Classic Trial Magazine Issue 46 Autumn 2023

MOTORCYCLE • CYCLE • SIDECAR • CLASSIC • COMPETITION • FEATURES trialmaguk.com

46

FINALE

MAJESTY WINNER USA

JOHN LAMPKIN COLLECTOR

MECATECNO

9 772049 307020 9 772049 307020

AUTUMN 2023

ISSUE 46 • UK: £6.99

46> 46>

JOHN HULME

STORY

COLLECTOR 1993

FINALE

STORY

WELCOME • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

CONTACT Online: www.trialmaguk.com Email: england@trialmag.com Address: 48 Albion Road, New Mills, High Peak, Derbyshire, SK22 3EX United Kingdom

THE TEAM Co-Managing Directors John Hulme & Charles Benhamou Executive Director Philippe Benhamou Editor John Hulme (NUJ No: 949620) Editorial Staff Matthew Heppleston, Heath Brindley, Nick Shield, John Moffat.

Photographers Barry Robinson, Malcolm Carling, John E Shirt, Colin Bullock, Cyrille Barthe, Eric Kitchen, Alan Vines, Toon van de Vliet, Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright, The Nick Nicholls Collection at Mortons Archive, Don Morley, Motorcycle News, Brian Holder.

Proof reading Jane Hulme and Davina Brooks Commercial Manager John Hulme england@trialmag.com Subscriptions Cath Rogers cath@trialmaguk.com 01663 744766 Design and Production Dean Cook, The Magazine Production Company www.magazineproduction.com Printing Buxtons Press Distribution Warners Group Publications © 2023 CJ Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written consent of the Publishers.

Great care is taken to ensure accuracy in the preparation of this publication, but neither CJ Publishing Ltd or the editor can be held responsible for its contents.

The views expressed are those of the contributors and not necessarily those of the Publishers.

Classic Trial Magazine is published by: CJ Publishing Limited, registered in England Number: 5947718.

Classic Trial Magazine: ISSN: 2049-307X.

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Summary Picture: 1983 FIM World Trials Championship. Switzerland Podium: Bernie Schreiber (USA) Eddy Lejeune (BEL) Toni Gorgot (ESP) • Credit: Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • WELCOME

FEATURES UNTOLD

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COLLECTOR

24

FINALE

32

INTERNATIONAL

38

STORY

54

BEST OF BRITISH

68

SPORT

82

TEAM

88

Suzuki RL

John Hulme Brochures Majesty Yamaha

1983 Winner John Lampkin 1983 FIM World Trials Mecatecno Cheetah

Highland Two Day 1973 Inter Centre Team Trial

REGULAR SECTIONS NEWS TRIALS GURU PADDOCK SHOPPING POSTER SUBSCRIBE SHOP

6 8 10 12 49 80 96

Front Cover: John Lampkin (Fantic-GBR) 1983 FIM Winner USA • Credit: John Lampkin Family Collection CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

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NEWS • THE WORLD OF TRIALS

2023 LEVEN VALLEY TWO-DAY TRIAL Expect some fun and games from these two at the 2023 Leven Valley Two-Day Trial! Steve Saunders, on the left, will be joined by his ex-mechanic Derrick Edmonson, who was with him during the Repsol Honda team days.

Another ex-Honda supported rider Eric Lejeune, the younger brother of Eddie from Belgium, will also be riding.

With the Ice Factor still closed, the trial headquarters will be based at the community centre in Kinlochleven, where signing-on will take place. Hot food will be available to purchase to keep everyone fed and watered.

The two-day event will run over the weekend of 23rd and 24th September. The club is still seeking observers and marshals to support this successful event. If you can travel to some of the more far-out sections with your motorcycle, even better!

As with all clubs, the logistics of making an event successful needs support. If you can help, please contact the club via the website: www.kinlochlevenmcc.co.uk Photo credit: TMX Archive

APICO AND RENTHAL

Apico Factory Racing are excited to secure official Renthal Off-Road Distribution for the UK. Apico will distribute the full range of off-road products from the world-renowned Manchester-based engineering company, which supplies the world’s best race teams and riders in Trial GP, MXGP, AMA and WSX. The range includes Handlebars, Grips, Sprockets and Chains, as well as many other product categories suitable for the growing Classic and Retro trials scene.

2023 COSTA BRAVA TWODAY TRIAL As we rapidly approach the 2023 Costa Brava Two-Day Trial in Spain on the 18th and 19th November, the organising team asks that you keep your eyes on the multilingual website: www.trialcostabrava.com or visit their Facebook page: Trial Costa Brava, for more information.

JACK KNOOPS: 1939-2023

Jack passed away on 31st July after a brave fight from a stroke he suffered a few years ago. We asked his good friend George Webb about his memories of Jack: “I first knew him when we were in the services, in the late ’60s, early ’70s. Jack was in the RAF team, and I was in the Army team; we met up at inter-service events.

We went into the services at an early age, me to the Army Junior Leaders at 15 and Jack to the RAF apprentices.

Jack came to several international events, such as the SSDT and the ISDT as a support crew member when I was riding.

“After we both left the services, I discovered he had moved to North Yorkshire with his new job. One day he came into my shop in Harrogate and told me he was now working nearby. It was not too long before I offered Jack a partnership in the business as I was looking to expand and move from retail to a wholesale business. Working together with experience from the services, Sportex grew into a medium-sized company in the Motorcycle trade.

“After we sold Sportex, I moved to Spain for a number of years, and Jack stayed in Ripon, still motorcycling and developing his photography skills. Many of today’s younger riders will remember Jack more for his hobby and friendly nature, not least for the many photos he shared with the riders. When Jack had a stroke some time ago, it was a very sad time as his wife Marie died soon after. RIP Jack, old Pal.”

Photo credit: George Webb

2024 CLASSIC DIRT BIKE SHOW

GRIB RACE PARTS ES After the ‘Visit’ article to AG Bikes in Classic Trial Magazine #45, we highlighted the fact that they were now stocking the aftermarket Grib Parts found on the Fantic we tested. As many of the Twin-Shock machines from Europe used the same components, such as Grimeca branded wheel hubs and brake plates and Marzocchi front forks, the Grib parts are universal to these products and can fit a wide range of machines. Check out the AG Bikes advert in this magazine for more information.

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The UK’s biggest classic off-road show, The Classic Dirt Bike Show, sponsored by Hagon Shocks, will return at Telford International Centre, Shropshire, in 2024. It will run over the weekend of 10-11 February 2024. The annual off-road show is well known for attracting the biggest names in the scene, and next year is no exception; keep an eye on the website: www.classicdirtbikeshow.co.uk for more information and to pre-order your tickets.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

INCORPORATING

NJB SHOCKS Ltd

PRE ‘65

AIR COOLED MONO

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ROAD RUN TRIALS GURU • JOHN MOFFAT

TRIALS GURU

I remember back in my youth when I had a conversation with the Melville Club racing secretary, Mr Tom Dickie. Tom was a wellrespected man in the motorcycle racing world, who told me that his aim was simple; “To run successful race meetings”, something from which he took great pride and satisfaction. I knew quite a few people like Tom Dickie; all were enthusiasts who took great pride in organising motorcycle events.

Article: John Moffat

M

y trials riding days are now few and far between, but that doesn’t mean I’m ceasing motorcycling. In July each year, I organise a road run in memory of my dad, the T. Arnott Moffat Memorial, which takes in a plethora of B-class roads around Loch Ness. The run covers around 70 miles and includes a lunch stop at Foyers, which is near the old Scottish Six Days Trial section group, last used in 1967.

For the last six years, the former Sandiford Montesa rider and 1973 British Expert Clive Smith and his younger brother Stephen have travelled north from Lancashire, as does Dave Varley, all former trials riders. They are joined by Dougie Bald, Gordon Cuthill and Ralph Forbes, all former Scottish trials riders, and Bert Harkins and Brian ‘Pogo’ Collins, who were

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teammates at the Edinburgh Monarchs speedway in the 1960s.

In previous runs, Ernie Page, 1967 Scottish Scrambles Champion who also rode for the Great Britain Trophy team in the ISDT, joined in the fun.

Due to business commitments, he couldn’t attend this year, but he has noted the date for 2024!

This year we had 65 machines, which amounted to 75 people taking part, and, apart from a heavy shower as we passed the Culloden Battlefield, it was relatively fine weather. Everyone is enthused about the day, which is not only about riding motorcycles but also — and equally important — talking motorcycling.

It just goes to prove that when the time comes to hang up the trials boots, there are other pastimes to be enjoyed by like-minded enthusiasts.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

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SHOPPING • WHAT’S NEW

WHAT’S ON YOUR SHOPPING LIST?

MOTS GO2 ON3 HELMETS Various Colour Ways Web: www.trialendurodirect.com Tel: 01298 766813

MOTS X RIDER KIT

Three Colour Ways Web: www.trialendurodirect.com Tel: 01298 766813

APICO RENTHAL FATBAR Various Colour Ways Web: www.apico.co.uk Tel: 01282 473 190

COMAS PRO RACING GLOVE

Various Colour Ways Web: www.camiomoto.co.uk Tel: 01246 792033

COMAS VEST BACK/ CHEST PROTECTOR Web: www.camiomoto.co.uk Tel: 01246 792033

APICO PRODUCTS NECK TUBE Web: www.apico.co.uk Tel: 01282 473 190

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APICO PRODUCTS FORMA Forma Boulder Comp Camo Web: www.apico.co.uk Tel: 01282 473 190

INMOTION FORK DUST COVERS Various Brands & Sizes Web: www.inmotiontrials.com Tel: 01784 440033

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

WHAT’S NEW • SHOPPING

S3 TRIAL ORGANIC COLLECTION

SORRA CUSTOM CLOTHING ‘DRY FLEX’

Various Colour Ways Web: www.trialendurodirect.com Tel: 01298 766813

Various Colour Ways Web: www.sorra.uk Tel: 01743 624544

APICO PRODUCTS HEBO Montesa Classic Zone 5 ‘23 design Web: www.apico.co.uk Tel: 01282 473 190

APICO PRODUCTS HEBO HEBO Race Pro IV Rider Kit Range Web: www.apico.co.uk Tel: 01282 473 190

COMAS WORKSHOP MAT Web: www.camiomoto.co.uk Tel: 01246 792033

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

COMAS MOTO HELMET Various Colour Ways Web: www.camiomoto.co.uk Tel: 01246 792033

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UNTOLD • SUZUKI RL

ENTER THE DRAGON SUZUKI RL

Growing up around trials motorcycles in the ’60s, one name was always at the forefront of winning the ACU British Trials Championship: a certain Sammy Miller.

His domination had seen him retain the title from 1959 until 1969, despite a swap from the four-stroke Ariel in 1964 to the two-stroke Bultaco in 1965. When the news broke that we had a new ACU British Trials Champion in 1970, it was a huge talking point in the sport. The rider who knocked Miller off the top spot was Gordon Farley on the Montesa; he would retain his title in 1971, again on a Montesa. He lost the title the following year but, unbeknown to the trials world at the time, Farley had been to Japan in a cloak-and-dagger operation as early as August 1972 to speak with Suzuki about their move into the growing world of motorcycle trials; the contact with the English rider had first started in late 1971.

He finally decided to leave Montesa in 1972, and he became the first rider to officially 14

become a part of what would be the trend for the attack to the domination of the Spanish motorcycle manufacturers Bultaco, Montesa and Ossa by Japan. In the same year of 1972, Don Smith joined Kawasaki, followed by Mick Andrews to Yamaha in 1973 and finally Sammy Miller to Honda in 1974. The mighty four Japanese motorcycle manufacturers were about to challenge the dominance of the Spanish with what they considered the best development riders in the world; enter the dragon.

Words: Yoomee • Pictures: Malcolm Carling, Allen Collier, Brian Holder, Heinz Schlumpf, Suzuki, Alan Vines, David Wood, The Nick Nicholls Collection at Mortons Archive, Yoomee Archive.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

SUZUKI RL • UNTOLD

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1972: Gordon Farley Motorcycles was rapidly developing a mail order service to supply aftermarket parts.

t is a well-known fact that sporting success is the ideal way to promote your product in any sport, and motorcycling is no different; pride is at stake, so it always becomes very competitive. The huge Suzuki manufacturing facility at Hamamatsu in Japan was more than capable of the mass production of motorcycles and, along with the other three names, Honda, Kawasaki and Yamaha, had seen an unprecedented increase in off-road sales in America. Off the back of global road-racing success, motocross was the new adrenalin drug of fun in the USA, and a world of off-road riders was waiting for trials motorcycles, which is what the manufacturers believed.

A slow-speed sport, one to be enjoyed by all the family, was the dream — as you’re about to read, this was not the case.

SUZUKI IN TRIALS Gordon Farley’s CV was exactly what Suzuki was looking for as he had a good reputation, having previously ridden factory-supplied Triumph and Greeves works machines. His move to Montesa would see him become more involved with developing the Cota 247 model, a role he excelled in. He was also an ideal ambassador with his methodical approach to CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

the sport; in real terms a genuinely nice guy.

On the Montesa, he made it quite clear that at every event, he only had one thing on his mind: beating Sammy Miller. He had the Montesa exactly how he wanted it and gave the Spanish manufacturer their first ACU British Trials Championship title, as we have already seen in 1970 and again in 1971. He soon had a new, growing business off the back of his success, Gordon Farley Motorcycles, and was rapidly developing a mail order service to supply aftermarket parts and accessories to the trials world. This hindered his trials commitment in 1972, and so the move to Suzuki was considered a refreshing one.

In 1971 Maurice Knight of Suzuki GB had been briefed by his superiors in Japan to recommend a top rider; with Gordon Farley, the current ACU British Trials Champion he, was an obvious choice. In the motorcycle press, the talk of Suzuki’s pending move into the trials world had come to light, and it had been rumoured that Farley had made contact with Japan, something he strongly denied at the time. As talks progressed towards a contract with Suzuki, the project gathered momentum. Gordon was sworn to secrecy about any commitment by the Japanese manufacturer about a move into the trials world. He first went to Japan at the end of August 1972 and was confronted with an array 15

UNTOLD • SUZUKI RL

1973: On the prototype Suzuki at the German European round on the way to 9th position and two points.

of prototype two-stroke trials models to test, such was Suzuki’s interest in the sport of motorcycle trials. Many days were spent testing 125cc, 175cc, 250cc and 350cc prototypes on a variety of trials hazards. You must remember that at this time, Spanish rivals Bultaco were running

1973: As you can see, progress was being made with the Suzuki.

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prototype 325cc models, and Montesa had introduced the Cota 123. Four more days of testing commenced, and, after two days, they moved their focus towards two different 250cc machines that they deemed ideal for the trials world.

1973: At the British Experts Trial, giving 100% as always.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

UNTOLD • SUZUKI RL

1973 Knut Trial: The exhaust system dominated the right-hand-side of the Suzuki.

BEHIND CLOSED DOORS Maybe jumping the gun a little, behind closed doors in the Suzuki off-road research and development facility in Japan, they started work on the machine, which they believed was the correct path to follow. Secret trips to Japan by Farley would follow as he had his own ideas, which were put to the Japanese. Whereas Gordon was very practical about his direction in the development, at times, the Japanese had their own; remember, they had minimal experience in the trials world.

The focus of development was on the singlecylinder, two-stroke 246cc engine, derived from a Suzuki Savage trail model more commonly known as the TS. Matching its Spanish rivals,

it had five forward gears and was fitted with transistorised ignition and a 25mm Ø carburettor. This engine would be housed in a lightweight tubular steel frame of the single front downtube type with frame rails under the engine for protection, using front and rear suspension supplied by Suzuki. An aluminium fuel tank would be fitted, and plastic mudguards to keep the weight down.

The two finished prototypes weighed around 190lbs, with the option to reduce weight further by adding more expensive titanium parts and fasteners if required.

More trips to Japan followed before Farley and Suzuki arrived at what they believed was a competitive trials motorcycle. A contract was

Testing the production machine in Japan.

finalised, and he would be employed as a sole development rider for Suzuki.

Just a few days before the 1973 Scottish Six Days Trial, it was announced that Gordon Farley had signed a contract with the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer. His last Montesa win was on 22nd April at the national Beggars Roost Trial.

His Montesa contract expired on 30th June 1973, so from 1st July, he would officially compete in the European and British championships on the arrival of his new Suzuki RL 250.

With a pre-production machine in existence, Suzuki predicted that they would have a trials model on sale in Britain by the end of the year.

