VINTAGE VINES

EURO WINNER MICK ANDREWS

(OSSA-GBR)

No, we are not talking of a lottery winner, but Mick Andrews (OssaGBR), who, by the time the year ended, had retained the European Trials Championship, having first won it in 1971; he was a very happy man. At a time when English riders and Spanish motorcycle manufacturers still dominated the trials world, this title was the one to win. Ossa had a new machine, the MAR (Mick Andrews Replica), and they knew the victory would secure sales of the new model. The first production batch of the very first MAR Ossa replica machines had arrived from Spain at the London Show just before the European season commenced in Belgium. Mick Andrews had his own machine, but the first production models would go to the official UK importer Peter Fletcher and his riders Mick Bowers, Arthur Lampkin, Dave Thorpe and Bill Wilkinson. The Spanish machines dominated the trials market, and it was big business in the early ’70s. Very shortly, the Japanese would start to take a serious interest in the appeal of trials as a family sport.

Dave Thorpe (Ossa-GBR): Along with the new machine came the success; one week later Dave would win the ACH British Championship round, the Traders Cup Trial.

As Sammy Miller re-signed for Bultaco for a further three years, having — allegedly — turned down an offer from Yamaha to develop a new two-stroke 360cc, all eyes were on the big four of Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha as the interest became more intense in the trials world.

BIG BULTACOS

Trials machine development had started to move towards larger-capacity engines, and at the opening round of the 1972 Championship in Belgium, three prototype 325cc Bultacos had appeared in the hands of the Spanish riders Fernando Munoz, Ignatio Bulto and Jaime Marques. Mick Andrews had won on the Ossa, and his results drew attention. Before long other riders, including Derek Adsett, who had been at Greeves for nine years, and then Mick Wilkinson would also make a move.

Andrews won again in Ireland at the Hurst Cup as Malcolm Rathmell followed him home again, as he had done in the first round. As Rathmell won the opening round of the ACU British Trials Championship, the St David’s Trial in Wales on the 250cc, Sammy Miller took the first win for the 325cc Bultaco at the Don Mountstevens Trial on his debut with the new prototype machine.

Malcolm Rathmell carried his good form to the third round of the European Championship in France at Sancerre to beat Andrews by a clear 20 marks. However, one week later, Mick Andrews took the win at Matadepera in front of a huge contingent of fans from the Ossa factory.

Whilst in Spain, Martin Lampkin, along with his brother Alan and Malcolm Rathmell, had picked up new prototype 325cc models. Martin rode his to second place with Rathmell fifth and elder brother Alan seventh.

Montesa had their hopes of glory with Gordon Farley, but he badly cut his hand in Spain, forcing his retirement, which left the door open for fellow British rider Rob Edwards to be the highest-placed Montesa rider in fourth place.

Rob Shepherd (Montesa-GBR): Looking good early on, ‘Shep’ would lead the event at the halfway stage.

Tony Davis (Bultaco-GBR): Fighting for a three-mark loss and keeping forward motion – check out the concentration!

GREAT BRITAIN’S EURO ROUND

One week before, Martin Lampkin had given the new 325cc Bultaco its first ACU British Trials Championship win at the second round of the series, the Cotswolds Cup. He loved the strong power which suited his aggressive riding style.

Run by the Bristol Motorcycle & Light Car Club on 18th March, Great Britain’s European round would start and finish at the Cadbury Country Club at Congresbury, near Bristol in Somerset. Sixty sections of a wide variety of terrain would be ridden over a single lap. The organising club was also responsible for the John Douglas National Trial. Many of the trial’s groups of sections, such as White Rock, Lambs Lair, and the steep and intimidating river climb at Eau De Nil, would be included in the European round. An entry of 72 riders was mainly made up of home riders, with a small entry of just 15 foreign riders from Austria, Belgium, Spain and West Germany. Originally 11 rounds had been proposed, but this was reduced to ten when Poland was cancelled. Of the ten rounds, only the riders’ top six results would count in the championship, as Mick Andrews led the way with a good lead on 57 points, followed by Malcolm Rathmell with 45, Martin Lampkin on 33, Gordon Farley with 30 and Rob Edwards on 24.

Derek Adsett (Ossa-GBR): After nine years riding for Greeves, a move was made to the Ossa UK importers.

EAU DE NIL

On a warm, overcast late-March day, the riding conditions were ideal on the hills around Bristol for the event, but the scores were still pretty high as the first half of the competition proved quite challenging. Many riders had never seen or ridden the three un-cleaned sections at Eau De Nil — a very steep near-vertical climb up the river that needed full commitment to clean them all.

An encouraging early attempt on the three sections had seen the Spanish rider Jaimie Marques take his 250cc Bultaco to the top for a fourmark loss. An aggressive all-action attack on the 325cc Bultaco from Martin Lampkin was rewarded with the best loss of the day, just three marks, after he remained feet-up through the hardest part of the hazard, on the steepest part before the feet came down in the last section of this group.

