Classic Dirt Bike — Autumn 2017

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Writtenoff in 1981,Californian BradLackeywas dominatingthe 1982 GrandPrix

Motocrossworld championship by thetimeofthe Britishround at Farleigh Castle...

Words:Tim BrittonPics:Nick NichollsCollection,Mortons Archive

A

shistorywill record,American

Suzukirider Brad Lackey would

finishthe seasonas world champion.

However,atthis stagein our story

that wasstill to comeand the motorcycling

presshere in the UK wasfull of how well the

Britishriderscould do at their homeGP.

In afull pagepreviewofthe Farleigh Castle

contest,MotorCycleWeeklyreckonedthings

looked goodfor ahome winner.With British

starssuch as former 500ccworld champion

GrahamNoyce, reigning250ccworld

championNeil Hudsonand risingstar Dave

Thorpe all consistentlybeingin the topfive at

the previousnine GPs, you can see whythe

pressfelt this way.

In interviews with the threeBrits,all of them

felt that at this stageinthe season maybe the

championship for 1982wasout of reach for

them–tobefair,neither Thorpe nor Hudson

had expected to be winnersintheirfirs tfull

season of 500 MX GPs and toldMotorCycle

Weeklyso. Both felt this wouldbealearning

year and in Thorpe’scase wouldleadto

threefuturechampionships.Noyce, however,

continuedtherun of bad luck which had

plagued him sincebeing crowned 1979world

champion. Neverone to give in, Noyce pushed

himselfharderand harder despiteinjuries and

paid the priceinthe Americanroundwhen he

crashed and damaged his leftknee even more.

Despitethe interestin the home-grown

talent,by this stagethe title contestwas

seenas between Californian Lackey and

BelgianAndreMalherbeas both had hit

top formatthe right time.Unfortunatelyfor

Malherbehe effectivelyput himselfout of

contentionat the US roundwhendisaster

struck and left the Belgianwith abroken leg.

Lackey wouldnot have it all his own way

though,as with MalherbesidelinedAndre

Vromanshad abetter time of it –like

the Britishridersthe Belgianracerwas

consistentlyin the top threeor four at each

GP and had won the Canadianround.

But, back to Lackey... all but writtenoff

by everyone bar himselfgoinginto the

season,Lackey is on recordas statinghis

‘King of the Castle

‘King ’

of the Castle’

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‘Kingofthe Castle’

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isdroppedand

alreadyridersare

pawingtheair.

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