Gordon Farley finished his Montesa contract at the SSDT career with seventh place.

The UK market production Suzuki RL 250. These pictures are from the Japanese brochure.

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AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

SUZUKI RL • UNTOLD

A fully homologated Suzuki RL 250.

THE PROTOTYPES ARRIVE A phone call to Farley in the first week of June from Maurice Knight confirmed that two 250cc Suzuki trials machines had arrived at Suzuki GB for him to collect. He was delighted with the work that had been done in Japan; a yellow aluminium fuel tank endorsed the connection with Suzuki in the off-road world, and he immediately started the development work in the UK. Adjusting to the new riding position was soon taken on board, with the left-hand-side gear change and right-hand-side cableoperated rear brake. One of the two machines performed better, so Gordon decided to make this his development machine, with the second Suzuki nominated as the spare.

On 8th July, the new Suzuki was taken to the Ray Baldwin Memorial Trial at Faygate, Sussex, where Farley would ride the machine in its first competitive UK trial. Onlookers commented on its untidy and unfinished appearance, but, as he explained, it was a prototype. As it happened, a stop in an easy section denied Suzuki their first UK win, finishing four marks behind the local centre rider John Kendal on a Bultaco, but one week later, that was put right. Learning so much from his first outing with the new machine, he took a good win in front of some quality competitors at the Presidents Cup Trial at Weavers Down near Liphook, Hants. It was a laborious task with Farley on his development machine, but he eventually won his first national trial for Suzuki in September at the Southern.

In August, making his FIM European Championship debut in Finland on the Suzuki, he finished in 12th. His best result was a fourth in Sweden, on his way to tenth overall in the 1973 championship.

ACU British Championship points were scored, including an impressive ride at the Otter Vale President’s Trial in October, where he finished sixth despite breaking some bones in his hand, which would rule him out of the Scott Trial.

Taking a flight to Japan in the same month to view the Suzuki RL 250, it was now ready for production and presented at the Tokyo Show in November. Rumour had it that production machines would arrive in the UK in December.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

Gordon Farley on promotional duties in the USA. The American-market production Suzuki RL 250.

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UNTOLD • SUZUKI RL

1974 Cotswolds Cup: The front of the machine appears very high.

PRODUCTION MACHINES The promised production machines, scheduled to arrive in the UK in December, failed to materialise. In late February 1974, Gordon Farley received his first production Suzuki RL 250. It was a very tidy version of his prototypes but, in truth, still looked very unfinished. The front mounting for the beautiful aluminium fuel tank gave the machine a very high front-end appearance, and physically it looked very tall. The two side panels were very short, leaving a huge open area below it. Innovation had been applied to aid maintenance, and the left-hand side panel featured an easily accessible cassette-type air filter element, which was easily removable. Many nooks and crannies were left open around the crankcase and side cover areas, giving it an untidy appearance. However, nice touches included a rear trailing chain tensioner and chain oiler located in the swinging arm. The suspension package looked very functional; Suzuki had used their own front forks and rear shock absorbers, which looked impressive.

The right-hand side was dominated by a huge steel one-piece exhaust system with a short silencer attached to keep the noise acceptable.

With his new machine ready to use, through his motorcycle dealership, Gordon gave his ex-works 250cc Suzuki with the yellow fuel tank to sidecar rider Ginger Budd to compete on.

He knew that a 250 two-stroke engine pulling two people would help with his development of the Japanese machine.

He would sponsor Budd and his passenger in the 1974 ACU British Sidecar Trials Championship.

Watching Gordon Farley in action on the new Suzuki RL 250 revealed that the machine did have adequate power, but he did not appear at one with the machine. It appeared to pull well when under load but was very much like a light switch, with the power either on or off, which could quite suddenly turn into a stop situation! Doubts were beginning to arise as to just how much the development engineers at Suzuki had listened to the superior knowledge of Gordon Farley.

1974: In the Cotswolds Cup, Gordon Farley on the production Suzuki RL 250.

1974: Gordon Farley on one of his last rides on the production model at the English round of the European Championship in March.

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AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

SUZUKI RL • UNTOLD

1974: The first sighting of the 250 Suzi/Bult on 20th April at the Victory Trial.

1974 SUZUKI RL 250 RRP: £625.00

ENGINE: Two-Stroke Single Cylinder Air Cooled; Aluminium Cylinder Barrel; Bore: 70.0mm x 64.0mm; Piston Displacement: 246cc; Transmission: Five Forward Gears; Final Drive: Chain; Constant Mesh; Clutch: Multi-Plate, Wet Disc; Ignition: PEI – Pointless Electronic Ignition; Starting System: Kick-Start Lever.

FRAME: Well-Balanced Lightweight High Tensile Tubular; Single Front Down Tube Type; Mudguards: Plastic.

SUSPENSION: Front: Telescopic Oil Damped, 180mm Travel; Rear: Oil Damped, Five-Way Adjustable.

WHEELS: Front: 21” with Aluminium Wheel Rim; Rear: 18” with Aluminium Wheel Rim. Brakes: Drum Type.

SPECIFICATIONS: Wheelbase: 1,345mm; Overall Length: 2,035mm; Overall Height: 1,130mm; Ground Clearance: 290mm; Fuel Tank Capacity: 5 Litres; Dry Weight: 90kg.

COLOUR: Marble Cordova Orange.

A rare colour picture of the 250 Suzi/Bult at ‘Robinson’s Rocks’ in the Inter Centre Team Trial.

John Hulme: “Photographs do not lie: my first sighting of the 250 Suzi/Bult on 21st April 1974 at Hawk’s Nest and the Inter Centre Team Trial”.

1974: One of the last outings for Gordon Farley on a Suzuki trials model was at the Scott Trial.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

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UNTOLD • SUZUKI RL

1974 British Experts Trial: Another rider heavily involved with the Suzuki trials project through Graham Beamish was John Metcalfe.

1974 British Experts Trial: Tony Davis was very involved with the transition of the Suzuki RL 250 into the Beamish Suzuki.

BULTSUZI One of his last rides on the production Suzuki RL 250 was at the Wye Valley Traders Cup Trial in late March. In April, at the ACU British Championship Victory Trial, Gordon turned up on what appeared to be his Suzuki engine and various other cycle parts neatly installed into a modified Bultaco frame. It also used Bultaco front forks and Girling rear shock absorbers and was fitted with aluminium mudguards. Its physical presentation was much neater than the RL 250 production model, and it also appeared to perform much better in the engine performance and the handling and suspension areas. I have tried to find the truth about this machine. Still, no one would either deny or agree about its existence, although I personally witnessed the machine in action at the Inter Centre Team Trial the day after the Victory Trial; the photographs speak the truth! Despite much research into this machine, I cannot find any record of it anywhere, not even in the press!

The Scottish Six Days Trial was missed, as economic and power supply problems affected the supply of the new production Suzuki trials models. The official UK off-road distributors for Suzuki were Beamish Motors based at Portslade, Brighton in Sussex. They had a dealer network of 17 outlets for the new RL 250, and the first batch of 50 machines arrived in July 1974. They all went out to the retail world, but sales were very slow. Priced at £625, it was slightly lower than the price of the newly introduced Yamaha TY 250 but still considerably higher than the Spanish opposition. However, as Gordon Farley focussed on his growing business interests, he soon retired from mainstream trials.

WHAT HAPPENED NEXT There were so many shortfalls in the overall performance of the standard Suzuki RL 250 that a large amount of them remained unsold, and they were stockpiled at Suzuki in Japan and around the world, including America. A huge, predicted sales forecast from the lucrative American market was soon dismissed as the UK market also stalled.

Graham Beamish had witnessed first-hand the worldwide failure of the Suzuki RL 250; he liked the quality of the cycle components, but in his mind, he knew that the biggest problem was the frame and its configuration. He spoke with well-known local trials rider Brian Fowler, and they both decided to modify a batch of 50 of the RL 250 models to gauge public reaction. They lowered the overall gearing and 22

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1974 British Experts Trial: Ginger Budd campaigned the ex-protype Suzuki in national trials under the Gordon Farley Motorcycles banner.

the compression ratio, added flywheel weight and reduced the carburettor size, and generally tidied them up. With these small changes, they sold straight away. Using his previous good judgement in business, Graham made the bold decision to secure the purchase of over 200 of the 250 RL models at a very lucrative price.

With Fowler now on board at the Beamish Suzuki headquarters, he and Graham Beamish went to see Mick Whitlock about a totally new frame to house all the RL 250 parts. Whitlock was an experienced and accomplished fabricator of hand-crafted motorcycle frames with a good reputation to go with it, his bronze welding of Reynolds 531 tubing being of the very highest standard. Using Whitlock’s expertise, a prototype frame was fabricated, and the design proved exactly right after extensive testing. Within the week, a deal was closed for Whitlock to supply Beamish Motors with replacement frames suitable for converting the standard RL250 models for the 1975 season, and the Beamish Suzuki trials machine came to life.

With the arrival of Tony Davis and youth rider Chris Sutton, followed by John Metcalfe and then Nigel Birkett, the Suzuki trials project was rescued from total failure.

Other team riders would come on board at Beamish Suzuki, and soon they started to make an impact in the trials world in the UK. In his judgement, Graham Beamish had faith in his product and the Japanese motorcycle manufacturer Suzuki.

Over the following years, so much exotica of design and evolution of the trials motorcycle appeared from Japan into the trials market before we arrived at the machine that would eventually become the production Beamish Suzuki, proudly built in the UK. AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

FOCUS • COLLECTOR

BELOW:This is the first brochure I really remember seeing.

COLLECTOR

TRIALS BROCHURES 1965–1985 Allow me to introduce myself; I’m John Hulme, editor of Classic Trial Magazine and Trial Magazine. I also own another company, Yoomee Limited, through which I have published six publications, including Motorcycle Retro Replay; three volumes of Twenty Years of Twin-Shock Trials, 1965–1985; Spanish Trials Machines, 1965–2010; and Celebrating the Scottish Six Days Trial, 1909–2011. Yoomee published two books by other authors: A Complete Guide to the Sport of Motorcycle Trials by Steve Saunders and Motorcycle Competition Scotland 1975–2005 by John Moffat. You might ask where all this knowledge and information to produce these magazines and books comes from. I have a vast archive of motorcycle pictures, but as a young boy in the late 1960s, I started collecting motorcycle trials sales brochures. At the present day, the brochure collection stands at 1,277! My motorcycle trials brochure collection starts from 1965 through to the present day, but for this feature, I have focused on the years 1965 to 1985 — a classic era leading into the retro one to show the change in models from twin-shock to mono-shock.

Words: John Hulme • Pictures: Yoomee Archive, Malcolm Carling, Photojenix.

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AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

COLLECTOR • FOCUS

TOP LEFT: Along with the Greeves brochure, this Bultaco one came from John Sandiford Motorcycles. TOP RIGHT: Take a closer look of this AJS Brochure and you will see the VS Bentley Motorcycles’ dealer stamp on it.

ABOVE: Note the James Sandiford Motorcycles’ dealer stamp on this Alta Suzuki Brochure. RIGHT: A very rare 250cc Bultaco Sherpa ‘T’ Kit Campeon brochure; now we had the machine in our household!

M

y earliest recollection of saving trials brochures goes back to around the late ’60s, with trips to Vernon Bentley Motorcycles on Abbeydale Road in Sheffield. He was a Greeves dealer, and my father, who worked at Ferodo Brakes, used to re-line brake shoes for him as a sideline in exchange for a supply of his trials spares.

In 1967 I picked up a brochure I still have with the VS Bentley Motorcycles dealer stamp on it. The brochure is of the ill-fated new AJS 37A-T trials model. I also have some early Greeves brochures from the same shop.

It was very exciting for me when my father, Ron, came home from Jim Sandiford motorcycles with some brochures on the new Bultaco Sherpa trials model. He and Jim had become friends as they met at various trials in both the Cheshire and North West centres; they both had a common interest in the Greeves, the machine to have at the time. Over the years, I went along to the trials emporium that was Jim Sandiford Motorcycles.

Jim was always happy to give me brochures and stickers. I would say that is where the passion for the collection started as, along with the Bultaco brochures, I also had the AJS and Greeves ones.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

SPANISH TRIALS MACHINES In early 1972 my father purchased a private second-hand Montesa Cota 247. I picked up the brochure, possibly from Sandiford’s, I am not sure, but soon my excitement rose to an almost bursting point. We all went as a family, including my older brother, Alan, and mother, Joyce, to Jim Sandiford Motorcycles to trade in the Montesa, except this time, it was to purchase a brand new 250cc Bultaco Sherpa ‘T’ Kit Campeon. Guess what?

I also got the brochure; the new machine was registered as XNU 862L. As motorcycles grew in our family, both my brother and I started competing. We were fortunate to have a few good trials dealers around us. These included another good friend of my father’s, Barrie Rodgers’ BKR’, Barrie Rodgers Motorcycles at Derby, once again a good source for 25

FOCUS • COLLECTOR

collecting brochures. Just as Jim Sandiford had been, Barrie was also very good with us regarding brochures and stickers. As the years passed, we would also visit Paul Ludlam Motorcycles at Reddish. I moved into my teenage years and, with Jim Sandiford now the official Montesa UK importer, the brochures became easier to obtain. I would start writing to the official UK importers for Bultaco and Ossa brochures, Comerford’s and Ossa UK, run by Cliff Holden and his son Roger.

ABOVE: I collected the 250cc Bultaco Sherpa ‘T’ Kit Campeon brochure, complete with the James Sandiford Motorcycles’ dealer stamp. BELOW: Blackpool, of all places, held a motorcycle show in 1973.

SHOWTIME Despite reading about motorcycle shows, I had never been to one until 1973, would you believe, in Blackpool of all places! We had gone out for the day, and my father happened to mention to my mother that there might be a motorcycle show on, so the donkeys were parked, and the motorcycle show it was!

Brochures and stickers were all I had on my mind, but I was disappointed because very few off-road motorcycles were on display. I did pick up a few brochures, but they were mainly road machines. My father, Ron, was very placid about most things my brother and I threw at him, and if it was trials related, he usually buckled.

We both knew that we wanted to go to the 1974 Belle Vue Motorcycle Show in February and after some gentle persuasion and the fact that it would be on a school night, we got the nod and we would go. ‘Excited’ just went out of the window; it was sheer paradise in my eyes as a young boy!

Motorcycle display stands gave out brochures and stickers like there was no tomorrow. Jim Sandiford gave us a brochure on just about everything he had! Jim was now the official UK importer for Montesa, and we had the privilege of meeting his new motocross rider Bob Wright.

The show had an exciting aroma, and we returned home with carrier bags full of goodies.

In my mind, this is where the brochure collecting started in earnest.

As the years progressed and I grew older, I still took every opportunity to collect brochures, mainly trials, as this was my specialist subject.

From now on, I would hassle my father to take me to as many shows as possible.

PLEASE This word, please, became the norm when sending letters to the associated trials importers, “Please could you send me brochures on your trials models?” Many would be accompanied by a request for the location of our nearest dealer in the hope that we would make a purchase and the brochures would be sent.

I must admit my brother Alan was better at it than me.

As I became a better trials rider with some good results, I attracted sponsorship from Town and Country Motorcycles, which Gordon Ruffley and Jack Matthews, the sidecar character, owned.

They had opened a motorcycle dealership in Ashton Under Lyne and would sponsor me with support from Ossa UK, Cliff and Roger Holden. I now had a direct link to brochures through the

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COLLECTOR • FOCUS

A very proud Jim Sandiford with the new Montesa Cota 247 at the 1974 Belle Vue Motorcycle Show.

Jim Sandiford embraced the Montesa importership with both hands.

Seen here on the left he has just signed Motocross rider Bob Wright.

Mike Wood was his Montesa sales manager, seen here on the right.

On January 1st in 1974, Jim Sandiford Motorcycles became the official UK importer for Montesa. This was his stand at the 1974 Belle Vue Motorcycle Show. Jim gave me a brochure on all the Montesa models.

shop, and I would always ask Gordon to save me brochures on any new models that came into the showroom, which he did. At this point, I was not a collector, just a motorcycle enthusiast, not knowing where this interest in brochures would take me.

Moving from a teenager would take me into the adult world of motorcycle trials, which I would really enjoy riding every weekend; this became my primary motivator in life. I attracted more sponsorship and so would visit the trade shows at the end of every year. I would continue to pick up brochures, but not with the passion I had before.

