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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/126436
~ ~ M V ..c e v > o Z • by the Reflections on a success'ul season youngest· ever World·Champ By Len Weed 14 Expert at 13, Southern California Champion at 15, Top Newcomer of the Scottish Six Days Trial at 18, U. S, National Champion at 19 and World Champion at 20 - the youngest ever. That's the black and Ulhite ofBernie Schreiber's career to date, Winning the World Ohampionship in his second full season overseas enabled the flashy feet-upper to beat his own deadline for excellence. Dun'ng his first venture into World Championsh2p competition, just after turning 18 early in 1977, Schreiber brashly but confidently announced: "If I don't win the World Championship by the time I'm 22, I never will. " Only two other Amen'cans have topped the world in motorcycle competition. Jack Milne of Pasadena, CA won the World Speedway Final, a one-day decider, in 1937. Kenny Roberts won the 500cc Road Racing World Championship in his first try in 1978, then repeated this year. That's it, sports fans, the entire Amen'can Eagle elite that Schreiber joined with his tenacious, come-Jrom-behind victory surge, Schreiber, a resident of La Crescenta, CA sent his first calling card to the world trials community early in 1974. Just 14, he was allowed to n'de America's first World Championsh2p trial at Saddleback - as an exhibition n'der, Minimum age was, and remains, 18 for an FIM trials license, His score in that tn'al would have placed him seventh, Bernie sent another calling card in the spn'ng of 1976, Over to spectate at the'Scottish Six Days Tnal, he was urged by Charles Coutard to n'de a few sections, Coulard had decided to retire because of a wrist injury, Bernie sTluggled into the diminutive Frenchman's tnals suit, borrowed his bike and rode eight sections at Ben Nevis, He dropped just two marks, matching the score of eventual event winner Martin Lampkin, Schreiber's two SoCal Championsh2ps, in 1974' and 191', and wins at two National events in 1976 earned him an invitation from the Bultaco factory to tackle four rounds of the 1977 World Championship Sen'es as soon as he turned 18, After missing the first two Bn'tish rounds, Bernie travelled to Belgium, Slogging in the mud with the world's best, he posted a fifth place finish, This was the first top-10 placing ever by an Amen'can in a World Championsh2p trial outside the United States, Then in successsive weekends, he scored a third in Spain, a fifth in France and a close second in West Germany, His debut startled Europe, Few could fathom how a rookie n'der from America - a nation well known for its lack of trials competition - could do so well, Bernie continued to place well the rest of the year and finished seventh in the world. Problems with the snow and ice of Northern Ireland and Wales plagued his efforts in the opening rounds ofthe 1978 championship sen'es, After three events he had scored just five points while defending champion Yrjo Vesten'nen had accumulated 40. Then Bernie won four of the next five trials to close within four points of the lead. He finished the year in third place, matching Vesterinen as the winningest n'der, Each scored four wins in 12 starts, Under the old FIM half-plus-one rule for counting points, Bernie would have won the championsh2p. He had three second placings to back up his wins while the Finnish footer had just two runnerup efforts, , On the home front Bernie won the final two Nationals dramatically to take the U.S, Championsh2p, Despite an ongoing mechanical problem that required borrowing electn'cal parts to , revive his dead motorcycle in both events, he prevailed to edge Lane Leavitt by a single point for series honors, Aware of his early season cold weather problems, Bernie headed for England early in 1979 to prepare for the 1979 sen'es. But his start again proved disastrous as he DNF the first trial. He found himself trailing Vesterinen 45 to 17 after four trials, Schreiber then won four of the final eight rounds to scoot home 10 points in front and became America's first bounce-around-in-the-dirt World Champion.