After 30 sections, the young Yorkshire farmer Rob Shepherd (Montesa) led the way by just two marks from Mick Andrews, who had lost 26 marks, followed by the two Lampkin brothers Martin on 30 and Alan on 31.

Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR): Was this the event where riding the new 325cc Bultaco was a mistake? 11th position meant no championship points.

Geoff Chandler (Bultaco-GBR): Standing tall on the Bultaco; a very good and underestimated trials rider.

MICK’S ‘MAGIC’ AGAIN

As Malcolm Rathmell struggled with the 325cc Bultaco, it was Andrews who turned on the magic, much to the delight of the many assembled spectators. Step by step, he pulled away from the opposition as he recorded the best performance through the remaining 30 sections. The fight for the win was gone, and it was now all about who would finish second. Loving the challenge of the predominately steep climbs and muddy banks, the youngest of the three Lampkin brothers used the power of the bigger engined Bultaco to finish second, some 17 marks behind the victorious Andrews but only two marks in front of Dave Thorpe on the Ossa. The early leader Rob Shepherd was just a further two marks behind as Gordon Farley rounded off the top five as the championship points showed a total success for the English riders. On a tough day on the new 325cc Bultaco, the biggest loser on the day was Malcolm Rathmell, who finished 11th and out of a points-scoring position.

Ian Haydon (Montesa-GBR): This long dab is needed to keep forward motion.

EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP

ROUND FIVE: GREAT BRITAIN

RESULTS 1: Mick Andrews (Ossa-GBR) 55; 2: Martin Lampkin (Bultaco-GBR) 72; 3: Dave Thorpe (Ossa-GBR) 74; 4: Rob Shepherd (Montesa-GBR) 78; 5: Gordon Farley (MontesaGBR) 80; 6: Tony Davis (Bultaco-GBR) 81; 7: Derek Adsett (Ossa-GBR) 83; 8: Alan Lampkin (Bultaco-GBR) 83; 9: Laurence Telling (Montesa-GBR) 84; 10: Rob Edwards (Montesa-GBR) 85. The Top Ten Scored European Championship Points. 11: Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR) 88; 12: Walter Luft (Puch-AUT) 95; 13: Geoff Chandler (Bultaco-GBR) 97; 14: Ian Haydon (Montesa-GBR) 97; 15: Arthur Browning (Bultaco-GBR) 98; 16: Brian Hutchinson (BultacoGBR) 101; 17: Malcolm Davis (Bultaco-GBR) 101; 18: Chris Watts (Bultaco-GBR) 105; 19: Ignacio Bulto (Bultaco-ESP) 105; 20: Mick Bowers (Ossa-GBR) 107. MANUFACTURERS’ TEAM: Bultaco, Martin Lampkin, Alan Lampkin, Malcolm Rathmell. BEST FOREIGN RIDER: Walter Luft (Puch) 95 BEST SPANISH RIDER: Ignacio Bulto (Bultaco) 105 BEST BELGIAN RIDER: Jean Marie Lejeune (Montesa) 123

Malcolm Davis (Bultaco-

GBR): Not just a good scrambles rider but also a very competent trials rider.

Jon Bliss (Saracen-GBR): On full stretch riding the highest placed ‘British’ machine, the Saracen.

Fernando Munoz (Bultaco-ESP): ‘Randy’ as he was nicknamed rode for Bultaco in both scrambling and trials.

1972 EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS

BEST SIX OF TEN ROUNDS

RESULTS: 1: Mick Andrews (OssaGBR) 87; 2: Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR) 73; 3: Martin Lampkin (Bultaco-GBR) 72; 4: Gordon Farley (Montesa-GBR) 44; 5: Rob Edwards (MontesaGBR) 29; 6: Yrjo Vesterinen (Bultaco-FIN) 25; 7: Dave Thorpe (Ossa-GBR) 25; 8: Gottfried Linder (Montesa-SUI) 21; 9: Thore Evertsson (Ossa-SWE) 18; 10: Rob Shepherd (Montesa-GBR) 18; 11:

Roger George (Montesa-BEL) 17;

12: Ignacio Bulto (Bultaco-ESP) 16;

13: Charles Coutard (Bultaco-FRA)

15; 14: Ulf Karlson (Montesa-SWE) 15; 15: Benny Sellman (Montesa-

SWE) 15.

MACHINES: Montesa 7; Bultaco 5; Ossa 3. As the 1972 European Championship closed, Mick Andrews on the Ossa would retain his title. As we already commented, the championship consisted of ten rounds in Belgium, Ireland, France, Spain, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Finland, Sweden and Switzerland. Only the riders’ best six scores would count towards the final championship positions, and such was Andrews’ winning ratio that he won the title with one round remaining. The top three in each round were: BELGIUM: 1: Mick Andrews (Ossa-GBR) 107; 2: Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR) 116; 3: Gordon

Farley (Montesa-GBR) 119.