MOVING HOME If I am honest, it was not until March 1988, when I moved from my mother and father’s house, that I realised just how many brochures I had. They were boxed up and put in the top bedroom at my new house. Disaster struck when, one Sunday afternoon, I returned home from a trial to find that I’d had a flood – the water pressure on the street had unexpectedly risen and burst the pipes, and the water had gone all over the brochure boxes! I rescued what I could, but sadly, many were lost.

Over the following years, my life would change in many directions until around 1999, when I began to take a keen interest in brochure collecting again.

I was now working at Ferodo brake linings in Chapel-en-le-frith in the Research and Development Department, which gave me a free hand to do what I wanted. It was around this time, I became interested in the world wide web, which opened a whole new world.

When I was working the 2–10 shift in the afternoon, I would wait until the majority of the office workers had gone home and started to telephone motorcycle dealers, in the constant quest to find more brochures, on the Ferodo telephone. I worked alongside the electronics department at Ferodo, who soon had me up and running with a computer at home so that I could connect with the world. It appeared that there were more motorcycle brochure collectors around the globe than I had first realised, but not many specialised in trials.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

In 1975, I was a keen follower of fashion… seen here at the 1975 Belle Vue Motorcycle Show, this picture was taken by my brother Alan.

My father Ron studies the new Bultaco at the 1975 Belle Vue Motorcycle Show. This and the other colour picture were taken with my first camera, a Kodak.

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EBAY AND THE INTERNET Searching eBay and other internet auction sites became a considerable interest and, on reflection, took over so much of my spare time.

I would visit motorcycle dealers all over the UK, asking them for old brochures. They were always so helpful, and it was always surprising what had been put away.

One of the best trips came about through a suggestion from my father about contacting his good friend Steve Goode. It was a huge bonus, and I can never thank Steve enough for his hospitality and encouragement during those collecting days.

I would visit many classic motorcycle shows in my trusty old Ford Escort van, which started an interest in books, and I started collecting motorcycle trials books and photographs.

I began to trade in brochures and books, often going down to Pooks Books. John Pook had realised how keen I was on my collecting, and he would allow me the time to spend hours going through the mountains of memorabilia he had, just looking for trialsrelated brochures.

When the Ferodo library shut at Chapel-en-leFrith, they wanted to clear the area and asked people to put bids in, but no one was interested; who on earth would want all the old books, magazines, photographs and brochures? Me! I knew that if no one took them, they would all be thrown in the skip; what a waste. All that was asked was a donation to a local charity, 28

ABOVE: How a brochure should be: the Mick Andrews Yamaha brochure from 1974. I have it in English, French, German and Spanish text! BELOW: As with most Japanese market brochures, the attention to detail is incredible.

which I did to secure all the memorabilia. I then spent a long few days boxing it all up and bringing it home to my garage to sort through.

Very little interested me, so I made a few trips down to Pooks Books, and I converted all this memorabilia into brochures that would help me grow my collection.

LIFE CHANGING In 2004, due to ill health, I left Ferodo and only worked for a period of time until I found myself moving into publishing and media with Yoomee, Trial and Classic Trial Magazine.

For the last 19 years of my life, I have fulfilled

my dream of working full-time in the world of motorcycle trials. On so many occasions, it has opened the door of opportunity to keep my brochure collection current. So many manufacturers stopped printing brochures but instead made them available as a PDF download. In my opinion, this is one of the biggest marketing disasters the whole world has followed! People still like to sit down and look at a printed brochure, just like reading a book or a magazine.

In the modern world, the internet and social media have crippled the marketing industry into believing that this is the best way to publicise AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

COLLECTOR • FOCUS

TOP LEFT: My favourite brochures: Montesa Cota 247; Rob Edwards, 1971 SSDT, also signed by Rob at the bottom. TOP RIGHT: A majority of the brochures have identification codes on them, which can give you the build model, date and year. RIGHT: Fantic produced some of the most incredible brochures to promote the Fantic brand in the UK. Roy and Helen Carey made you feel a part of the family that was Fantic.

and sell products based on the ‘magic’ numbers made up by the so-called specialised people. Too many marketing people are trying to sell products they know nothing about through social media channels, which they believe so highly in, just to keep the numbers up for the companies, who are being so misled, almost blindfolded.

If you go to a motorcycle dealership to look at a new machine, you come out with nothing; imagine giving potential customers a brochure to take home. Surely, this would stimulate more interest.

As with everyone else, I followed the tape, CD and then download routes for my music, but what is trending so highly now is the return of vinyl records and, in more recent times, the cassette.

Slowly but surely, we are witnessing a return to print and long may it continue as the world works out how to relax!

LEFT: My favourite brochures: Bultaco Sherpa ‘T’ 250 and 350; Martin Lampkin 1973 FIM European Trials Champion. MIDDLE: My favourite brochures: Kawasaki KT 250; Don Smith on the front cover of this promotional pack which included the brochure, once again signed. My father and I had a brilliant relationship with Don, a true trials character. It is a little ironic that I consider the Kawasaki KT to be the worst production trials motorcycle ever built!

RIGHT: My favourite brochures: 1975 Montesa Cota 247 Ulf Karlson: Montesa recognised the efforts of the Swedish rider to finish second in the 1974 FIM European Trials Championship and endorsed his name on the machine as a replica of the one he had ridden.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

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FOCUS • COLLECTOR

BROCHURE COLLECTING As my collection has grown, the rarer brochures are much more sought-after. The motorcycle manufacturers I have the most brochures for are Yamaha, 166; Montesa, 156; Fantic, 136; Gas Gas, 114; and Honda, 111. Most of the earlier brochures have identification codes, which I always check when purchasing them, as it can give you the build model, date and year.

Many people have donated brochures they have collected over the years as they know they are going into my collection. I only ever trade or sell brochures that I have duplicates of, and if any money changes hands, it goes towards collecting rarer brochures if I have to purchase them. I do not have any particular brochure that is the best, but the huge Mick Andrews Yamaha fold-out poster brochure is just something else; I also have it in four different languages.

I also like riders on the covers of brochures where a manufacturer celebrates their winning success, such as Bultaco in 1973 with the Martin Lampkin brochure. They repeated this when he won the first FIM World Championship title in 1975.

Japanese brochures are quite challenging to obtain and collect, but I have acquired quite a few through my many connections. One thing that does make you take note of the Japanese brochures is the quality; it is second to none.

In my opinion, Roy and Helen Carey did so much with the Fantic brand by pushing their superb marketing skills, supported by a wide range of brochures on the Italian machines and also all the merchandise that went with it; riding a Fantic made you feel like you’re part of a worldwide club.

WHAT’S MISSING Honda RTL brochures are very rare, as Honda UK did not always officially import all their 30

TOP LEFT: My favourite brochures: Italjet 50T, 100T, 250T, 350T; I like this brochure with my good friend Bernie Schreiber on the front cover, for its enthusiasm in promoting both the rider and brand.

TOP RIGHT: Collecting motorcycle trials memorabilia has become a passion in my life. I specialise from the years 1965 to the present day, with more than 250,000 photographs in my archive!

ABOVE: My favourite brochures: Montesa 25A; Possibly at the top of the list for its focus on the Montesa ‘Family’ of the future. From 1971 Montesa were promoting the vison from the past to the present, father to son, and an introduction to motorcycle trials.

production machines, as are Japanese market Honda RTL/4RT model ones. I am also missing some home-market brochures from European countries, but in more recent times, I have found some rare Bultaco, Montesa and Ossa ones in Italy.

Attending so many world championship rounds over a long period of time has also had me finding some rare brochures and some books. In the late ’60s and early ’70s, the cottage industry of trials motorcycle manufacturers in the UK, including such names as Cotton, Dalesman, Saracen and Sprite, to name but a

few, produced brochures, and a few are now quite rare. I would like to ask anyone who reads this article who has any motorcycle trials brochures from 1965 to the present day to contact me. I am quite happy to pay sensible prices for brochures I do not have so that they can be added to the collection. I also collect motorcycle trials photos so that we can broaden our article content in the magazines; once again, if you have any in either negative, print or slide format, I would love to see them. You can contact me via email: postmaster@yoomee.co.uk.

I look forward to hearing from you.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

www.comastrial.com Exclusively imported into the UK by Camio Moto Trade enquiries welcome by contacting 01246 792033 or sales@camiomoto.co.uk

FIND US ON

FINALE • TWIN SHOCK

MAJESTY TWIN SHOCK

It was unknown at the time, but 1983 would be the final year where a twin-shock trials machine would dominate the sales in the motorcycle trials world. Yamaha was about to blow away the antiquated design of the twin-shock trials motorcycle with a revolutionary new design that would become known as the Mono-Shock Yamaha; the word ‘mono’ was the give-away as it would use just one rear shock absorber. Using a single rear shock absorber was not new to Yamaha; they had played with the idea on the Scottish Six Days Trial-winning ‘Cantilever’ machine ridden to victory by Mick Andrews in 1974. Behind closed doors, Sammy Miller had a cantilever frame fabricated by Mick Whitlock, more famous for the Beamish Suzuki and Whithawk trials machines.

The idea was parked up as neither Sammy Miller nor Yamaha were sure about its viability; maybe it was too far ahead of its time. What Yamaha did do was keep all the information for use at a later date and, in the late ’70s, start work with John E Shirt and his Majesty — Mick Andrews John Edward Shirt Trials Yamaha — Yamaha project.

John had converted the ageing Yamaha TY model into a world championship winner with Mick Andrews. The Majesty Yamaha machines had joined the mainstay of trials manufacturers in the early ’80s. Still, behind closed doors, both Yamaha and John had a new take on the production trials motorcycle and how it should look 32

John E Shirt put so many hours into the Majesty project.

and perform. 1983 would be the last year of the Majesty Yamaha production when Nigel Birkett rode for John and what would be the Majesty finale.

Words: John Hulme • Pictures: Eric Kitchen, Norman Eyre, Bill Lawless, Pirelli, Iain Lawrie, Alan Vines.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

TWIN SHOCK • FINALE

Nigel Birkett in the snow of the Lakes Two Day in January 1983.

I

n issue 44 of Classic Trial Magazine, a feature focuses on Yamaha’s cantilever project, with an additional feature in issue 45 on its mono-shock under the spotlight. Maybe this article on the Majesty Finale should have come between these, but life does not always work like that. My very good friend Eric Kitchen supplied me with some Majesty pictures that I did not know he had, and they were, as always, the start of a story — this one.

BACK TO JAPAN Along with Mick Andrews, John E Shirt — his well-known son is John R Shirt — had supported a good range of National and Centre riders to help promote the Majesty Yamaha name. John had a solid relationship with the Japanese — all built on trust, I might add. The two Shepherd brothers, Rob and Norman, had come and gone in 1981, but the Majesty success story continued, with machine sales very strong.

As you may have read in the mono-shock feature, the first news of the new machine broke surface in the press in April 1982, confirmed in a letter to John about the new machine; he was sworn to secrecy. John was a very wellknown figure in the trials world as he was still competing and would speak with many of the top riders, including Nigel Birkett.

As well documented, Nigel had ridden for Kawasaki in its development years and Suzuki when Gordon Farley departed; his knowledge CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

On the new 250S Majesty at the Cotswolds Cup.

and understanding of the Japanese way of working was well embedded in his mind. He had visited Japan and worked closely with Suzuki; they loved his passion for development and, of course, his many forward-thinking ideas for the trials motorcycle leading up to the Beamish Suzuki years.

A move to Montesa was only successful once he worked wonders on the Montesa Cota 200 in the second half of 1980, before a move to the 200 Fantic in 1981.

Check out the trophies won by Kevin Bleasdale!

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World Championship action: riding the Majesty, Nigel turned heads while Eddy Lejeune watches on in Great Britain; check out the snow on the left.

Making waves at the Cleveland National Trial.

SSDT: Check out the Michelin front tyre, it took some fitting!

SSDT: Looking splendid in the Ellgren riding kit on day one.

As the new 240 Fantic model was introduced, Nigel and the Italian motorcycle manufacturer parted ways at the end of the year; he was out of a job. A phone call from John Shirt in early January would change his life for the better; he would be going back to Japan.

WHAT’S THAT? Words from the mouth of Nigel’s good friend Harold Martin Lampkin — Nigel always called him Harold — “What’s that you’re riding?” was replied with, “My new trials machine!”. With no offer of a supported ride in 1983, John Shirt had 34

phoned Nigel and asked him if he would like the loan of a Majesty 250 for the Lakes Two Day Trial, held on Birkett’s doorstep in early January.

John had always insisted that any potential supported rider try one of his machines before any agreement would be discussed.

Nigel had missed the 1983 ACU British Trials Championship opening round while considering his future. John supported the top Youth A Class youth trials rider Kevin Bleasdale, and his machine was loaned to Nigel to compete in the Lakes Two Day. He had a couple of hours’ practice to set the machine up and turned up at

John’s Majesty Team had used Pirelli tyres before the move to Michelin in 1983.

As Michelin made their mark, Pirelli introduced the new MT 43 at the SSDT. AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

TWIN SHOCK • FINALE

SSDT: The Majesty never missed a beat all week.

SSDT: John fuels the Majesty as Nigel works on his machine.

SSDT: Trials and Motocross News had all the news.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

the start with the Majesty, causing many people to turn their heads and take a second look at what he was riding, including Lampkin. Outside of the top ten on the first day, Nigel became more used to the machine on the second day, with some inspiring rides pulling him up to an eventual seventh-place finish.

John Shirt and Nigel talked about 1983, and an agreement was made that Birkett would compete on a 250cc Majesty with some support from John and his consortium of product sponsors, some financial assistance to cover travelling expenses and a bonus for results. John had suggested to Nigel about testing a 320cc or 350cc Majesty, but with the 250S model, he was more than happy with the power output. John and Nigel had become good friends in a very short space of time as they both respected each other’s thoughts and ideas. Nigel had spoken with John about some new ideas for the Majesty, such as a re-packable silencer, both had worked for the Japanese, and the idea of a suggestion was always a good way of putting across anything new. Once again burning some more midnight oil, John had built a new 250S Majesty for Nigel and hinted that something new could be coming along for him to ride.

BEHIND THE SCENES In early February, John secured a contract with Yamaha Amsterdam for support to be given to Kevin Bleasdale; maybe John knew more than he was letting on about the future of the Japanese manufacturer in the trials world. Bleasdale was only 16 years old and looked like a good talent for the future; he was winning almost every Youth A Class event he entered.

Behind the scenes, John had spoken with Nigel about the new monoshock Yamaha project and asked if he would consider going to Japan to test it? We might add that this was all very cloak and dagger; the new machine had to remain a closely guarded secret as long as possible.

Nigel’s new 250S Majesty used the Don Godden manufactured frame, which was finished in a really nice red colour with nothing changed from the production model. Yamaha had hinted to John about a change from his yellow Majesty aesthetics to red and white in a meeting at Yamaha Amsterdam in late 1982. With John’s approval, Nigel made a few changes, which included slightly lowering the front of the machine by dropping the front forks through the yoke by 15mm and fitting Rockshocks from Peter Edmondson at the rear. Nigel fabricated his own steel rear silencer, with the main advantage being that the end pipe was riveted in, making it repackable.

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FINALE • TWIN SHOCK

John also had a very good contact at Michelin tyres, which meant Nigel had access to the latest rubber to test. John and his supported riders had used Pirelli tyres, but Michelin was making solid headway into the trials tyre world and found that John was superb at giving them feedback from himself and Nigel.

SSDT: Twin-Shock machines would soon be a thing of the past.

John E Shirt stands proud. He put so much effort into getting Yamaha back into the trials world before doing the same again with Gas Gas. 36

FIRST POINTS Whatever John had told Nigel about the future had undoubtedly worked, as he had been putting the hours in practising, and he was pleased with his seventh place at the second round of the ACU British Championship, the St Davids Trial in Wales.

On the Monday, news broke that John Shirt and Nigel had been so tight-lipped that Nigel would go to Japan to test the new trials machine. On his return, Nigel remained very secretive about the whole project; he respected the Japanese, and they respected him; the same went for John; his commitment to the Majesty Yamaha trials project was very well received by the Japanese.

The Kevin Bleasdale signing now fell into place; they had a hot new young prospect for the future and the first-hand experience of both John Shirt and Nigel Birkett.

Both Birkett and Bleasdale kept the flag flying with some excellent results on the Majesty-powered Yamaha machines. Nigel was not an officially contracted Yamaha rider; the agreement was between himself and John; it is interesting to note that many years later, Nigel told me that he was not paid a fee to test the mono-shock Yamaha in Japan, just his expenses.

