FIM Gala Ceremony 2013 - Legends -

FIM Legends Jutta Kleinschmidt

FIM Woman Legend

Ove Fundin

FIM Track Racing Legend

Cyril Neveu

FIM Cross Country Rallies Legend

Alessandro Gritti

FIM Enduro Legend

Malcolm Rathmell

FIM Trial Legend

Harry Everts

FIM Motocross Legend

Phillip William Read FIM Road Racing Legend

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Š J. Kleinschmidt Archive

Jutta Kleinschmidt

FIM Woman Legend Born on 29 August 1962 in Cologne, Germany

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Jutta Kleinschmidt graduated in Physical Engineering.

Working at BMW, she decided to take part in raids in the desert, and, starting in 1987, took part in the Pharaoh’s Rally. She did her first Paris-Dakar in 1988. Learning the ropes was tough. Success came in 1992 when she finished in 23rd position in the Paris-Capetown riding a BMW R1000 GS, topping the women’s standings. In the same year she took part in the 24 Hour car races at the Nürburgring and in Spa. In 1993, she took part in a Cross-Country Rally on four wheels for the first time, as co-driver of Jean-Louis Schlesser (Buggy) in the UAE Desert Challenge. In 1994, she finished 22nd in the Dakar on a KTM and won the Women’s class again. She was fifth in the overall classification of the Pharaoh’s Rally (and the first woman classified).

In 1995 she was contracted by the Mitsubishi team for the Paris-Dakar, in which she finished 12th.

In 1996, again on a motorcycle, she won the Women’s class of the Australian Safari and the UAE Desert Challenge. In the 1997 Dakar, driving the buggy built by Jean-Louis Schlesser, she won her first stage (first stage victory for a female driver, and first German win in the Rally).

In 1999 she came back to Mitsubishi and took third place of the Dakar driving the Pajero, with two stage wins. For the first time, Jutta led the overall classification, from the third to the fifth stage. She became the first woman to be on the final rostrum – and that was not all. That same year she also took part in the Italian Baja (4th), the Tunisian Rally (4th) and the UAE Desert Challenge (3rd), which gave her a 4th place in the Cross-Country Rallies World Cup (FIA). In 2000, she took part in all the events of the World Cup and ended up in second place.

In 2001 she obtained the ultimate accolade: victory in the overall classification on a Mitsubishi Pajero. Once again she established a record: first woman and first German driver ever to win the Dakar. She finished second the following year. She was then hired by the Volkswagen team with whom she finished in third in the 2005 Rally with Italian Fabrizia Pons as navigator.

In 2003, together with a friend she covered more than 1500 km on a bicycle in the Alps, between Monaco and Salzburg, riding over no less than 26 passes, various of them used by the Tour de France a few days earlier.

In 2008, she competed in the 24 Hours of Nürburgring on a BMW 330 and finished first in the S2 class. Jutta is also busy with training of drivers and riders for road driving and competition, and has published videos on several subjects linked to motor sports.

© J. Kleinschmidt Archive 11

© John Chaplin

Ove Fundin

FIM Track Racing Legend Born on 23 May 1933 in Tranås, Sweden

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Ove Fundin is a former Speedway rider who took part in his first World Final in 1954, and won the FIM Speedway World Championship five times (1956, 1960, 1961, 1963, 1967). He was the first rider in the Speedway history to come from a country where English was not the first language spoken. He finished runner-up in the championship three times (1957–59) and was third in 1962, 1964 and 1965 meaning that from his first win in 1956 until his last in 1967, Ove Fundin did not finish lower than a podium place in a record eleven World Finals. He was known by the nickname of the “Flying Fox” or just “the Fox” because of his red hair.He went to ride in Great Britain, joining the Norwich Stars in 1955 and riding for them until 1964 when the Firs stadium closed. Then he rode for other teams in England but he will always be remembered for the glory days at Norwich Stars where he was worshipped by the home fans.Ove Fundin also took part in the Team Speedway World Championship for the Swedish team and won the very first Team World Final held in Malmö (Sweden) in 1960, and then in 1962,

1963, 1964, 1967 and 1970. He is considered by many to be the greatest rider of all time and this is reflected by the fact that the Speedway World Cup is named after him.

In 1961, together with Motocross World champion Sten Lundin, Fundin was awarded a Gold Medal by the Swedish newspaper Svenska Dagbladet. Fundin was honoured as Freeman of the City of Norwich in 2006, only the second non-English person to be awarded this honour.

Sweden became a top country in Speedway largely because of him.He currently lives in the South of France.

© John Chaplin 13

© Cyril Neveu Archive

Cyril Neveu

FIM Cross Country Rallies Legend Born on 20 September 1956 in Orléans, France

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After racing in Motocross, he became an internationally known cross-country rally rider from the mid-seventies.