IRELAND: 1: Mick Andrews (Ossa-GBR) 83; 2: Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR) 91; 3: Gordon

Farley (Montesa-GBR) 99.

FRANCE: 1: Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR) 36; 2: Mick Andrews (Ossa-GBR) 56; 3: Gordon Farley

(Montesa-GBR) 60.

SPAIN: 1: Mick Andrews (Ossa-GBR) 80; 2: Martin Lampkin (Bultaco-GBR) 106; 3: Ignacio Bulto

(Bultaco-ESP) 108.

GREAT BRITAIN: 1: Mick Andrews (Ossa-GBR) 55; 2: Martin Lampkin (Bultaco-GBR) 72; 3: Dave

Thorpe (Ossa-GBR) 74.

GERMANY: 1: Mick Andrews (Ossa-GBR) 42; 2: Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR) 44; 3: Martin

Lampkin (Bultaco-GBR) 46.

ITALY: 1: Martin Lampkin (Bultaco-GBR) 14; 2: Gottfried Linder (Montesa-SUI) 15; 3: Malcolm

Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR) 18.

FINLAND: 1: Martin Lampkin (Bultaco-GBR) 20; 2: Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR) 22; 3: Mick

Andrews (Ossa-GBR) 38.

SWEDEN: 1: Yrjo Vesterinen (Bultaco-FIN) 21; 2: Hans Bengtsson (Ossa-SWE) 24; 3: Malcolm

Rathmell (Bultaco-GBR) 27.

SWITZERLAND: 1: Charles Coutard (BultacoFRA) 39; 2: Roger George (Montesa-BEL) 48; 3:

Bernard Buchet (Bultaco-BEL) 49.

TRIALS MODELS NEW!

A SUPERB GIFT FOR ANY TRIAL ENTHUSIATS

From Spanish model manufacturer, TrialReplic, in association with Yoomee, present its range of 1:6 scale size replica trials motorcycles exclusively for sale in the UK. TrialReplic is a family business that was created out of a passion for our wonderful sport of motorcycle trials. The company is dedicated to the manufacture of 1:6 scale replicas of motorcycle trials models, using both metal and plastic materials in their production. The current model range includes Honda, Montesa and Ossa. More models are lined up for the future. Sold as display models for the collector, they make the perfect gift for the motorcycle trials enthusiast. Get yourself along to the website: www.yoomee.co.uk and start collecting these exciting models or call: 01663 749163 for more information. Each model is priced at £69.99 including FREE P&P .

Honda RTL RED

We all remember the winning years of this machine in the hands of the FIM World Trials Champion Eddy Lejeune from Belgium and ACU British Trials Champion Rob Shepherd. Honda TLR

Very much a part of the classic trial’s scene in the modern world, this machine, the Honda TLR is the starting point for many of today’s highly modified four-stroke machines. Honda RTL WHITE

In the USA, the four-stroke RTL ‘Team’ machines carried this white and red colour scheme as ridden by the late Marland Whaley.

Ossa Mick Andrews Replica

This Mick Andrews Replica model is a fitting tribute to the man who developed the Spanish Ossa, ‘Magical’ Mick Andrews. Montesa Cota 247

With a long sporting history of over 75 years the Cota 247 is the trials model that put the name of Montesa on the road to its worldwide trial’s success. Cota 247 Ulf Karlson Replica

A fitting tribute to the man that this Montesa replica model is named after, Sweden’s Ulf Karlson who gave Montesa early European success.

ORDER YOURS TODAY!

NEVER MISS ANOTHER ISSUESUBSCRIBEFREE NECK WARMER WORTH £9.99 WITH ALL NEW ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS* UK: £27.99 • EUROPE: £39.99 • RoW: £45.99

FOR THE LATEST PRODUCTS AND DEALS, HAVE YOU VISITED OUR ONLINE SHOP AT

TO SUBSCRIBE

For UK, Europe and Worldwide, order securely at www.trialmaguk.com/subscriptions/ or fill the form below and return to: Trial Magazine, 48 Albion Road, New Mills, High Peak, Derbyshire, SK22 3EX. Tel: 01663 744766 or email england@trialmag.com

FOUR-ISSUE SUBSCRIPTION (12 Months) PLUS FREE NECK WARMER*

n UK = £27.99 n EUROPE = £39.99 n RoW = £45.99

* Designs and styles of the free Neck Warmer may vary and are subject to stock availability. This offer is for new subscribers only, not for resubscriptions or renewals. POSTAGE DETAILS

Full Name:

Address:

Postcode:

Phone number:

Email:

n Tick here if you wish to receive promotions of

Trial Magazine and its partners PAYMENT DETAILS

You can pay by cheque or debit/credit card.

TOTAL: £

• I’m paying by Cheque n Please make it payable to ‘Trial Magazine’ • I’m paying by Card n (Visa • Eurocard • Mastercard)

CARD NUMBER

nnnn nnnn nnnn nnnn

Expiry date: nn nn Security code: nnn

Signature: Date: