to Barcelona in Spain for the next round. With the Ossa, Montesa and Bultaco factories all located in the area, the opportunity was taken to refurbish machinery.
The rocky mountains north of the city contain many tough, testing trials hills. Thousands of Spaniards trekked up the mountainsides to witness the battle between stars from eight nations.
After the first 30-mile lap, Mick Andrews shared the lead with Montesa ace Rob Edwards. They had both lost 17 marks, but Andrews stormed ahead next time round. The rocks claimed only nine more marks from him, and at 26 his final score was well ahead of the 2nd-place man Alan Lampkin (Bultaco), who had lost 35.
Andrews’ win puts him into an untouchable lead in the Chainpionship. Even a modest performance in the next round in Switzerland will give the formidable Andrews/Ossa combination its first international title.
