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(Above) Action from the 1961 Swedish Grand Prix with Bill Nilsson on his Husqvama leading the Monark of Sten Lundin. (Below) World Champion in
1964 and 1965, England'sJeff Smith tends to his lightweight BSA; it w. the last four-stroke to win the title.
When motorcycles were Iron and
~gl.s were glass:
The brawn boys
By Mick Woolett
Big, beefy single-cylinder four-strokes ruled
the roost when the first international motocross championship - the European - got
underway in 1952, That year, Belgian Victor
win the crown, little johnny Draper,
'did the trick in 1955. Draper rode a
,BSA Gold Star -'- another big single
developed originally for track and
road racing.
thrl'(" wins.
Nonon, then the most famous name
His machine, like the majority
,in road racing, took over in 1956
used in the early days, was powered
when Les Archer became the last man
by an engine first developed for road
to win the European title (the name
nlcing. Designed in pre-war days, the
was changed to World ChampionFN was modified in the 19405 and
ship in 1957 though it was to be a
long, long time until a round was
early 1950s when motocross enjoyed
a tremendous boom in Europe and _ staged outside Europe).
especially in Belgium.
Big Les used a slightly modified,
'single-knocker Manx engine in a
Very advanced, considering that
the basic design dated from the midFeatherbed (rame and needed all his
1930s, the FN boasted unit construcconsiderable strength to control his
tion of engine and gearbox and chainMO-pound monster - the engine
driven, single-overhead-camshaft
developing around 45-46 bhp.
Yet another (amous road racing
valve operation. Another Belgian,
the giant Auguste Mingels, took the
engine took over in 1957 when little
title in 1953, scoring most of his
Bill Nilsson used an enlarged AJS 7R
points on a pushrod Matchless before
unit to power his Crescent to victory
switching to FN towards tbe end of
- the capacity enlarged from !l50cc
the season.
to around 400cc. The great Rene
Baeten (FN) won (or Belgium in
Mingels retained the title riding an
1958, but unfortunately the Belgian
FN in 1954 before the first Brit;l~ ~ .
Leloup, riding a Belgian-built
FN, was the worthy winner.
The only rider to score in all
six rounds, his tally included
8