He first took part in the pre-Dakar Côte d’Ivoire-Côte d’Azur (or Abidjan-Nice) Rally in 1977 and 1978, and then in the first Paris-Dakar in 1979, aboard an XT500 Yamaha. He repeated the win in 1980 and for 1981 was contracted by Honda to be official rider for the factory.

He won the rally in 1982, but finished only tenth in 1983, and fourth in 1984. He came back in 1986 still as Honda factory rider riding the famous prototype NX780 – from which the Honda Transalp and the Africa Twin would be derived – and clinched his fourth victory. The following year, 1987, was maybe the most incredible in the history of the rally, when Cyril Neveu on the factory Honda and Hubert Auriol on the factory Cagiva were racing almost side by side. Nobody knew which would be the winner until, two days before the finish in Dakar, Auriol crashed heavily and broke both his ankles, leaving another victory for Cyril.Preparing his future, he created the company NPO in 1987 which he ran until 2008, organising several

African Rallies, particularly the Tunisian Rally (Rallye de Tunisie) and the Rally of Morocco. He also created a company to organise the Tour of Corcega (Corsica) by water-scooter. Lately he has been running a Regularity Rally in Morocco for vintage cars.Having been one of the first heroes of the African Rallies together with Hubert Auriol, Cyril Neveu remains one of the greatest Rally riders ever.

© Moto Revue Archive 15

Š Dario Agrati

Alessandro Gritti

FIM Enduro Legend Born on 1 April 1947 in Vertova (Bergamo), Italy

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Alessandro Gritti started his career in 1965 riding in Motocross competitions, and became Italian Champion in 1975 and 1979. At the same time, he competed in Regularity events (renamed Enduro in 1981) ; his first Italian title was in 1967 in the 250cc class, and the last one in the 600cc class in 1990.

The European Championship was the top Individual Championship in the 70s and 80s (it became a World Championship in 1990). Riding a KTM, he clinched the 250cc title in 1975. He passed to the 125cc class in 1976 and took his second crown, and in 1977 he was back in the 250cc class where he captured his third title in a row. In 1981 he was a member of the Italian Trophy team which won the World Trophy at the International Six Days Enduro held on the Isola d’Elba.

During his career he earned 10 Gold Medals for his individual performances in the Six Days, and he won three individual classes : the 250cc in Austria (1976), the 125cc in Germany (1979) and the 250cc at the Isola d’Elba (Italy, 1981) ; he also won the overall individual classification in the 250cc in 1976 (on KTM) and in 1981 (on Kramer).

At National level, he won ten class titles (four in the 250cc, two in the 175cc, three in the 125cc, one in the 600cc, one scratch, one Junior – in 1966 riding a Morini 100cc, and two Senior.

He also won the Valli Bergamasche competition four times.

Alessandro Gritti started to race in offroad competition in 1965, and kept on racing until 1992 ! © Dario Agrati 17

Š Malcolm Rathmell Archive

Malcolm Rathmell

FIM Trial Legend Born on 18 June 1949 in Otley – West Yorkshire, England

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Malcolm Rathmell followed the path of his father Eric, Trial organiser and Motocross rider, starting to ride Trial when 17 years old in 1966 He started to take part in national events, with so much success that he gained the support of Triumph. In 1967 he won his first national Trial, beating the great Sammy Miller. In 1968 he was hired by Greeves,. Rathmell decided to go for Motocross beside the Scottish Six Days Trial, the Scott Trial and several other meetings. In the 1973 ISDT in the USA he was member of the British team which finished second in the World Trophy – their best classification in the last 20 years.

In 1970, Rathmell went to Bultaco, and in 1971 he took part in the Scottish Six Days Trial, finishing in fourth with the famous Sherpa T, and winning the Scott Trial and the British Experts Trial. He began some major development work on the motorcycle, and in 1971 and 1972 he ended the European Championship in second, behind Mick Andrews and his Ossa. In 1973 the title went to his friend Martin Lampkin, also on Bultaco, and in 1974 it was finally his turn. In a long Championship (13 rounds, the first one in the USA, which is why the season became the Euro-American Championship), Malcolm Rathmell scored three wins and five second places, enough for him to beat Swede Ulf Karlsson and British riders Mick Andrews and Martin Lampkin.

1975 was the first World Championship year. Rathmell decided to leave Bultaco (which had many top riders and hence many different technical inputs) and go to Montesa, in order to develop the new 306cc model which was to replace the mythical Cota 247. Martin Lampkin clinched the title, one point ahead of Yrjö Vesterinen and two ahead of Rathmell.

The famous Montesa Cota 348, the “Rathmell Replica”, came out in 1976, and the fight for the title remained very close. However, it was one more for Bultaco, and Vesterinen’s first title, ahead of Rathmell and Lampkin.

The Finn would take a second title in 1977. Malcolm Rathmell finished third.

For 1978, Rathmell signed a two-year contract with Suzuki and worked on developing the motorcycle, but it was a disaster. At the end of the first year the contract was terminated amicably and Malcolm went back to Montesa for 1979. He finished the Championship in fifth place but he won the Scottish Six Days Trial for the second time (after his first win in 1973), and the British Championship for the fifth time. He would still compete for another three years, but knee problems finally prompted him stop competing. He now runs a shop specialised inTrial equipment.

© Don Morley 19

Š Harry Everts Archive

Harry Everts

FIM Motocross Legend Born on 6 February 1952 in Neeroeteren, Belgium

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As a child, Harry had polio and underwent a series of operations on his leg. Under the guidance of his uncle Jef Teeuwissen (himself a World Championship rider), he started racing at national level in 1967 on a 250cc Maïco. Joel Robert spotted his riding skills and recommended him to the Puch factory. He entered the 250cc World Championship in 1973 and finished in 14th place as best Belgian rider ahead of Jean-Claude Laquaye, Joel Robert, Gaston Rahier and Sylvain Geboers!

In 1974, he took third spot behind Guennady Moisseev and Jaroslav Falta.

He then dominated the 1975 season and won a first World title (the only one for Puch). Still on a Puch in 1976, he finished fourth, repeating that feat on a Bultaco in 1977, scoring sixth in 1978.

Hired in 1979 by Suzuki for the 125cc class, replacing Gaston Rahier who went to Yamaha, he was on a mission: to keep the title in the hands of the yellow brand. Harry literally destroyed the competition, clinching 18 heat wins (a record never broken nor equalled) and nine GP victories. His reign over the 125cc class lasted three years (1979-1981). During that time, he even prepared his own succession.

He finished fourth in 1982 while team mate and “protégé” Eric Geboers – younger brother of his mechanic Sylvain Geboers – continued Suzuki’s domination in the class. He then went to defend the Suzuki colours in the 500cc class in 1983 and took another fourth, battling it out with Hakan Carlqvist, André Malherbe and Graham Noyce.

On a Husqvarna in 1984, he suffered a severe leg injury while training that marked the end of his career. He retired and concentrated his efforts on his son Stefan, with some success! The younger Everts would claim 10 Motocross World Championships and 101 GP wins.

Today, Harry is a talent scout for KTM and runs a motocross school.

Harry Everts was also a member of the Belgian team which won the Motocross des Nations in 1976 and 1979. © Harry Everts Archive 21

Š FIM Archive

Phillip William Read

FIM Road Racing Legend Born on 1 January 1939 in Luton, England

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Eight-times world champion motorcycle road racer Phillip William Read is nicknamed “The Prince of Speed.”

He was the first man to win world championships in the 125cc, 250cc and 500cc classes.

modified privateer Yamaha with no factory support. On this bike he claimed his fifth world championship and became the only rider to win a world championship as a privateer.

In 1964, Phil gave Yamaha their first world title when he won the 250cc class. He repeated this feat as champion the following year. For 1966, Yamaha introduced a new four cylinder 250cc bike and teething problems with the new engine meant he lost the crown to Hailwood.

In 1967 he battled Hailwood on his six-cylinder Honda all the way to the final round. They ended up tied but Hailwood took the crown as he had five wins to Read’s four.

In 1972 he was offered a ride with the MV Agusta team and in 1973 he took the 500cc world championship.

He successfully defended his crown in 1974 in what would be the last world championship for the legendary Italian marque. It would also be the last time a fourstroke machine would win a title until the advent of the MotoGP class in 2002.

The 1968 season proved to be controversial. The Yamaha factory had wanted Read to concentrate on winning the 125cc title while team-mate Bill Ivy was to take the 250cc crown. After winning the 125cc championship, Read decided to fight Ivy for the 250cc title. They finished the season tied on points and Read was awarded the championship based on elapsed times.

After sitting out most of the 1969 and 1970 seasons when the major Japanese factories all withdrew from Grand Prix racing, he returned in 1971 on a heavily

He put up a strong fight against Agostini’s Yamaha for the 1975 500cc championship but finished in second place. Realising that the writing was on the wall for four-stroke machines, he left the Italian company to campaign as a privateer on a Suzuki in the 1976 season, after which he retired from Grand Prix racing. His last race was at the Isle of Man TT in 1982 at the age of 43.

The FIM named him a Grand Prix “Legend” in 2002.

A less well-known aspect of Phil’s career was his involvement in endurance racing. He rode a Honda in the 24-hour Bol d’Or endurance race at Le Mans and was involved in the 8-hour race at Thruxton. © FIM Archive 23