Yamaha Amsterdam instructed John to keep the Majesty flag flying with no release date for the new mono-shock as the interest in his Majesty machines suddenly increased.

The last FIM World round appearance for the Majesty was in the UK, where Nigel finished 16th, which was a super ride, although, as you must remember, the points only went to tenth position.

THE LAST SSDT It was rumoured that the new mono-shock Yamaha would appear with Nigel at the Scottish Six Days Trial, but he and John knew it would not happen. The 250 Majesty was taken to John’s workshop at Stable Lane in Buxton, Derbyshire, where it was totally rebuilt for the Six Days.

Now very involved with developing the Michelin trials tyres, John would receive the latest batch for Nigel to use in the event. They picked the tyres up in Scotland, where Nigel failed to get the front tyre on the rim. John then took over; two ‘nipped’ front inner tubes later, and the tyre inflated; they were a very tight fit.

It was a very professional-looking Nigel Birkett who started the 1983 SSDT on the 250 Majesty, his clothing sponsor, Ellgren, had made a one-off, two-piece suit using the theme of the Yamaha ‘Speedblock’ in red, white and blue.

The week started well; Nigel was sixth on day one and seventh on day two. Wednesday was his early day, and he slipped off the leaderboard, eventually recovering to finish 12th.

Soon John would receive more news on the mono-shock project and took another upcoming talent under his wing, Tony Scarlett. He would compete on John’s very own hybrid Majesty until the mono-shocks were available.

In mid-July, John got the phone call he had been waiting for: he could go to Yamaha Amsterdam to pick up the very first mono-shock Yamahas.

He travelled there with Nigel and the Trials and Motocross News editor Bill Lawless.

After a brief ride on the new machines, Nigel flew to France for the four-day trial; it would be his last competitive ride on the Majesty. A new chapter in the trials world was about to be written.

John E Shirt with his son John R Shirt. Both have contributed so much to the world of motorcycle trials.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

1983 • FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP

WINNER: LAMPKIN USA

After a successful move into the FIM World Trials Championship in 1981 on a semi-works supported SWM, John Lampkin secured a full-time contract with the Bolton-based CCM factory at the close of the season. His contract for 1982 would include an entire season of events, including the FIM World Championship, ACU British Championship, Scottish Six Days, Scott Trial and selected National events to help to promote the CCM name. Having won a few national trials, the big wins eluded him in 1982, but his consistent results left other manufacturers noting his name. He was the son of Arthur Lampkin, the oldest of the three famous Lampkin brothers; Alan and Martin being the other two. The Italian motorcycle manufacturer Fantic had established their brand name in the trials world and had become a force to be reckoned with. It had a tremendous presence at all the major events, including the FIM World Trials Championship and the Scottish Six Days Trial.

In 1982 a new model was launched, the 240. They needed a UK rider to help promote the sales; the importers Roy and Helen Carey put a rider’s name forward, who they believed could become an asset in promoting the new 240. In 1983 John Lampkin became a full factory-supported rider for Fantic; it was the breakthrough he had been looking for. John would win his one-and-only FIM World Championship round in America in 1983 on the 240 Fantic. The cross-channel win in 1983 started with only his second aeroplane ride across the Atlantic Ocean to the Canadian and USA world rounds in 1982, which is where our story begins.

Words: Classic Trial Magazine • Pictures: Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright, Colin Bullock, Eric ‘EK’ Kitchen, Nigel Pearson

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FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP • 1983

The brochure-shot of the 1982 CCM/ Armstrong CMT 310

With the offer of a full contract in 1982, John moved to CCM and finished working in the family engineering business, which meant he could practise to his heart’s content. On the Hiro engined CCM, he scored his very FIM World Championship points in the first round in Olot, Spain, finishing in seventh position. Further world championship points came at the home round in Great Britain, followed by France, with a fourth place in Germany and three more points in Austria; points only went down to tenth.

John, looking every inch the works rider, on the CCM at the FIM World Round in Yorkshire 1982, he finished the 1982 FIM World Championship season in ninth position.

TRANS-ATLANTIC 1982

CCM Bossman Alan Clews had promised that if John scored points at the start of the year, the company would pay for him to go to the American and Canadian world rounds later in the year. Always as good as his word, Alan honoured the promise and shipped John’s CCM to Canada just before the two events in late July. He travelled alone, arriving in Canada to discover that the customs officials would not release his CCM. It got worse when he learned he was not old enough to hire a van! He spotted a truck driver and enquired if

In 1983 John Lampkin was now in the FIM World Championship as a part of the mighty Fantic Team.

These photos are from the opening round in Spain.

1983 was a ‘Fresh’ start in the snow, on the Fantic.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

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1983 • FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP

Putting on the style in front of a home crowd at the world round in Yorkshire.

A winner at the opening world round in Spain was Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA).

he would drop him off at any motorcycle shop he could find. The Canadian truck driver duly obliged and dropped him and the CCM, now released after some hectic phone calls to the UK, off at the first motorcycle shop they came across. In what was a pure fluke, Stan Bakgard, the Canadian champion, lived up the road and was going to the trial anyway.

Within the hour, John was at Stan’s house, with his mum cooking him a roast beef dinner! The Canadian round very much went to plan, Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA) won on six marks lost, and John scored a single point in tenth position on 37 in what was quite an easy world round.

Held at the Donner Ski Ranch, the American round was a totally different event, with three laps of 18 challenging sections. Early in the event, he mistimed a step at speed and smashed the bottom out of the engine, putting a hole in the crankcase the size of a fist. Having travelled across the Atlantic, he decided he had come a long way to retire and decided to ride until the machine stopped. In the hot weather conditions, he was cooling down the engine in any stream he could find. Showing just how durable the Hiro engine was, he finished sixth for some good points. He finished the year ninth overall with 23 points.

in both Belgium and Great Britain before missing out on points in Ireland at round four.

TRANS-ATLANTIC 1983

Next up was the long-haul trip to America, but he would be better organised this year, travelling with Steve Saunders and Steve Monk. Fantic had sent out the 240 machines he had earlier ridden in Spain and Belgium before being sent to the factory in Italy for a full rebuild, then delivered to America with the latest Michelins fitted.

After some local sightseeing in the Texas sun, the European riders were struggling with the heat!

Fantic had flown out mechanics who would all work out of a huge American-style motorhome, complete with a workshop in the rear. The trial would be made up of bone-dry rocks with little water in sight, and the riders would also take in loose, wooded climbs.

MOVING TO FANTIC

In his home round in Belgium, everyone wanted to see him, Eddy Lejeune had always worn glasses.

40

CCM had been very good to John, making it a difficult decision to leave, but Fantic had a huge presence at the World Championship with excellent support, and the 240 Fantic was now well-developed. He would be supplied with handbuilt Fantics, which had factory-tuned engines and suspension built to his own specification. Michelin was also heavily involved, supporting the team with their development tyres.

His year had started well enough, with some strong ACU British Championship rides, as the title fight turned into a three-way affair between himself, Steve Saunders (Armstrong) and John Reynolds (Bultaco).

In the FIM World Trials Championship, he held eighth position on 13 points, having finished sixth

Despite problems with his glasses and mud in his eyes at the Irish world round, Eddy Lejeune would head to the USA leading the FIM World Trials Championship.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP • 1983

Dry rocks and wooded climbs were part of the sections in the USA on a really hot day for the trial.

John would start the event last and finish the two laps of 21 sections last. He rode with fellow Fantic team rider Gilles Burgat and their development rider Jaime Subira. The first lap went well, apart from a ‘slack’ single five and, as the results were shown, it was the current FIM World Champion Eddy Lejeune (Honda-BEL) who held the lead on 17 marks lost to John’s 19, with Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA) next on 20.

On the second lap, John had another identical score, which again included a five as he lost wheel grip on some of the dry rocks to finish on a total of 38. In a sporting gesture, fellow Brit Steve Saunders, who had finished, came back to encourage John to his win; it was big hugs all around when it was announced he had won! Steve Saunders (Armstrong) would finish 17th and Steve Monk (Fantic) 18th.

It’s start time for John Lampkin at the 1983 FIM World round in America.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

COW HORNS

The first prize was a giant, genuine pair of threefoot-wide cow horns. The assembled spectators gave massive applause in the typical American fashion of whoops and shouts, with many wearing their Stetsons and Western cowboy belts and revolvers. Fantic and John were over the moon with his result; it was time for some ice-cold Budweiser.

The following day they flew home, with the main concern of getting the cow horns onto the plane; however, good friend Steve Monk added some gentle persuasion, and they were on board – he was certainly not leaving them. In a nice gesture, the Fantic UK importer was at Gatwick to greet John home, complete with the treasured cow horns. As Roy enquired about the winning prize, John explained they would go to the bar at his Uncle Martin’s Public House!

Looking every inch a winner, John Lampkin in the USA putting on the style.

ROUND 5: MUNSTER, USA 17 APRIL 1983

28 RIDERS • 2 LAPS • 21 SECTIONS RESULTS: 1: John Lampkin (Fantic-GBR) 38; 2: Gilles Burgat (Fantic-FRA) 40; 3: Eddy Lejeune (Honda-BEL) 42; 4: Philippe Berlatier (Italjet-FRA) 43; 5: Thierry Michaud (SWM-FRA) 43; 6: Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA) 47; 7: Toni Gorgot (Montesa-ESP) 47; 8: Gabino Renales (Merlin-ESP) 53; 9: Bernard Cordonnier (SWMBEL) 60; 10: Adrian Prato (France-FRA) 60; 11: Jaime Subira (Fantic-FRA) 67; 12: Andreu Codina (Montesa-ESP) 68; 13: Kiyoteru Hattori (Honda-JPN) 70; 14: Pascal Couturier (FanticFRA) 74; 15: Manuel Soler (Merlin -ESP) 77.

FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER FIVE ROUNDS POSITIONS: 1: Lejeune 63; 2: Schreiber 50; 3: Burgat 44; 4: Gorgot 40; 5: Michaud 28; 6: Lampkin 28; 7: Berlatier 22; 8: Cordonnier 21; 9: Renales 6; 10: Prato 6.

You can just see the ‘Cow Horns’ on the car bonnet, happy days!

41

1983 • FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP

FRANCE

RECOUNTING MICHAUD

After the long-haul trip to the USA for round five, it was back to business in Europe, with round six in France. John Lampkin (Fantic-GBR) had won the previous round, and Toni Gorgot (Montesa-ESP) had won the Scottish Six Days Trial earlier in the month. Bernie Schreiber had opted to miss the SSDT, and the leader of the FIM World Trials Championship, Eddy Lejeune (Honda-BEL), had disappointingly finished third. Starting to show his true potential, Thierry Michaud (SWM-FRA) had finished second in Scotland and was looking good for the future.

Words: Classic Trial Magazine • Pictures: Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright

Lluis Gallach (Montesa-ESP) 42

Steve Saunders (Armstrong-GBR) AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP • 1983

Pascal Couturier (Fantic-FRA)

Manuel Soler (Merlin-ESP)

Tyre development was a significant factor in the trials world, and Michelin had a new compound.

Codenamed F90027, it was designed to be at its best in the dry on rocks. The majority of the top riders chose the new rubber for France.

The organisers had plotted a good variety of sections designed for the riders to enjoy and not of the ‘Killer’ variety, with a choice of lines in the hazards. The event would start with a generous time limit in the dry, but for the final lap, the rain would come and change the nature of the event.

On the opening lap, John Lampkin was suffering from a severe upset stomach; he battled on but finished way down in 23rd. Instead, it was Toni Gorgot as the man on form; Montesa was working hard behind the scenes to make the machine more competitive, and the Spanish rider looked very happy. He was five marks in front of Eddy Lejeune, followed by Thierry Michaud and Bernie Schreiber and, looking good for his first ever points, Steve Saunders on the Hiro engined Armstrong.

On the second lap, riding in front of a home crowd and using this to his advantage, the clear

leader was Thierry Michaud. His score of 17 marks lost was the best single lap of the trial to put him in contention for the win. Saunders was holding his own and remained inside the top ten and the vital points-scoring positions.

As the rain started to come down, the final riders soon realised that the new Michelin tyres were not so good in the wet, as the sections deteriorated and wheel grip became a problem.

Of the final top ten riders, both Schreiber and Philippe Berlatier (Italjet-FRA) had almost finished, but as for the rest, they were stuck out in the rain on tyres that did not work. Bernie Schreiber was declared the winner, but after the awards presentation, Thierry Michaud protested over his score and after a recount, he was announced as the winner — his first FIM world round victory on the most cleans demoting Schreiber to second.

It was elation from Steve Saunders as he scored his first FIM World Championship points, finishing tenth and taking the last one, missing out on the most cleans decider, which dropped him from seventh.

Charles Coutard (JCM-FRA) CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

ROUND 6: LA GAUDE, FRANCE 29 MAY 1983.

59 RIDERS • 3 LAPS • 18 SECTIONS RESULTS: 1: Thierry Michaud (SWM-FRA) 79; 2: Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA) 79; 3: Toni Gorgot (Montesa-ESP) 82; 4: Philippe Berlatier (Italjet-FRA) 87; 5: Eddy Lejeune (Honda-BEL) 96; 6: Gilles Burgat (Fantic-FRA) 107; 7: Lluis Gallach (Montesa-ESP) 114; 8: Joel Descuns (Fantic-FRA) 124; 9: Fred Michaud (SWM-FRA) 124; 10: Steve Saunders (Armstrong-GBR) 124; 11: Pascal Couturier (Fantic-FRA) 128; 12: Danilo Galeazzi (SWM-ITA) 131; 13: Bernard Cordonnier (SWM-BEL) 136; 14: Fulvio Adamoli (Montesa-ITA) 138; 15: Adrian Prato (FranceFRA) 143.

FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER SIX ROUNDS POSITIONS: 1: Lejeune 69; 2: Schreiber 62; 3: Gorgot 50; 4: Burgat 49; 5: Thierry Michaud 43; 6: Berlatier 30; 7: Lampkin 28; 8: Cordonnier 21; 9: Renales 6; 10: Prato 6.

The first podium Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA) 43

1983 • FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP

Eddy Lejeune (Honda-BEL)

AUSTRIA

FIGHTING FOR SUPREMCY Words: Classic Trial Magazine • Pictures: Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright

Was this the turning point in the 1983 FIM World Trials Championship? Eddy Lejeune (HondaBEL) won and, in doing so, pulled ten points clear of Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA).

The fight for supremacy between these two was intense all day, as Lejeune took the lead on the opening lap, but Schreiber came fighting back on the second. Lejeune was having none of it and fought back with a brilliant final lap, the best lap of the trial, to secure the victory.

Just as it was elation for Lejeune, the event was a disaster for Toni Gorgot (Montesa-ESP). Well, in contention for the fight for the lead. He crashed in the 15th section and tore his knee ligaments, forcing his retirement and killing his world championship aspirations. Another rider dropping out of the top ten and scoring no points was Philippe Berlatier, but it was good news for Great Britain’s only entrant, John Lampkin, who scored the last point in tenth on the 240 Fantic.

In a trials world of changing times, Italian motorcycle manufacturers had eight machines in the top ten: five SWMs and three Fantics.

44

ROUND 7: SPITAL, AUSTRIA, 5 JUNE 1983

67 RIDERS • 3 LAPS • 16 SECTIONS RESULTS: 1: Eddy Lejeune (Honda-BEL) 43; 2: Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA) 50; 3: Thierry Michaud (SWM-FRA) 55; 4: Gilles Burgat

John Lampkin (Fantic-GBR)

(Fantic-FRA) 55; 5: Jaime Subira (Fantic-FRA) 73; 6: Danilo Galeazzi (SWM-ITA) 74; 7: Bernard Cordonnier (SWM-BEL) 75; 8: Manuel Soler (Merlin -ESP) 79; 9: Fred Michaud (SWMFRA) 79; 10: John Lampkin (Fantic-GBR) 82; 11: Gabino Renales (Merlin-ESP) 83; 12: Lluis Gallach (Montesa-ESP) 85; 13: Renato Chiaberto (Fantic-ITA) 85; 14: Philippe Berlatier (Italjet-FRA) 89; 15: Charles Coutard (JCMFRA) 92.

FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER SEVEN ROUNDS POSITIONS: 1: Lejeune 84; 2: Schreiber 74; 3: Burgat 57; 4: Thierry Michaud 53; 5: Gorgot 50; 6: Berlatier 30; 7: Lampkin 29; 8: Cordonnier 25; 9: Fred Michaud 8; 10: Soler 7.

Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA) AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

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1983 • FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP

Eddy Lejeune (Honda-BEL)

Thierry Michaud (SWM-FRA)

ITALY

LEJEUNE LEADS THE WAY In 1983, the world of motorcycle trials manufacturing revolved around Italy, with Beta, Fantic, Garelli, Italjet and SWM as the leading players. The Spanish manufacturers were in trouble as Bultaco and Ossa would soon disappear; Montesa was fighting back with the new Cota 242, and a new manufacturer, Merlin, had appeared.

France had a new manufacturer, JCM, who had the new single rear shock model headed by Joel Corroy, but in Italy, the word around the paddock was that Yamaha had approached Bernie Schreiber. Yamaha’s new monoshock, ground-breaking model had broken surface in the UK, and they wanted a top-class rider to show its potential. The manufacturers were in turmoil regarding which path to follow with developments, twin-shock or singe-shock; Yamaha knew which direction they were going in, and soon the world would follow. Motorcycle trials in Italy were going through a ‘Boom’ time, and the world round had attracted much interest.

Words: Classic Trial Magazine • Pictures: Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright 46

Bernie Schreiber (SWM-USA) AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP • 1983

Toni Gorgot (Montesa-ESP)

Bernard Cordonnier (SWM-BEL)

Looking confident and at one with the 360 RTL four-stroke Honda, Belgian trials superstar Eddy Lejeune showed his intentions of another FIM World Championship with a clear win in Italy. In truth, he never looked like he would be beaten all day, and the 14-mark winning advantage told its own story of an emphatic victory over Thierry Michaud.

On a warm, dry day, the sections were all very similar, over a selection of natural rocks around the steep climbs in the area, with the ambitious club pushing the boundaries of the riders’ abilities right to the limits, with some riders complaining about their severity.

Lejeune led from the start and never looked back; his first-lap score of 25 marks lost was outstanding, with no one near him. The only other rider to record a sub-30-mark loss was Thierry Michaud on his final lap, which hauled him up into second place in front of Gilles Burgat and Bernie Schreiber, who were split by single marks.

Also looking good was Danilo Galeazzi, who had another top-ten finish as he got himself back to full strength after recovering from a broken leg in the earlier part of the season.

Lluis Gallach took a strong sixth place in front of Pascal Couturier and Fred Michaud, who finished in the points for the third consecutive round to pull himself into the top ten in the championship standings.

Great Britain’s sole rider in Italy, John Lampkin, had a tough day finishing in 14th position and out of the points. With many of the top points-scoring riders excluded for exceeding the time limit, including Manuel Soler (Merlin-ESP) along with Fantic team riders Jaime Subira (ESP) and Renato Chiaberto (ITA), there were only 32 official finishers from an entry of 90 riders.

Other notable retirees were Toni Gorgot (Montesa-ESP), with his damaged leg from the Austrian round, and Philippe Berlatier (Italjet-FRA), who had injured his shoulder.

ROUND 8: CLUSONE, ITALY 26 JUNE 1983

90 RIDERS • 3 LAPS • 15 SECTIONS RESULTS: 1: Eddy Lejeune (Honda-BEL) 93; 2: Thierry Michaud (SWMFRA) 107; 3: Gilles Burgat (Fantic-FRA) 108; 4: Bernie Schreiber (SWMUSA) 109; 5: Danilo Galeazzi (SWM-ITA) 115; 6: Lluis Gallach (MontesaESP) 118; 7: Pascal Couturier (Fantic-FRA) 130; 8: Fulvio Adamoli (Montesa-ITA) 133; 9: Fred Michaud (SWM-FRA) 134; 10: Bernard Cordonnier (SWM-BEL) 138; 11: Gabino Renales (Merlin-ESP) 140; 12: Pedro Olle (Beta-ESP) 146; 13: Joel Descuns (Fantic-FRA) 148; 14: John Lampkin (Fantic-GBR) 148; 15: Sergio Canobbio (Aprilia-ITA) 164.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

Manuel Soler (Merlin-ESP)

FIM WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP POINTS AFTER EIGHT ROUNDS POSITIONS: 1: Lejeune 99; 2: Schreiber 82; 3: Burgat 67; 4: Thierry Michaud 65; 5: Gorgot 50; 6: Berlatier 30; 7: Lampkin 29; 8: Cordonnier 26; 9: Gallach 11; 10: Fred Michaud 10.

47

1983 FIM World Trials Championship, France: Steve Saunders (Armstrong-GBR) — First ever FIM World Trials Championship Points finishing 10th.

Picture Credit: Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright

1983 FIM WORLD TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP ITALY – PARC FERME Picture Credit: Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright

1983 Scottish Six Days Trial: Michelin Memories Picture Credit: Mauri/Fontsere Collection and the Giulio Mauri Copyright

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STORY • MECATECNO

MECAnica and TECNOlogía MECATECNO

The first Mecatecno minibikes brochure to show what they were producing.

Timeline: Summer 1981, Santa Maria de Martorellas, Spain. Jordi Rabasa, the owner and founder of Mecatecno, is enjoying his well-deserved vacation and goes for a ride with the Mecatecno prototype. After warming up both rider and machine, he reaches an area with several sections and meets Marcelino Corchs. He is a young and promising rider from Mollet del Vallés, with whom he is a good friend who is practising on his 320 SWM. Marcelino asks to test his motorcycle, and after five minutes, he gives him his verdict: “This motorcycle is wonderful; it’s what I need, not the SWM I am riding!” Jordi Rabasa is so surprised at his reaction that he does not dare to tell him that this is his motorcycle. Instead, he offers him the Mecatecno prototype to compete in the Senior Championship. Corchs would compete in some events after the summer, including the Tres Dies dels Cingles, Spain, which was an ideal opportunity to display the machine and show the prototype’s benefits. Corchs achieved a very creditable 16th overall in the company of many of the FIM World Championship riders who attended the event at the end of the season. At the Spanish Senior Championship round, he lost the win by a single mark against the well-respected Lluís Gallach and his Montesa, which had been prepared by the motorcycle dealership Portús who had worked their magic on the machine. Corchs also finished ahead of another good young rider Gabino Renales, who finished that year in fourth position. A promising start, but, as always, let’s start from the beginning.

Words: Valenti Fontserè and John Hulme • Picture Credits: Collection Giulio Mauri/Fontserè, Collection Miquel Rovira, Mecatecno and Collection Ramon Sallés Solo Moto 54

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

MECATECNO • STORY

T

he year is 1978, and the Spanish motorcycle industry is plunged into a deep crisis affecting the future of its most popular brands. Jordi Rabasa works at Derbi (his father, Josep’ Pepitu’ Rabasa, co-founded Derbi with Simeón Rabasa), but he is beginning to see his future not so clearly. Derbi tries to overcome the crisis by launching new models, but he decides to leave Derbi and launch his own company, MECATECNO — an acronym for MECAnica and TECNOlogía. Two of Derbi’s teammates, Joan Ruiz and Ramón Mira, are on board; you will see later in the story who is MECATECNO. Mecatecno will be the first Spanish company to produce children’s motorcycles. The first facility was a small workshop built on the patio of Rabasa’s house, and as production increased, they formed a factory in 1983. Initially, they wanted to develop their own engine, and they came to cast the casings, but, in the end, they decided to use the renowned 50cc automatic Franco Morini engine.

At the end of 1978, Jordi Rabasa left Derbi and returned his 74-model enduro machine, on which he had competed in some races. A year later, he felt it would be a good idea to become involved with trials again, and it coincided that the top Spanish rider Jaime Subirá had just signed for Fantic. He asked him for his advice and told him to buy one of the new Fantic 200 model machines from the importer Estanis Soler, the former sports director of Bultaco. Jordi acknowledged that it was a motorcycle that performed very well with a high standard of quality and finish but was not suitable for trials and did not suit his way of riding. According to him, after riding the Montesa Cota, the Fantic was unrideable.

MODIFICATIONS Mecatecno had two work periods with children’s motorcycles, one before Christmas and the other before the summer holidays, so during the quieter months, Jordi Rabasa thought about how to modify his Fantic 200 to adapt it to his liking. The engine was acceptable, so he started to think about how to modify the frame so that the machine was more stable and not so nervous. What measurements to choose?

Simply those that he believed could work — intuition.

The swinging arm was lengthened, the rear shock mounts changed, and the machine started to have a better feeling. At that point, Jordi suggested to Joan and Ramón to make a completely new chassis. Ramón began to draw it at break times, and Joan built it with the measurements they had been testing. They initially left the engine unchanged, but later, they would increase the displacement to 190cc since Marcelino complained of a lack of power.

To achieve this, the cylinder was machined, and a new Cota 200 sleeve and piston were installed, but the change was abysmal. And so, they started to make a completely new motorcycle.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

At the 1981 Cingles Three Day Trial the prototype Mecatecno makes its debut.

Marcelino Corchs is in the spotlight.

A confident Marcelino Corchs at the 1981 Cingles Three Day Trial on the prototype Mecatecno.

55

STORY • MECATECNO

1982: All eyes are on Marcelino Corchs and the Mecatecno in Italy at the FIM World Trials Championship.

1982: In Italy at the FIM World Trials Championship, the toughest of learning curves for any motorcycle.

After the successes achieved by Marcelino Corchs during the 1981 season at Mecatecno, they decided to sign him as a works rider and give him all their support for the 1982 season.

He was already competing in the entire Spanish championship in the top category, called Super at that time, in Spain as well as the closest World Championship rounds, which were in France and Italy. In the French round, in a tough trial with plenty of mud and rain, Corchs and the Mecatecno were about to touch the sky, finishing 11th tied on the same marks as the 10th place finisher John Lampkin (CCM GBR) and ahead of renowned riders such as Yrjo Vesterinen (Bultaco-FIN) and the SWM riders Martin Lampkin (GBR) and Danilo Galeazzi (ITA) as they came so close to their first FIM World Trials Championship points.

1982: At the Italian World round you can clearly see the forward mounting of the rear shock absorber and the high footrest position.

56

EVOLUTION The machine evolved with every competition and was a true work of art, especially at the rear where the frame adopted some curious triangulations that allowed it to house an improved air-filter box and at the same time apply some very innovative shock absorber positions, being placed very far forward on the machine.

On this prototype, a plate was designed to allow the upper fixing point to be moved to change the motorcycle’s behaviour depending on the type of trial to be contested, and the steel swinging arm was slender and had a rectangular cross-section. The position of the footrests was also special; they were very far back, as Corchs’ spectacular riding required. The AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

MECATECNO • STORY

shock absorbers were Koni, specifically designed for this machine, and the front forks were the famous Ideal brand that would be used on the next production models. Perhaps what first stood out the most was the design of the fuel tank; it was very narrow and high in order to have the minimum capacity required. This design could have been horrible, but the big ‘M’ for the Mecatecno brand graphic gave it a very original and professional touch.

At the end of the 1982 season, Corchs became a professional rider and signed for Derbi, which had just launched its prototype trials motorcycle.

PASSION With no rider for the new season, the three brains behind Mecatecno decided to start developing a motorcycle of 300cc from scratch. A real madness for many, who wondered why they were embarking on an odyssey like that! What reasons were behind the innovative brains of Jordi, Joan and Ramón? They were motivated by a single reason: the passion necessary to make a motorcycle from scratch with their own ideas. They wanted to make an open project where every detail was thought of and adapted to the project.

In the previous prototype, they started with the frame and worked using the Fantic 200 engine as a base. In this case, the opposite was decided; they would start with the engine, designing a completely new one to which the different parts would be attached. If making a motorcycle from scratch already seems crazy, developing it by creating your own engine seems even more incredible!

The trials world had started to be dominated by the Italian brands, and most of them were based on the commercial two-stroke engines available at the time: Rotax, Hiro, Tau and Villa, and adapted to their requirements. At Mecatecno, the opposite was decided with a bold statement: “We will create our own engine, and from there, we will continue with the rest of the parts of the motorcycle,” stated the three friends. Having reached this point of madness, some readers will ask themselves, “How do you begin to design an engine from scratch?” The answer is simple in this case, it all starts with...a cylinder head! They wanted to make a light motorcycle but, at the same time, really rigid.

For this reason, the design of the cylinder head had braces to make the whole assembly rigid.

With this obsession for stiffness, it was decided to make the engine integrated into the chassis as a stressed part of it – hence the cylinder head braces – with holes to give it resistance and connected to the triangles of the chassis, as it had been done in the Italian Bimota motorcycle which was a pure work of art.

The three partners, but above all friends, had the skills to carry out a project like this but needed to have the necessary level of riding to test the machine, but this issue would be solved later.

ROTARY VALVE INDUCTION The engine design provided for the use of the rotary valve induction system. When asked for the reason, the answer was surprising.

Because, at the time, the Italian SWMs were very fashionable and had this type of induction, but also because they had mastered the technology from their previous experience in Derbi. In addition, it was a characteristic that would differentiate them from the competitors.

The crankcases were manufactured oversized because it could be the basis for a future motocross engine to sell to other manufacturers, such as Hiro and Tau, with a strong reinforced gearbox to be able to support the power.

Ramón Mira drew the different parts of the engine following the thoughts of Joan Ruíz and Jordi Rabasa, and at the beginning of 1983, everything was ready to begin the prototype assembly.

The first engine had a displacement of 250cc, long-stroke 77mmx70mm, due to Jordi’s insistence and because there was also a theory that to have a bottom-end power engine, it was best to have a long-stroke. The transmission was originally by primary chain since theories said that it was more difficult to stall. Jordi Rabasa had ridden for many years with Montesa and had always noticed that the Bultaco CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

1983: On the front cover of SOLO MOTO, and again a look at the new Mecatecno inside.

57

STORY • MECATECNO

1984: FIM World Trials Championship RD 1: Olot, Spain. As a prototype the Mecatecno shows its clean lines.

1984: FIM World Trials Championship RD 1: Olot, Spain. Slim lines for the ease of rider movement can be seen.

never stalled, while the Montesa did, creating his own theory about it.

Later it was seen that everything was a matter of distribution, compression ratio and exhaust design, and so the chain transmission was abandoned as almost no one else used it. At first, he thought a 250cc displacement would be enough and more power was unnecessary. Their previous experience with the engine from the Fantic 200, with the displacement increased to 190cc, made them think this, but after four or

1984: FIM World Trials Championship RD 1: Olot, Spain. On closer inspection you can see the work that has gone into the aesthetics.

58

five months of tests with Salva García, who was hired as a test rider, they saw that the machine was not what they wanted. They decided to increase the displacement to 326cc, the result of looking at the maximum piston diameter that could be installed.

NEW SUSPENSION The suspension was also new, and since they started from scratch, they decided to pioneer and design a mono-shock rear suspension. The

1984: FIM World Trials Championship RD 1: Olot, Spain. Clearly visible is the Rotary Valve Induction system.

system was very similar to Honda’s Pro-link, with less travel displacement. The peculiarity is that the system was designed so that the damper body always worked vertically. At that time, almost no one was riding a mono-shock, and there were no references in the trials world. Everything was quite complicated, from the very conception to finding someone to manufacture a shock absorber that was made in a completely different way from a conventional one.

1984: FIM World Trials Championship RD 1: Olot, Spain. You can just see the mono-shock suspension linkage.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

MECATECNO • STORY

1984 Cingles Three Day Trial, Spain: Albert Juvanteny (Mecatecno).

The first shock absorbers were made by the company Iñano in Madrid. They still remember the endless tests they had to do with the springs to find a solution that worked. After all the efforts dedicated to the rear suspension, it was decided to use a classic front fork and leave that for evolution at a later date. Thus, the first prototype was equipped with the classic Betor front forks, which in the production machine would be replaced with the Ideal ones developed by Pous, a supplier located very close to Martorelles.

The design was also very precise and partly followed the lines of the first Corchs prototype.

The green colour association of the brand was prominent, and the ‘M’ brand of the manufacturer continued to dominate the aesthetics. The design of all the fibres was very carefully chosen to make an original, integral solution that allowed the total mobility of the rider. It was designed by Francesc Bas, who had already applied his design to the first minibikes that were so successful. The design was modified after several tests to keep it slim and clean for the rider’s legs. The first prototype also had the air filter near the headstock in the upper part of the frame, but the idea was abandoned since it created so many problems.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

1984 Cingles Three Day Trial, Spain: Ronald García (Mecatecno).

PRESENTATION The presentation of the prototype was quite a surprise in the trials world since nobody knew of its existence, and it was in the middle of May 1983 at the Barcelona Motorcycle Show, which at that time was a benchmark for the industry.

The Mecatecno raised a lot of expectations with its innovations and revolutionary design. Such was the shock of the new machine that Solo Moto magazine dedicated space to it on its front cover.

The rest of 1983 was dedicated to fine-tuning the machine with Salva García as a test rider since, with the critical situation at Ossa over its future, he abandoned his 303 model to be the Mecatecno rider.

The baptism in the competition world was in the opening round of the 1984 FIM World Trials Championship held in Olot, Spain. This would be their only participation in World Championship events, dedicating all their efforts to the Spanish Championship. Salva García achieved his best result in the second round held in Castellón with a sixth position, and later Albert Juvanteny, the well-known official Ossa rider, joined the team.

At the end of the 1984 Spanish Championship, Salva García and Albert Juvanteny tied in 11th position with 65 points each, but Salva García

surprised everyone with a fifth place overall in the Tres Dies del Cingles, demonstrating the potential of the new machine.

TEAM MECATECNO At Mecatecno, happy with the results, they decided to think big and signed two more riders to have a powerful team for the 1984 season.

Salva and Juvanteny were joined by Ronald García, a promising rider from the area who rode a Montesa sponsored by the well-known dealership Km2 and, the bombshell at the time, the signing of Gabino Renales! The JJ-Cobas rider decided to rely on Mecatecno after a year of many problems with the revolutionary motorcycle designed by Antonio Cobas.

The effort to maintain such a large team was important but necessary to launch the production model. In Jordi Rabasa’s opinion, Gabino could have done very well that season since all the factors came together. He finally had a good motorcycle, and he was well prepared.

Despite having a significant respiratory illness early in the season, he began to win events.

Mecatecno’s first win in the Spanish championship was in the second round, held in Palautordera, where Ronal García also finished third. At Mecatecno, they all began to dream of 61

STORY • MECATECNO

Presenting the ‘Works’ pre-production Mecatecno in the paddock at the 1985 Spanish World round. BELOW: The MR 326 Mecatecno Brochure.

the future. Renales almost had a cherished victory in the Madrid round but lost it on the third lap by a single point from Joan Freixas (Merlin). This defeat marked a ‘before and after’; Gabino collapsed and ended the season with no more significant results.

In 1985 Renales rose to 11th position in the French round of the FIM World Trials Championship, giving Mecatecno their first points as the rules had changed, and the points now went down to 15th position as opposed to 10th.

At the end of the year, Renales moved to Gas Gas to debut the new Halley model. Despite this, Gabino left a good memory at Mecatecno. Joan Ruiz remembers that he was a good tester and loved to try new things, collaborating in implementing endless modifications to the machine. He

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even went so far as to mount a small expansion chamber at the engine outlet on the front pipe! Jordi Rabasa remembers another profile of Renales, his honest character.

Everything developed during 1984 was transferred to the production motorcycle, and the story continues — a second part of this feature will be published in a future issue of Classic Trial Magazine (please be patient, readers!).

Mecatecno’s most significant successes are yet to come. At the moment, you have already discovered the lesser-known part of Mecatecno’s history, from its beginnings to the first production motorcycle — four years of designs, tests, prototypes and more prototypes.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

UK

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TRIALS

Telephone 4 1 4 0 4 8 4 3 3 01

parts Yamaha T Y parts Honda trials T250 parts Kawasaki K cessories c a ls ia r t ic Class rail shocks T & X M , o r u ls, End Classic Tria and kits s t e k c o r p s Chains, & TT parts Yamaha XT parts Yamaha DT anuals Workshop m

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STORY • MECATECNO

MECATECNO

MECAnica and TECNOlogía — survivor After all this time, would you believe that the Mecatecno prototype ridden by Marcelino Corchs has survived? Our good friend from Spain, Ramon Salles of Non-Stop Motorcycles in Spain, took these pictures in February 2009 for what was then the Spanish copy of Trial Magazine; enjoy.

Words: John Hulme • Picture Credits: Collection Ramon Sallés 64

How Fantic does the engine look?

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

MECATECNO • STORY

Take a look at the rear subframe.

All the parts appear to be one-off, hand-made.

Pretty or functional? You decide.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

M for Mecatecno.

In the right of the picture, you can see the triangulated top rear shock absorber mounting point.

Note how far forward the read shock absorber position is.

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STORY • MECATECNO

The founders in 1978. From left: Joan Ruiz, Jordi Rabasa, Ramón Mira.

MECATECNO

MECAnica and TECNOlogía — who was?

Words: Valenti Fontserè and John Hulme • Picture Credits: Collection Giulio Mauri/Fontserè, Collection Miquel Rovira

2023. From left: Joan Ruiz, Ramón Mira, Santos Valencia (the son of the owner of VALSAN, the company that supplied the frames to Mecatecno and Merlin), and Jordi Rabasa.

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Who was Mecatecno — Jordi Rabasa?

Jordi Rabasa was born in Martorelles in 1950 and was the son of Josep’ Pepitu’ Rabasa, co-founder with his brother Simeó of the world-renowned Derbi brand.

During the ‘70s, he combined his work as a manager in Derbi with trials in which he was part of the Montesa team, regularly finishing amongst the top ten in the national championship; he also competed in the Scottish Six Days Trial.

In 1972–1978, he was in charge of Derbi’s Competition Department, developing the 75cc motocross machine that made its successful debut in 1975.

With the difficulties of the late ‘70s, Jordi left the family business and created Mecatecno together with his colleagues at Derbi, Joan Ruiz and Ramon Mira to develop children’s mini motorcycles — a sector that had not existed until then.

His passion for trials continued in his veins, and when the opportunity presented itself, he pursued his dream: developing his own trials motorcycle.

Who was Mecatecno — Joan Ruiz?

Joan Ruiz was born in Campdevànol in 1948 and worked for more than 20 years in the Derbi Competition Department under the orders of the ‘Magician’ Paco Tombas. His hands took care of the motorcycles of legendary riders such as Angel Nieto, Barry Sheene, Min Grau, Dieter Braun, etc.

With Angel Nieto, he won several FIM world titles and accompanied him as a trusted personal mechanic at Morbidelli. He combined his work at Derbi with the creation of Mecatecno from 1978 until 1982.

In January 1983, he moved to Mecatecno and dedicated himself, in body and soul, until 1992, when the financial situation was already very complicated.

Metrakit, a renowned Spanish brand of competition kits, signed him as Technical Director, and he would work there until 1996.

In 1997 he joined the Research and Development Team at Gas Gas, where he would be in charge of multiple developments.

Who was Mecatecno — Ramón Mira?

Ramón Mira was born in Valencia de Alcántara, Cáceres, in 1947 and was a Mechanical Engineer trained in Barcelona who combined his studies with work at Nacional Motor — Derbi. At the end of his degree, after a few months of gaining experience in the company’s various departments, he moved to the Technical Office.

Shortly after, at the age of 19, he went on to manage the Technical Department Office. He designed the first prototype of the Derbi Variant engine, working on the sketches of Andreu Rabasa. He also designed and manufactured bikes with Juan Ruiz, in particular, a 50cc competition motorcycle in 1975 with its own engine, known by the name Joralp.

Starting in June 1978, he joined the Mecatecno project. All the Mecatecno models come out of his designs. In 2003, he collaborated with various civil equipment companies.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

BEST OF BRITISH • CHEETAH

LAST STAND CHEETAH

While looking at the 1969 Scottish Six Days Trial results, I started to think about the Villiers two-stroke engines. Bill Wilkinson had won the event on the Villiers engined Greeves, the last win from the oncemighty powerhouse of UK motorcycle manufacturers. ‘Was this the ultimate Villiers engined trials machine?’ was in my thoughts until I picked up Don Morley’s superb book: Classic British Two-Stroke Trials Bikes, a superb reference point and a good read as well.

The more I read it, the more one machine kept coming back to my mind – the Cheetah. I had vague memories of Barrie Rodgers on his in the East Midlands Centre, and so I wanted to know more about the machines. As has happened so many times before in article generation, we arrive back at the move by Sammy Miller to Bultaco in 1965 and the growing trend towards the Spanish motorcycle manufacturers as the start of the Cheetah story. Greeves had made the last stand against them with the win by Bill Wilkinson, but I often wonder just how good the Cheetah trials machines could have been if the narrow-minded management at the once-great British motorcycle manufacturers could have had a vision similar to Sammy Miller’s, and don’t forget Mick Andrews’ time at Ossa!

Words: John Hulme, Don Morley, Mick Whitlock Pictures: Mick Whitlock, Alan Vines, Brian Holder 68

Check out this quality!

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

CHEETAH • BEST OF BRITISH

Paul Dunkley on the Cheetah on 11th March 1967 at the Cotswolds Cup Trial.

Arthur Dovey with the first production Cheetah.

F

or two years after Sammy Miller’s Spanish-built Bultaco first began to rule the roost in 1965, there was still a reluctance amongst many Clubman trials riders to buy foreign machinery.

In those early days, Spain was hardly considered a great engineering nation, and there were also still many thousands of perfectly serviceable trials four-stroke Triumph Tiger Cubs or similar two-stroke Villierspowered Cotton, DMW, DOT, Francis Barnett, Greeves, James and the like, all with a cheap and plentiful back up of spares.

The introduction of metric tools into the workshop was still some way off, as Whitworth and Imperial were still the industry benchmark. Patriotism or brand loyalty, call it what you will, but the vast majority of mid-to-late1960s club riders might have envied the undoubted extra refinements of the Bultaco machines but still chose to stay British.

UPDATING There would be many who couldn’t afford a completely new machine, and in so many two-stroke instances, they merely updated what they already had. Many top-end tuning components were available from such firms as Alpha, Ajax, Marcelle, Parkinson or even Greeves. Narrowing the gap with their performance-enhancing goodies worked, but they also

This is the very first finished frame.

Cheetah moved straight to the 1967 Scottish Six Days Trial, this is Paul Dunkley’s machine

Mick Whitlock presented his Cheetah at the 1967 Scottish Six Days Trial with this disc front brake.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

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THE LEVEN VALLEY TWO-DAY TRIAL

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KINLOCHLEVEN & DISTRICT MCC

23rd/24th SEPTEMBER – KINLOCHLEVEN ARGYLL KINLOCHLEVEN & DISTRICT MOTORCYCLE CLUB

2022 WINNER SAM CLARKE (BULTACO)

IT’S ALL SYSTEMS GO FOR 2023 The Kinlochleven & District MCC are proud to announce that it is all systems go for the 2023 Leven Valley Two-Day Trial, which will take place over the weekend of the 23rd and 24th of September with a full entry once again in a celebration of Classic Trials.

Please keep your eyes on the club’s website for any updates or information on the 2023 event, which will continue to be released in the run-up to the trial. Events on this scale require support from so many people, If you would like to become part of the trial either as an observer, marshal or event sponsor of the Leven Valley Two-Day Trial, please once again visit the club website for contact details

www.kinlochlevenmcc.co.uk

CHEETAH • BEST OF BRITISH

A happy Mick Whitlock starts the 1967 SSDT.

soon realised it was only part of the answer, given that the Spanish invaders also enjoyed better-engineered Betor front forks giving over six inches of movement. This meant that the newcomer simply glided over significantly sized rock steps or tree roots capable of stopping most old British machines dead in their tracks.

History now, of course, but this, in turn, promoted various other British cottageindustry-type manufacturers to rise to the particular challenge. This resulted in what became known as Ceriani-style front forks

1967 SSDT: Paul Dunkley stays on line on Grey Mare’s Ridge.

being introduced by a Metal Profile (MP) who were part of the DMW group and Berkshire’s Robin Humphries, whose REH brand undoubtedly worked appreciably better and had even more movement than the originals.

Greaves’ answer was to get in on the act by becoming the official product importer for the rival Italian Cerianis from September 1965.

Unwittingly, the government of the day took a hand in the market by modifying what was the equivalent of value-added tax or purchase tax by removing the tax on component parts.

Entrepreneurs soon spotted the loophole that buying the components to update their competition motorcycle had a large tax advantage as there was no purchase tax on spares. This set the stage for what was rapidly becoming a burgeoning new industry, based very largely on updating old motorcycles rather than supplying completely new ones, not least at the time because the supply of new Villiers engines was also drying up. Similarly, the BSA/ Triumph group had always declined to supply engines instead of complete machines.

1967 SSDT: Despite its long wheelbase on the Cheetah Paul Dunkley is forced to get a foot down on Foyer, Stratherrick, Loch Ness south side.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

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BEST OF BRITISH • CHEETAH

By 1968 the Cheetah was very much a part of the UK trials scene. This is Paul Dunkley in the Cotswolds Cup.

KIT FORM Companies such as Butler, Elstar, Firefly, Sapphire, Scorpion, Sprite and others sprang up during the mid-1960s, all ready and willing to help fill the final gap in this chain by not merely direct marketing of upgraded components but also every other part needed to make a complete trials motorcycle, with or without an engine, but in a dismantled state or ‘kit form’, as it became commonly known.

The exploited tax loophole was that spares — even to the complete sum of all the component

1968 SSDT: It’s feet down and push on the Cheetah as Paul Dunkley struggles up Grey Mare’s Ridge.

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Mick Whitlock takes a ‘dab’ on the Devil’s Staircase in the 1967 SSDT.

parts of the machine — could legally be sold tax-free as long as the trade supplier did not completely assemble them. Many companies were happy to supply everything, from updating frames or frame-and-fork kits where the purchaser, for instance, installed the wheels and engine from their existing machine. Some suppliers opted to supply completely new motorcycles largely built by the manufacturer.

Frank Hipkin, for example, with his Sprite models, supplied them with the wheels and possibly the engine removed to qualify for the

100% tax exemption legally.

There was another element in the tax loophole that was also exploited. Kit-form motorcycles were sold directly by small manufacturers who could set prices that did not need a retail margin for the local dealer. Obviously, such measures caused the establishment of motorcycle manufacturers and suppliers of completely assembled machines like Cotton, DOT and Greeves considerable grief, and indeed Cotton and DOT soon opted for a similar policy based on ‘if you can’t beat them, join them’!

Even so far back in time as the 1969 Cotswolds Cup trial the Cheetah looks so stylish in the hands of Paul Dunkley.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

CHEETAH • BEST OF BRITISH

CHEETAH It does have to be said that many – if not most – such kit-form motorcycles were very much made down to price. It allowed an opportunity for a different approach to see a supplied top-quality frame and cycle parts in which the uprated engine could be used.

In 1967 this was exactly how the far superior-quality Villiers or Triumph Tiger Cub-powered Cheetah trials models entered the trials scene. It always surprises me where ideas come from, and the Cheetah was no different.

Mick Whitlock had purchased a Villiers engined Sprite trials model; the registration number would later be found on his Cheetah Triumph Tiger Cub: HHO 67E. He rode it but soon realised that the quality could very easily be upgraded. He rode the machine over to Bob Gollner’s shop to show him the Sprite and get his opinion. Bob and Mick had a good look around this British-built motorcycle trials model. Mick asked Bob his thoughts, and the reply was straight to the point as he answered: “We can do better than that, Mush!” Soon the Cheetah project would come to life.

The Cheetah’s chief mentor would be Bob Gollner, who in those days owned and ran one of the country’s top competition dealerships at Denmead, near Portsmouth in Hampshire, and designer Peter Barge.

Perhaps more importantly, Gollner also happened to be a brilliant off-road rider in his own right and a very clever development engineer with a genuine feel for the clubman’s market and what his fellow riders wanted.

Bob created a truly enviable design and testing programme based around the frame, including the welding ace Mick Whitlock. His reputation in this particular field was second to none, and, like Gollner, he was a very competent trials rider and so knew the special needs of the trials rider.

As mentioned previously, the last part of the team was Robin Humphries of REH Forks. These three came together on the Cheetah project with Southern Centre rider and glass-fibre expert Jimmy Coles, who would make the proposed new model’s superbly crafted two-gallon fuel tank and seat base. Also in the team were Arthur Dovey, Paul Dunkley, and Mick Whitlock as factory development riders.

SHOWTIME The bright nickel-plated prototype Cheetah just oozed quality. It quite literally caused a near sensation in January 1967 at the Racing Sporting Show, where in every sense, it undoubtedly outshone even Greaves above their average engineered trials TJS model Anglian. Not least, because the new upstart shared much of the former’s running gear, including REH front forks, but all housed within Whitlock’s appreciably lighter jointprofiled and bronze-welded Reynolds 531 tubing frame; it was a work of art from a master fabricator.

From 1967 onwards, there was an all-new and very high-quality kit-form machine which, like Greeves and Sprite and most others, used British Hub Company wheels and, in most instances, the Villiers-based 37A engine but whose all-up weight of 200 pounds in cast-iron engine form was appreciably below that of its rivals. This meant that those just purchasing a frame kit and using their Greaves alloy barrel engine got a motorcycle weighing in at approximately 192lbs. The seat height was 29 inches, and ground clearance was 11 inches, again greater than virtually all of the Cheetah’s rival manufacturers; the wheelbase at just over 53 inches was longer than everyone else’s.

The initial supply options offered to the buying public included just the frame kit with a swinging arm brake pedal and footrests at £45, or £85 if the seat, fuel tank and front forks were added and then £149 for the complete motorcycle minus the engine gearbox and carburettor. For £249, you could have the machine complete with a brand-new Villiers 37A engine, or for slightly less money if it was supplied with a used Triumph Tiger Cub engine, supplied and reconditioned by Ken Heanes, a good friend of Bob Gollner’s.

WINNING CHEETAHS Mick Whitlock rode the show prototype to a first-class award in its January 1967 debut at the XHG Tigers, Southern Centre Team Trial held that year near Dorchester. From then onwards, Cheetahs regularly appeared in the Southern Centre area awards list and occasionally further afield.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

Seen here at the 1968 SSDT, Derby-based Barrie Rodgers put Cheetah on the map in the north of the country, winning many local club and centre trials.

In the 1968 Perce Simon Trial there were 12 Cheetahs in the entry, including Chris Cullen seen here.

Barrie Rodgers steadies the Cheetah in the 1969 Victory Trial.

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AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

CHEETAH • BEST OF BRITISH

Mick Whitlock won a Scottish Six Days first class award in May, with teammate Paul Dunkley taking second place in the newcomer’s award. Dunkley was also runner-up in the 1967 National Southern trial, where fellow Cheetah riders Murray Brush, Arthur Dovey, Gordon Adsett and Mick Whitlock all made the awards. All were in the awards again at the national Hoad trial, with the icing on the cake the following day at the national Perce Simon, where Cheetah won the manufacturers’ team award for the first time.

Cheetah trials models remained very much in the south of the country, but this changed when Derby’s top trials rider, Barrie Rodgers, purchased a frame kit in October 1967. This put the Cheetah on the map in the north of the country when Rodgers won the Sutton-in-Ashfield Cup trial, the first victory outside of the Southern Centre.

A very successful motorcycle dealer in his own right, Barrie soon spoke with Bob Gollner about taking on the agency for Cheetahs in the Midlands and north of the country; Barrie continued to win and put the machine in the eye of the buying public.

DEVELOPMENTS The ongoing development of the Cheetah could also offer a weight-saving front disc brake conversion, which costs £20 complete with the wheel supplied if supplied with a new frame kit or £30 if purchased separately.

Designed and built by Robin Humphries, the braking actuation was not by a conventional hydraulic device. Still, it took place via a normal cable from a brake lever that operated a pair of steel cams running on rollers behind the disc brake pads. It worked very well, not least because it used relatively huge BMC Austin Morris 1100 model brake pads meaning the bike could stop on a sixpence even when the going was wet!

Meanwhile, Mick Whitlock spent much of his time trying to develop and manufacture a Villiers engine, fitting a 345cc aluminium top-end to give the Cheetah the edge over the Greeves equivalent, which was considered to be the best that money could buy. In turn, it was hoped this would also enable better bottom-end torque to be obtained by the increased engine capacity size. This failed to work out, so Mick was eventually obliged to machine the production versions down to 246cc, much like the Greeves.

IT’S OVER Sadly, before the full marketing potential of the Cheetah as a production trials motorcycle was achieved, a strange problem arose. The Rickman Brothers, who were the official Bultaco UK importers, knew that a Sherpa model with a five-speed gearbox was about to arrive. They still had a good stock of the older four-speed model and reduced the soon-to-be-obsolete Spanish machine’s retail price from £229 to £225, making it cheaper than a kit form, aluminium barrelled Cheetah.

Even worse news was to come in late July 1967 when Villiers announced it would stop production of the two-stroke 37A engine; production had been running at 500 units per year.

The Wolverhampton-based Villiers suggested this was only a temporary problem. Still, time would show that the parent company had decided to withdraw supplies from their competitors in order to create a market for their own ill-fated AJS 37AT trials model. It also became obvious that this is why Greeves only produced 30 of the final TJ 250 trials models, simply because they were fortunate enough to have 30 engines stockpiled. This lack of supplied engines also had a significant impact on other motorcycle manufacturers, including Cotton, DOT and Sprite, who soon would be looking to adapt their trials models for the mini-capacity engines of foreign origin.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

Chris Edwards pushes the Cheetah uphill at the 1968 Southern Experts.

The Cheetah’s competition success continued as Paul Dunkley won the premier award at the 1968 Hoad Trophies trial. Gordon Adsett briefly rode a Husqvarna-engined Cheetah trials model, but the high revving, vibrating two-stroke engine was deemed ‘not fit for purpose’, and the project was parked for good. Production continued throughout 1968, but it was very slow, and soon, the harsh reality that the Villiers engine supply was now over ended the production of the Cheetah trials machines. Over the two-year period, just 69 Cheetahs were built as 1968 closed the door on the project.

JOHN HULME – WHY I LOVE MY JOB I was in my office researching this feature when my phone rang. Someone asked about the next magazine’s delivery date; I asked the name, and it was John Kershaw, an 87-year-old ex-South East Centre rider. He was so enthusiastic about Classic Trial Magazine that I spoke with him about my Cheetah article generation, and he replied, ‘I had one of them!’

Paul Dunkley’s last ride at the SSDT on the Cheetah was in 1969.

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BEST OF BRITISH • CHEETAH

The one that got away, seen here at the 2016 Classic Dirt Bike Show. With Villiers engines no more, Gordon Adsett briefly rode a Husqvarna engined Cheetah trials model but the high-revving, vibrating two-stroke engine was deemed ‘not fit for purpose’ and the project was parked up for good.

John Kershaw: “I purchased my Villiersengined Cheetah based on the machine’s build quality. It was exactly what the ailing British motorcycle industry should have produced at the start of the Spanish domination; a superior quality motorcycle trials machine.

“It was long and tall compared to the opposition, and as I remember it, a superb piece of kit with build quality is second to none.

It gripped well, and the Villiers 37A engine was at its peak of development; I really enjoyed riding it.”

Whilst researching this article, we came across the original Cheetah Trials Motorcycle spares and price list, which we have presented below.

CHEETAH TRIALS MOTORCYCLES 1967–1968 CHASSIS AND FRAME KITS • Frame with Swinging Arm, Footrests and Brake Pedal: £45.

• Chassis Kit A: Frame with Swinging Arm, Footrests, Brake Pedal, Fuel Tank, Seat and Front Forks: £85.

• Chassis Kit B: Complete kit less Engine – Gearbox and Carburettor: £149.

ENGINE AND ACCESSORIES • Villiers 37A Engine – Gearbox unit fitted with modified aluminium square cylinder barrel and special piston: £100.

• Aluminium square cylinder head, barrel including the inlet manifold and piston: £31.15.

• Special Exhaust Pipe and Silencer to fit the

The Mark 37A Villiers two-stroke engine produced 12.4bhp at 5,000rpm, which at the time was considered very good for trials motorcycles. The arguments over the cylinder barrels in both aluminium and cast iron performances are still continuing to the present day.

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‘Square’ or ‘Challenger’ cylinder barrels designed to give maximum pulling power, completely nickel plated to avoid heat discolouration: £8.

CHEETAH PARTS • Front Telescopic Forks complete: £30.

• Cheetah Seat unit, aluminium base with thick rubber sponge: £2.10.

• Cheetah Black Fibreglass fuel tank with a capacity of two gallons: £8.

• Aluminium Air Filter covering box: £3.10.

• Special Handlebar assembly with tubular clamping and aluminium lever blades, sold as a pair: £2.15.

• Handlebars: £1.

• Special Front Mudguard Stays: £1.

Cheetah Engineering Limited, The Green, Denmead, Hampshire.

In late July 1967 Villiers announced it would stop production of the two-stroke 37A engine, production had run at 500 units per year. The Wolverhampton Villiers parent company had taken the decision to withdraw supplies from their competitors in order to create a market for their own ill-fated AJS 37AT trials model.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

VILLIERS SERVICES Every single part for every post-war Villiers motorcycle engine in stock. Hundreds of rare Greeves roadster, trials, scrambles and road race parts remanufactured. We also have the whole Terry Silvester ex-Greeves factory spares stock.

Our in-house services now include: • VILLIERS CRANK BUILDING While-you-wait/same-day service REBORES FOR ANY ENGINE Any size While-you-wait/same-day service • FLYWHEEL REMAGNETISING For 2/4 or 6 pole flywheel, even non-Villiers While-you-wait/same-day service • FULL ENGINE REBUILDS Including trials ands crambles preparation / tuning

• SUB ASSEMBLY BUILDS Short engines, carbs, magnetos, gearboxes etc • ULTRA SONIC CLEANING While-you-wait/same-day service • VAPOUR BLASTING / SHOT BLASTING • BRAKE SHOE RELINING We can re-line any shoe for any vehicle Motorcycle price £21.95 a pair including P+P

We are proud to announce that we are sole distributors for the Electrix world Villiers electronic ignitions.

Visit our online store: www.villiersservices.co.uk for many of our Villiers parts and a wide range of trials related consumables.

T: 01384 265797 E: sales@villiersservices.co.uk

www.villiersservices.co.uk

3 Merry Hill, Quarry Bank, Brierley Hill, West Midlands DY5 ISD

BEST OF BRITISH • CHEETAH

CHEETAH

FOUR-STROKE OPTION As remarked earlier in this feature, the Cheetah project began with the Villiersengined Sprite, registration number HHO 67E, which Mick Whitlock had purchased.

While all eyes were focused on the new Cheetah two-stroke project, Mick was still working on a four-stroke version to give riders the option. As with the Villiers engine, there was still a huge availability of spare parts available to keep the Triumph engines running, along with a die-hard bunch of trials riders who still believed in the good-old British four-stroke power. In this die-hard bunch, they also had their workshops filled with Whitworth and Imperial fasteners and tools and the knowledge to keep them running; Metric fasteners and tools were still a thing of the future.

Words: John Hulme Mick Whitlock Pictures: Mick Whitlock Brian Holder 78

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

CHEETAH • BEST OF BRITISH

A

new frame was fabricated to include oil in the top and main-frame tubing, which acted as the oil reservoir instead of a conventional oil tank.

The frame could accommodate three pints of oil to keep the engine cool and lubricated. The Sprite cycle parts would be used where they could, and after many manhours, the Cheetah Triumph emerged.

Mick had used a 1958 199cc Triumph Tiger Cub engine as a base point and used his engineering and fabrication skills to construct the frame to accommodate the four-stroke engine.

The finished article was actually 10lbs lighter than the twostroke Cheetah, at 180lbs. In total, just five of the four-stroke powered Cheetahs were built.

Mick added REH front forks and a front disc brake, achieving some success on the machine. Soon, however, he would be too involved in producing two-stroke frame kits to continue with the frame kit to accommodate the Triumph engine, and the project was parked up.

In 1969 John May would ride one of the Triumph-powered Cheetahs in the Scottish Six Days Trial.

Mick Whitlock loving his Triumph engined Cheetah.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

It looks busy around the engine department!

You can see the length of the wheelbase in this picture.

John May would ride one of the Triumph powered Cheetahs in the 1969 Scottish Six Days Trial.

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81

SPORT • HIGHLAND TWO-DAY TRIAL

Nigel Birkett (Suzuki)

SUZUKI EDITION HIGHLAND TWO-DAY TRIAL

Many riders would again make the long road trip to compete in Scotland’s annual and immensely popular two-day trial. We all love the theme idea, and this year was made even better by the appearance of a man who worked so hard to put the Suzuki name on the radar in the 1970s, Nigel Birkett. As you will read in this issue, the path of Suzuki into the trials world was not an easy one after the departure of Gordon Farley. Nigel can claim to score the first world points for Suzuki and become the highest-placed FIM World Trials Championship finisher on the Japanese machine in the 1975 Swiss round, with second place. He also became the highest ever championship points scores for them when he finished eighth in 1976. The entry form for the 2023 Highland Classic – Suzuki Edition – opened at 8pm on Wednesday 1st February, and again the event proved popular enough to attract 264 entries for 200 places!

Words: Trials Media • Pictures: Iain Lawrie.

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AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

HIGHLAND TWO-DAY TRIAL • SPORT

A Class 1 Pre-65 Four-Stroke Gary Macdonald (Triumph)

A Class 2 Pre-65 Two-Stroke Carl Batty (Villiers)

As popular as this Scottish event is, 64 entrants would be initially disappointed.

However, history tells us that quite a number of entrants would withdraw before the event due to injury, family and work commitments and so on. It also meant that a high proportion of unsuccessful entrants eventually gained a place on the entry list, so if you are on the reserves, don’t despair; keep in touch with the organisers.

A SUPRISE ENTRY

Adding some extra glamour to the event was Steve Saunders on his 300 Fantic and the surprise entry that was received from the event’s previous Guest of Honour, the 1979 FIM World Trials Champion and 1982 SSDT winner, Bernie Schreiber. Under clear blue skies – would you believe — the 2023 two-day trial got underway,

A Class 5 Post-77 Twin-Shock Alan Crayk (Montesa) CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

and the sun just got hotter as the day went on!

It was so good to see an array of Japanese Suzuki machines, including the early RL models and, of course, later Beamish Suzuki models.

Nigel Birkett had brought along his genuine ex-works 325cc model, one that he keeps riding and promises to one day give it a total rebuild to its original specification – once his riding days are over. Having just finished his 50th Scottish Six Days Trial at the age of 69, one he started on a home-built Suzuki in 1971, it does not appear he will be hanging his boots up just yet. To get into the true spirit of the event, he also wore one of his old Suzuki riding shirts.

The weather in June in Scotland can never be predicted, but this year, the event was blessed with strong sunshine on Saturday and, despite some showers before the start of the second day, the sun shone once again, albeit with a cooler day.

A Class 7 U35 Pre-65 Joel Gowan (Ariel)

TWO ROUTES

You have the choice of the two routes, with the A route more of a challenge than the B route. These routes attracted eight classes, providing a good day’s sport for the whole entry.

Back in the 1950s and 1960s, class winners at the Highland Two-Day Trial received pint tankards made of pewter to commemorate their win. This year the organising Inverness & District Motor Cycle Club Limited replicated the awards, but this time, made of glass: a pint tankard, fully engraved with the Classic Two Day Trial logo and on the other side, the class and the winner’s name, for posterity.

After the event, these awards would be sent to each class winner as a memento of their victory at the Highland Classic Suzuki Edition. All enjoyed the whole event and once again proved that you do not have to travel abroad to enjoy the authentic experience of a classic twin-shock trial.

A Class 8 U35 Twin-Shock Stuart Hanlon (Suzuki) 83

SPORT • HIGHLAND TWO-DAY TRIAL

B Class 1 Pre-65 Four-Stroke Alister Stewart (Triumph)

B Class 3 Pre-72 TwinShock Ross Edgar (Bultaco)

B Class 6 Brit-Shock Ian Myers (Triumph) 84

B Class 2 Pre-65 Two-Stroke Peter Carson (BSA)

B Class 4 Pre-77 Twin-Shock Clive Ballie (Suzuki)

B Class 5 Post-77 TwinShock Peter Clibburn (Honda)

B Class Best Female Michell Hanlon (Yamaha) AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

HIGHLAND TWO-DAY TRIAL • SPORT

Oldest Finisher Alex Carmichael (James)

Nick Shield on his 350 CCM

Margaret Carter (Majesty)

A HUGE SUCCESS

A huge problem nearly put the event in jeopardy but was rescued

by Laird Jamie Williamson of Alvie & Dalraddy Estates Ltd and his team, who allowed the trial to continue after they suffered a major fire just four days beforehand, so a big thank you to them.

Again, the event was a huge success for everyone involved.

A few comments were raised by the competitors and spectators alike, asking why they did not have the cheese/ wine/beer stop nowadays. The answer is quite simple; there are licensing issues around dispensing alcohol, not to mention the risk that if anyone was subsequently involved in a Road Traffic Accident, the club would be under scrutiny, for which the organisers apologised. What was provided was the superb catering, laid on by the club’s friends at Ness Highland Catering, headed by Samantha.

