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Bryan Badger Goss Obituary
Scramble ace ‘Badger’ Goss dies aged 80
Tributes have been pouring onto social media following the death on January 6 of Blackmore Vale motocross legend Bryan ‘Badger’ Goss. He was 80.
Bryan was born at Yetminster on September 11, 1940 – during the Battle of Britain, hence his middle name, Winston, after wartime Prime Minister Winston Churchill.
It was also at Yetminster that he acquired his ‘Badger’ nickname. His lifelong love affair with motorbikes began early, and before he got his own, he used to ‘badger’ fellow villagers for a go on theirs. The habit led to one of his friends calling him ‘Badger’ and the name stuck.
His first bike was a 197cc Ambassador, which cost the teenager £40. Badger entered his first motorcycle scramble soon after his 16th birthday. Perhaps inspired by grasstrack star Lew Coffin, another Yetminster resident, he also tried his hand at that discipline but crashed heavily at Exeter and broke his leg so badly that he was out of racing for a year.
‘I vowed to stick to scrambling from then on,’ he later recalled.
In 1959 Badger Goss became a works rider for Cotton and promptly beat some of the region’s best competitors to 10
register five race wins during a memorable afternoon at Ham Hill, near Yeovil. After Cotton failed to capitalise on his success, in the early 1960s he let Greeves, a leading works team from Essex, know that he would like to race for them.
To his surprise, they offered him a £25 retainer – a moment that Badger later described as a ‘dream come true’. ‘It was everyone’s ambition to race for Greeves at that time,’ he said.
by Roger Guttridge
The move kick-started the heyday of Badger Goss’s illustrious career. The 1960s were also the era of scramble meetings at Bulbarrow, which helped Badger to become a sporting hero in his own backyard.
A generation of Blackmore Vale folk can still remember the sight of Badger and his rivals, such as brothers Don and Derek Rickman, flying over the jumps on the spectacular hillside course. In the mid-1960s, Badger switched his allegiance again, this time to Husqvarna, a Swedish company, who would provide him with some of his greatest triumphs.
These included victories in the 1966 Trophée des Nations at Brands Hatch, the BBC TV Grandstand Trophy and the British 500cc championship, which he won in 1970, just before his 30th birthday.
As well as an eye for speed, Badger also had a head for business, and in 1964 launched his own shop at Yeovil, Brian Goss Motorcycles.
After winning the British title with Husqvana, he raised eyebrows the following year by switching again to the German manufacturer Maico.
The move not only brought him more success but won him Maico’s UK import franchise.
The Goss business continues to this day as a leading stockist of motocross helmets, kit and other accessories, run by the founder’s son and daughter, Jeff and Debbie, and Jeff’s wife, Sophie.
Badger met his wife, Jenny, on a blind date arranged by a friend and proposed on the Tilbury ferry while taking the cattle truck that he drove for a living back to Thundersley.
The first night of their honeymoon was spent in the slightly more romantic setting of a Paris hotel. The second night was supposed to be spent in a hotel in Lyon, where Bryan was riding in an international event. They couldn’t find the hotel and ended up sharing an old van with Badger’s bikes and his mate Don Hitchcock, who slept in the bunk below.
Badger went on to win the 250cc race in Lyon with Don Rickman winning the 500 event. Jenny Goss died in 2012.
Motocross writer Ian Berry describes Badger as not only a ‘tenacious competitor on the track’ but a ‘great character’ off it. The rider once told Berry: ‘All I ever really wanted was to be everybody’s mate.’
He achieved that with interest.
An early outing on the 250cc Husqvarna at Bulbarrow Hill in October 1965
POLITICS
North Dorset Cycle Ride 2021 WILL happen!
therefore a lot of careful pleased to announce that their
certain that the excellent work Following cancellation carried out by Shaftesbury Rotary of last year’s event, it Club and its volunteers will result in an even bigger, better and well is Shaftesbury Rotary supported event for 2021 – and Club’s intention to go with that raise vital funds for ahead with this year’s Prostate Cancer UK research. charity ride. We look forward to entering our own competitive team which, no
The event will be different in Managing Director Jim Highnam many ways due to COVID-19, who himself is a keen cyclist!”. doubt, will be headed up by our planning has been introduced to In 2021 the event will “start” comply with regulations. at Castle Hill, to allow more space for a socially distanced
Last year unsurprisingly saw event. Instead of a mass start, a marked increase in cycling riders will be given a staggered throughout the UK - and if you start time with all registration needed a reason to get on your online (therefore no entries will bike for 2021, the Shaftesbury be accepted on the day). More annual event takes you out to details will be released nearer experience the amazing beauty the date. We would hasten to of North Dorset. add, the “finish” will remain
Shaftesbury Rotary Club are (subject to weather). cycling up the iconic Gold Hill main sponsor will be BV Dairy. With many charities suffering, financial hardship, due to
In support of the Cycle Ride, BV COVID-19, this event will be
Dairies Commercial Director, even more important. It is
Harry Cowan, commented by very important not only to saying; “We are both excited help charities such as Prostate and privileged to be involved as Cancer UK financially, but also sponsors of this important event. make awareness of the Cancer.
It was disappointing that due to In 2019 a cheque for £6,000.00
Covid restrictions the 2020 event was handed to Prostate Cancer had to be postponed, but we are UK. Whilst the main recipient of funds is Prostate Cancer, other local charities have benefited from donations.
This year we want to do much more so please come along, have a great time, a lot of fun and raise lots of much needed money.
There are three routes to choose from all starting on Castle Hill and finishing on Gold Hill. The easiest is a family friendly 12mile route, the second a tougher 25mile route and lastly a 50mile ride for the more serious biker!
Registration will be online for a modest £25.00 per adult for the 25 mile and 50mile rides, and £20.00 per adult for the 12mile ride. Young people aged 10 - 16 years are half price, and children under 10 years are welcome join in for free.
Should the event be cancelled your entry fee will be refunded or held over to the following year.
Riders can pre-register by going to the website www.cycleride. shaftesburyrotaryclub.org or you can contact Martin on 07341 866941
Initiated by Cllr Carole Jones in
March 2020 and supported by the Friends of Stour Connect, the Covid-19 Action Group
Sturminster Newton received
over 1000 requests for shopping and prescription collection and all 12
delivered thanks to the help and support of over 50 local volunteers during the first Lockdown last year. This COVID Action Group is still active and continues to provide help or support with the following: • Hot food deliveries direct to your door • Helping young people cope • Health and Wellbeing - e.g. mental health, loneliness, physical health • Dealing with Utilities • Information about help with debt • Prescription and shopping collection • Benefits advice • Housing issues • Help with costs of shopping – Vale Pantry, food vouchers (local shops, Coop, Steeptonbill
Farm Shop), boxes of essential non-food items Call us on the following for further information: Andy (07849) 618522 Chris (07771) 517913 Carole (07968) 348481 Or email us on covid19stur@gmail.
