Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

Challenge and the FIM Prize for • 1 ... ... M Cl go « ~ w the best in the ""arid told Tiegem was only 25 miles away. It took us over an hour to find Tiegem and the track the next morning. We changed a rear wheelan the Cheney that John destroyed at Mettet and sent John our for practice. After a few laps it started to rain. Things'looked grim as the black clouds rolled in. The pits were full of Japanese mechanics. This was going to be better than a GP both 250 and 500 class rider were here and riding both c1asse.. plus the sidecars - except for the rain. At the start Banks was second at the first tum, but there were many pile-ups on the paved section. There was a 15 foot drop-off that landed on the pavement where you had to make a 90 degree tum upon landing. Many forgot to turn. Just for spice 1±aere was a tree in the middle of the drop-off, and the road had a barbed wire fence along it. Then you went into the wooded section where the trees lined the track. Ropes were tied to the trees to make the ten foot wide track. A few trees even had a hay bale tied to them. Now to the up and down section where you only had a fence between you going up and the guy coming down. Next it was back into the dark woods and around the pond (one slip and in you went), and, between two trees that were only six feet apart, a righ t turn back on the start/finish with Gaston Rahier leading Adolf Weil Dewin, Van Ve1thoven, Anden;son, Banks and Robert. Fourth time around it was WeiJ, Ande'Tsson, Robert, Banks. Weil fell out with ignition problems which also had taken Bauer out on the first lap.· Robert took over with Andersson second and Banks third. Then Aberg and DeCoster were au t, and Everts was third followed by Van Velthoven, Banks and Jonsson. Vic Eastwood, on a Maico now after giving up AJS, passed Geboers and Rahier to take over eigh tho On the last lap, Andersson got under Robert coming out of ~he last tum as they wheelied up the straigh t and took it by a wheel. The fans wen t wild as Everts came around in third, Van VeIth oven fourth, Banks fifth, Ake Jonsson sixth, Laquaye seventh, Eastwood eighth, Geboers nin th, and Rah ier ten tho The sidecars were up next as the rain started again. This was also a two row start. The race was to lead to a protest by a number of riders to the HM. Andersson came around first on the 600 Husky twin followed by Descheemaeke, Vanderlaan, and Thompson of England. The three Russians entered didn't show up. Back in tenth came Belgium Dekort. The 13th man around was Andersson on the 600 Husqvama again. Something was amiss in the field of 20. What had happened was they got stalled on a hill. The Belgian rid en; had 10 to 12 people pushing them while poor German Herbert Simon couldn't get any help. Guess who was 14th man around? The same man who Wa$ lOth man around: Belgian rider Dekort now in second place. Smells funny doesn't it? This time 18 hacks made it around. You don't evep have to guess who was first around on the third lap. Andersson was secind with Thompson third for England. Simon got the Hedlund around on the fourth lap, three laps down. So ended a bad race wi th Dekort winning with the help of a large number of Belgians pushing him and holding the others back, the Swedish outfit of Andersson second, and Thompson third. The 250's were away next and again a Maico tooK the lead with Weil in the saddle. Willi Bauer was riding shotgun. Geboers was hot on their trail. Roberts was seventh and Banks was eighth, Robert .and Banks were up to fifth and sixth next time around. On the third lap, Banks pulled out with cramps. Andersson was back in 10th while Aberg was after Geboers, Roberts was now moving up. Lap five saw the end coming for the Maicos. Bauer's hand was giving out (He hit a course marker at Mettet), and Geboers got by. Robert passed Aberg and Anden;son the Hawk, was m ov'ing up fast from his 10th spot. Lap 7 Wei! didn't come around as Bauer toured in. Hansen also pulled out. Geboers had it with now Robert second, Aberg third, Jonsson fourth, Van VeIth oven fifth, and the Hawk sixth. Lap 9 had all 5 going at it tooth and nail as they came around in a tigh t group, Robert got \.t next time around, the Hawk, Geboers, Aberg; Jonsson, Van VeIth oven and DeCoster had moved up. On the last lap Andersson flew by Robert to win on the start finish by 33 min. 58.3 seconds to Robert's 33 min. 58.4 seconds. That's close racing. The Hawk beat Roberts by 1.1 seconds in the 500 class giving him three wins and a third. , After much protesting in the pits among the riders, the side cars were lining up. Englishman Thompson took the lead at the start followed-by fellow countryman J. Elliot. The Husky twin of Andersson (not Hakan) was third. That Ande.rsson name sure is a go-fast name. Dekort was seventh, Hebert Simon was 18th. The Belgium starter made sure Simon got a second row start. I t sure don't pay to be a German rider in Belgium. Dekort moved up to fourth nex t time around. Old Boer Dirks was sixth on a Norton. Just about everyone rides a Norton. Things stayed the same up front, but back at the rear Simon was flogging the big Hedlund single, Paising wherever he could. Hay bales were torn up all along the track. Many places were only just wide enough for one to fit. Simon had the big 622 Hedlund up to 13th on the fifth lap. One mud covered outfit highsided and was up and gone withou t losing a place or killing the engine. The fin;t four were still the same only a little closer togetheL A f the end Thompson won, Elliot was second, Andersson third, Dekort fourth, and Herbert Simon fifth. What a ride Simon put in! The first five places used four different type engines: Two XX Norton four-stroke twins, a two-stroke twin, a two~stroke triple, and a four-stroke single. But all used Wasp outfits. Last race of the day was the second 500. It was getting late, and there wasn't must ligh t with the heavy cloud cover. I t was really dark in the heavy wooded section. All day it would rain, stop and the sun would shine, then rain some more, off and on all day. Torlief Hansen took the lead on the first lap. A Kawasaki had the lead for a change an'd not a Maico. Wait a second, Hansen's Kaw has Maico forks on the fran t, so part of a- Maico is in the lead anyway. Robert is second and the Haw k, Andersson, is third, followed by Weil and Banks. Then the Hawk takes Robert and Hansen. Weil still fourth bu t Ake Jonsson passes Banks. There's a big crash and Hansen takes over again followed by Roberts, Wei!, Jonsson, Van Velthoven, Banks, DeCoster and Aberg. Andersson tours in 15th and that's it for the Hawk. DeCoster gets by Banks as Weil leads. Aberg is au t. Sixth time around Wei! on that old four speed Maico has a big lead over Robert and Van Velthoven. Lap 7 saw a big change. Ake Jonsson moves his Maico - looking Yamaha up to second followed by Van Velthoven, Hansen, DeCoster, Banks and Robert. Jonsson has really got the gas on. He closes to within 10 seconds of Wei! at the finish, Van Veith oven and DeCoster finish less than two seconds behind. Then comes Robert, Banks and H. Schmitz, a minu te behind Banks. That's it for two days of great races. Hakan Andersoon wins the two day Mettet Tiegem challenge with 55 poin'ts, Weil was second with 38, Jonsson had 35 as did Robert. Aberg scored 33, DeCoster 29, Van Velthoven 24, Hansen 23 and Banks 19. Dekort wins a three way tie wjth Andersson and Thompson on time but is being protested by the Dutch team and a number of other riders. Z W ..J (,) >- u Banks and Geoboen chat before the fint 500 event. Banks doing business. The 6()()ccHusky twin in Andenson's sidehack.

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