Next year the club is planning some improvements to help increase competitor enjoyment, which can only be a bonus, so watch this space. 2024 will see the club host the BSA/Triumph Edition with guests who rode for these factories, which should bring some good riders back to have a blast from the past.

The club and the committee would also like to thank the Trial Partners and suppliers for their continued support, the observers and anyone else who helped make the event a success.

The club sent out a questionnaire to all participants by e-mail for any constructive comments in the hope the club can strive to Dave Cooper Trial Mag 0817.pdf gçÜå=iÉÉ=`ä~ëëáÅ=qêá~äj~Ö=MUOMKéÇÑ===N===MVLMULOMOM===OPWMR Rene Stubbs on his little Suzuki make it an even better event in 2024. See you all again next year.

BY JACK LEE

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CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

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SPORT • HIGHLAND TWO-DAY TRIAL

Steve Saunders was out on his 300 Fantic Bernie Schreiber (Bultaco-USA)

HIGHLAND TWO-DAY TRIAL 2023 ROUTE A

CLASS 1 PRE-65 FOUR-STROKE: 1: Gary Macdonald (Triumph) 0; 2: Sean Radcliff (BSA) 3: Jonathan Hughes (BSA) 10.

CLASS 2 PRE-65 TWO-STROKE: 1: Carl Batty (Villiers) 5; 2: Nick Jefferies (BSA) 36; 3: Tony Swidenbank (BSA) 41.

CLASS 3 PRE-72 TWIN-SHOCK: No Entries.

CLASS 4 PRE-77 TWIN-SHOCK: 1: Nigel Birkett (Suzuki) 9; 2: Frazer Ross (Suzuki) 75.

CLASS 5 POST-77 TWIN-SHOCK: 1: Alan Crayk (Montesa) 1; 2: Colin Ward (Honda) 3; 3: Paul Jackson (Honda) 6.

CLASS 6 BRIT-SHOCK: 1: David Sherlock (BSA) 11; 2: Jonathan Henderson (Triumph) 19; 3: Gary Baker (Triumph) 23.

CLASS 7 U35 PRE-65: 1: Joel Gowan (Ariel) 0; 2: Calum Murphy (BSA) 0; 3: David Bell (Triumph) 22.

CLASS 8 U35 TWIN-SHOCK: 1: Stuart Hanlon (Suzuki) 0; 2: Philip Baxter (SWM) 6; 3: Steven Moffat (Honda) 14.

ROUTE B CLASS 1 PRE-65 FOUR-STROKE: 1: Alister Stewart (Triumph) 0; 2: Andy Cope (Triumph) 5; 3: Owen Hardisty (Triumph) 6.

CLASS 2 PRE-65 TWO-STROKE: 1: Peter Carson (BSA) 3; 2: Gary Shaw (BSA) 6; 3: Alick Murray (BSA) 10.

CLASS 3 PRE-72 TWIN-SHOCK: 1: Ross Edgar (Bultaco) 60; 2: Rene Stubbs (Suzuki) 220.

CLASS 4 PRE-77 TWIN-SHOCK: 1: Clive Ballie (Suzuki) 11; James Chambers (Suzuki) 19; 3: Gary Fleckney (Suzuki) 23.

CLASS 5 POST-77 TWIN-SHOCK: 1: Peter Clibburn (Honda) 4; 2: Derrick Edmondson (Honda) 6; 3: Ossy Byers (Fantic) 7.

CLASS 6 BRIT-SHOCK: 1: Ian Myers (Triumph) 4; 2: John Hebdon (Triumph) 10; 3: John Mcfarlane (BSA) 17.

CLASS 7 U35 PRE-65: 1: No Finishers.

CLASS 8 U35 TWIN-SHOCK: 1: Jamie Chambers (Suzuki) 7; 2: David Craig (Bultaco) 9; 3: Michell Hanlon (Yamaha) 17.

BEST FEMALE: Michell Hanlon (Yamaha).

OLDEST FINISHER: Alex Carmichael (James).

Ashleigh Davison (Fantic) 86

OBSERVER’S PRIZE DRAWS FOR 2023 Saturday: 1: Martyn Pratt (£100); 2 Kyle Neill (£50); 3 Jamie McLean (£25).

Sunday: 1: Lynda Macdonald (£100); 2 Neil Macdonald (£50); 3 Ross MacDonald (£25).

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

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TEAM • 1973 INTER CENTRE

1973 INTER CENTRE

YORKSHIRE’S PROUD HAT TRICK

Pride was at stake, and the Yorkshire team would do the centre proud, headed by the well-respected team manager Tom Ellis, as they took their first-ever hat-trick of wins at the 1973 Inter Centre Team Trial. This would match the previous hat tricks the Midland and South Western centres achieved. The 1973 event would be hosted in Lancashire, the home of the Red Rose Trial, on Sunday, 15th April 1973 and run by the North Western Centre on behalf of the ACU; the start would be at TBA Industrial Products, Rochdale, Lancashire. The North Western Centre would rely on the hard-working teams from the Bury, Richmond and Shaw clubs who jointly made the event come to life, with the event sponsored by the local newspaper, the Rochdale Observer. Clerk of the Course Tom Robinson had produced an interesting two-lap, 16-mile course with 26 sections planned out over the bleak expanse of Rooley Moor, taking in some new ones alongside a selection of the regular ones found in the National Red Rose Trial. It is quite interesting to note that more than 70 marshals and observers had come forward from the local areas to make the event run smoothly. Thankfully, the weather produced a warm, dry day for the total of 20 teams of 100 riders.

Words: Trials Media, Barry Robinson, Eric Adcock • Pictures: Malcolm Carling, Eric ‘Dusty’ Miller, Allen Collier

Motorcycle trials was going through a very strong period, still dominated by the mighty three Spanish motorcycle manufacturers Bultaco, Montesa and Ossa. These three brands held solid sales, and Japan’s ‘Big Four’ had been watching the sport’s growth with interested eyes.

WHAT’S THE STORY?

Behind closed doors, Gordon Farley had signed a Suzuki contract, and Don Smith was with Kawasaki, both eagerly awaiting to see machines arrive from Japan. Mick Andrews had moved to Yamaha and alternated between riding the two 88

prototypes, a 250cc and the 360cc two-stoke he had first received.

Sammy Miller had declined a move to Yamaha; unbeknown to the trials world at the time, he was talking with Honda about a comeback to trials from the Japanese manufacturer with a fourstroke model.

As the world’s trials manufacturers moved to larger-capacity engines, Montesa introduced the schoolboy-sized Cota 25 and the adult Cota 123, a new 307cc was also in the development stages to complement the range.

Bultaco was pushing ahead with sales of the

new Sherpa 325cc. Still, due to a change in legislation, the latest Bultacos had arrived with a replacement aluminium, blue and silver fuel tank to meet the UK road regulations.

Ossa was still moving forward, and Dave Thorpe had received a new lightweight framed model after signing a two-year contract to replace Andrews as the company’s number one rider. It is also worth noting the machine entries as the final nails went into the coffin of the once-mighty manufacturing of motorcycles in the UK, with only DOT and Cotton having machines in the trial, albeit with foreign engines.

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

BRITISH TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP 1973 INTER CENTRE 1982 • WINNER • TEAM

Sammy Miller (Bultaco) with Gordon Farley (Montesa): Soon they would be riding Japanese machines, Miller Honda and Farley Suzuki.

Dave Thorpe (Ossa Yorkshire): As Mick Andrews moved to Yamaha, Dave signed a twoyear contract with Ossa.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

Martin Lampkin (Bultaco Yorkshire): You can clearly see the new blue aluminium fuel tank, first used in early April 1973.

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1973 INTER CENTRE • TEAM

Gordon Farley (Montesa South Eastern): It was a very well-guarded secret but he had already signed a Suzuki contract behind closed doors in 1973.

New trials clothing was also starting to arrive, with various colours emerging away from the more traditional black of Barbour and Belstaff.

Green, red and blue riding suits emerged with a new manufacturer, TT Leathers. As you can see from the numbers below, the Bultaco brand was still the most in-demand in the UK.

MACHINES: Bultaco,54; Montesa, 23; Ossa, 18; Cotton, 3; DOT, 1; Yamaha, 1.

DRY CONDITIONS

Due to the nature of the teams and rider abilities, the sections had been plotted out on the easier side, highlighted with the top 15 with low-

Brian Hutchinson (Montesa East Yorkshire): Very much a minimotorcycle rider, the new Montesa Cota 123 fitted his riding style perfectly.

CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

Alan Lampkin (Bultaco Yorkshire): Always a good consistent rider ‘Sid’ finished a strong sixth overall.

scoring results. For the early riders, including Mick Andrews and Brian Hutchinson, who were numbers one and two, the first section proved more difficult than it looked. Despite little water in the stream bed, it got carried onto the jumble of rocks, creating a very slippery section.

As the sun shone through the early morning cloud, the conditions quickly improved and dried out, with the hardest of the day found in the four-group section starting at number 20 at ‘Ding’, which proved the most troublesome. Anyone who has ever ridden on Rooley Moor will know it has a wide variety of terrain on offer, ideal for trials sections. The first one at ‘Ding’ consisted of

Mick Andrews (Yamaha East Midland): ‘Magical’ was still in the early days of his Yamaha career to help the Japanese develop a range of trials motorcycles that would eventually become the TY models.

Derek Adsett (Ossa South Eastern): The move from the ailing Greeves concern to Ossa had been a good one.

a muddy approach which then duly delivered the riders onto a huge loose jumble of rocks, proving to be possibly the most difficult in the trial.

As more riders passed through the section, albeit with their feet down, only four clean rides were recorded over the two laps. As the muddy approach got deeper and rutted, riders covered rocks with slimy sludge.

Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco Yorkshire) was the first to master it on lap one, whilst Tony Sharp (Ossa Northern), second-place finisher Gordon Farley (Montesa South Eastern) and Dave Thorpe (Ossa Yorkshire) also passed through feet-up.

Section 24, named Reddyshore Hill, featured a

Sammy Miller (Bultaco Southern): He may well have been semi-retired but Miller was still as competitive as ever on his much-modified 325cc Bultaco.

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TEAM • 1973 INTER CENTRE

Billy McMaster (Bultaco South Midland): This is one of the early production 325cc Bultacos from the Windsor Competion Shop who sponsored him.

Allen Collier (Bultaco-Eastern) – John Hume: “I will always be grateful for the friendship and support from Allen who has loaned us so many trials pictures, some of which are in this article.”

very steep exposed bank-side climb littered with rocks with the top almost impassable, but due to the dry conditions, it failed to stop the majority of the entry. Making easy work of the section, stylish, clean rides came from Clive Smith (Montesa North Western) and his mentor and sponsor, Jim Sandiford (Montesa Northern).

As the new UK importer for Montesa, Sandiford had started to assemble a strong sponsored team of riders and noted the potential of a young Clive Smith, one of four trials riding brothers.

WINNERS

Eddie Cordle (Montesa-Eastern): If you look closely you will see that it was not only Don Smith who liked a cigarette while he was competing in trials.

Eric Adcock (DOT North Western): Loyal to the DOT brand manufactured in his local Manchester to the very end, this is one of the last production models, at this time powered by Minarelli.

92

On paper, it was always going to be the mighty Yorkshire team made up of Martin Lampkin, Dave Thorpe, Alan Lampkin, Malcolm Rathmell and Rob Shepherd who would win, and that proved to be the case as the five team riders all finished in the top ten.

With a 71-mark winning margin, it was left to the South Eastern team of Gordon Farley, Ken Brooker, Richard Whitebread, Alan Ketley and Derek Adsett to take the second step on the podium, with Farley finishing second overall. They finished

Doug Theobald (Ossa Eastern): A trials competitor for virtually all his adult life, he has helped so many riders over the years.

a clear second as East Yorkshire, consisting of Brian Hutchinson, John Pattison, Rob Edwards, his brother Eric and Jack Galloway, took the final podium spot by just two marks from the Southern team headed by the great Sammy Miller (Bultaco).

Warm April weather conditions had exposed many rocks on the open moorland, resulting in several riders collecting front and rear wheel punctures. Not only did the inner tubes deflate, but the tyres also bore witness to the harsh moorland with rips and splits in them. With no spare wheel

AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

BRITISH TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP 1982 • WINNER

Dedicated to the Sport www. trialsguru.net Photos, articles, news recording the history of trials.

/trialsguruworld CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

93

TEAM • 1973 INTER CENTRE

Jim Sandiford (Montesa North Western): At the end of 1973 Lancashire motorcycle dealer Jim Sandiford Imports Limited would take over as the Montesa concessionaire for the UK. He was the man who put the Spanish manufacturer Montesa on the world trials map.

Martin Strang (Cotton South Western): In a last-ditch attempt at survival, Cotton had supported riders in its battle for survival as a motorcycle trials manufacturer.

Richard Whitebread (Bultaco South Eastern): This picture typifies the trials scene in the early ’70s.

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AUTUMN 2023 • CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE

BRITISH TRIALS CHAMPIONSHIP 1973 INTER CENTRE 1982 • WINNER • TEAM

Martin Lampkin looks back at his Bultaco minus the engine he has just removed. The Scottish Six Days Trial was just around the corner and his engine would be going back to Comerfords, the UK importers, into the hands of Reg May in preparation for the event.

available, Dave Thorpe on the Ossa had to apply a patch to his rear Dunlop, such was the severity of the split in the tyre. Using his experienced mechanical skills, Tony Davis easily repaired his rear-wheel puncture with a replacement inner tube, but soon he would be in more trouble. He struck an exposed rock on the open moorland, which broke his front wheel, forcing his retirement.

The Inter Centre Team Trial was a superb social event for all the relevant centre riders and team managers to fight for bragging rights as to who had the best centre, and it was enjoyed by many.

INTER CENTRE TEAM TRIAL 1973

TEAM RESULTS: 1: Yorkshire 56; 2: South Eastern 127; 3: East Yorkshire 143; 4: Southern 145; 5: Midland: 152; 6: East Midland: 162; 7: South Western: 177; 8: North Western: 192; 9: North Eastern: 210; 10: Wessex: 213; 11: South Midland: 219; 12: Cheshire: 240; 13: Western: 262; 14: Eastern: 263; 15: Northern: 16: Cornwall: 323; 17: Scottish ACU: 329; 18: AMCA: 450. Both the Isle of Man and East South Wales teams finished incomplete.

INDIVIDUAL RESULTS: 1: Martin Lampkin (Bultaco Yorkshire) 5; 2: Gordon Farley (Montesa South Eastern) 12; 3: Rob Edwards (Montesa East Yorkshire) 13; 4: Dave Thorpe (Ossa Yorkshire) 15; 5: Mick Andrews (Yamaha East Midland) 18; 6: Alan Lampkin (Bultaco Yorkshire) 18; 7: Malcolm Rathmell (Bultaco Yorkshire) 18; 8: Rob Shepherd (Montesa Yorkshire) 20; 9: Brian Hutchinson (Montesa East Yorkshire) 23; 10: Brian Higgins (Bultaco South Western) 23; 11: Sammy Miller (Bultaco CLASSIC TRIAL MAGAZINE • AUTUMN 2023

Friends and rivals — from left: Mick Andrews, Alan Lampkin, Martin Lampkin and Malcolm Rathmell share their thoughts at the finish.

Southern) 25; 12: Dave Younghusband (Bultaco North Eastern) 25; 13: Steve Wilson (Bultaco Midland) 28; 14: Jim Sandiford (Montesa North Western) 31; 15: Clive Smith (Montesa North Western) 33.

PAST TEAM WINNERS 1932–1972: 1932: Yorkshire; 1933: Midland; 1934: Midland; 1935: Midland; 1936: South Eastern; 1937: Midland; 1938: Midland; 1939–1945 The Second World War; 1946: Midland; 1947–1949 No Event; 1950: East Midland; 1951: East Midland;

1952: South Western; 1955: South Western; 1956: South Western; 1957: Midland; 1958: Midland; 1959: Midland; 1960: Midland; 1961: Midland; 1962: Midland; 1963: Yorkshire; 1964: Yorkshire; 1965: East Midland; 1966: Yorkshire: 1967: Southern; 1968: Southern; 1969: Yorkshire; 1970: South Western; 1971: Yorkshire; 1972: Yorkshire.

TOP WINNERS: Midland: 12; Yorkshire: 7; South Western: 3; East Midland: 3; Southern: 2; South Eastern: 1.

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