 | This biography of a living person needs additional citations for verification .(June 2008) (Learn how and when to remove this template message) |
Helmut Clasen (born September 3, 1935, in Cologne, Germany) is an active motorcycle enduro competitor since 1957, called "Speedy" by family and friends alike.
Clasen finished his first International Six Day Trials in 1962 which was held in Garmisch Partenkirchen, Germany. Clasen, a privateer, campaigned a DKW RT175, and finished only 25 seconds behind Czechoslovakian ace Zdenek Polanka. This finish brought Clasen much recognition as an up-and-coming rider, and earned him a position as a Hercules factory rider. After several successful racing seasons in Germany, Clasen emigrated to Canada in 1967. In Canada, he remained active in the sport of Enduro, also racing in motocross and hare scrambles, while becoming a successful motorcycle Importer and dealer. During the 1971 ISDT, Clasen won the first ever Gold Medal for Canada. This feat earned him an invitation from the Canadian Prime Minister, by whom he was recognized for his Gold Medal effort.
Clasen has participated in 7 ISDT's (1962, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1976, 1989, and 1994), and has won the Canadian Off Road National Championship 14 times. Clasen won his final Canadian National Championship in 2000, at the age of 65. Today, at over 80 years of age, Clasen is actively involved with "Vintage" motorcycle off-road racing. Clasen participates in racing events in Europe, Canada and the United States. January 1972 Ambassador of Canadian Motorcycle Sport. On October 27, 2007, Clasen was inducted into the Canadian Motorcycle Hall of Fame. Clasens' induction is significant as he is the first German Canadian "offroad" racer to be so recognized.
The International Six Days Enduro (ISDE), formerly known as the International Six Days Trial (ISDT), is the oldest 'off-road' motorcycle event on the FIM Calendar.
Ove Vilmer Lundell was a Swedish professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1958 to 1965. Lundell was one of the top off-road motorcyclists of his era coming from Sweden, a nation that produced many of the sport's first world champions.
Penton was a rebadged American brand of off-road enduro motorcycles designed by John Penton and manufactured by KTM in Austria for distribution in the United States between 1968 and 1978.
Joël Robert is a Belgian former professional motocross racer. He was one of the most successful motocross racers competing in the Motocross World Championships during the 1960s and early 1970s, winning the 250cc class six times including five times in succession from 1968 to 1972. His battles with Sweden's Torsten Hallman were considered some of the best in the history of the championships. Between 1964 and 1968, the pair finished first or second to one another in the world championship four times.
Ossa is a Spanish motorcycle manufacturer which was active from 1924 to 1982 and from 2010 to 2015. Founded by Manuel Giró, an industrialist from Barcelona, Ossa was best known for lightweight, two-stroke-engined bikes used in observed trials, motocross and enduro. The company was known originally as Orpheo Sincronic Sociedad Anónima (O.S.S.A.) and was later renamed Maquinaria Cinematográfica, S.A..
James Sherwin "Bud" Ekins was an American professional stuntman in the U.S. film industry. He is considered to be one of the film industry's most accomplished stuntmen with a body of work that includes classic films such as The Great Escape and Bullitt. Ekins, acting as stunt double for Steve McQueen while filming The Great Escape, was the rider who performed what is considered to be one of the most famous motorcycle stunts ever performed in a movie. He was recognized for his stunt work by being inducted into the Stuntmen's Hall of Fame.
An enduro motorcycle is an off-road racing motorcycle used in enduros, which are long-distance cross-country time trial competitions.
Jeffrey Vincent Smith MBE is an English former professional motorcycle racer.
Dick Mann is an American former professional motorcycle racer. He was a two-time winner of the A.M.A. Grand National Championship. Mann was inducted in the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America in 1993, and the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998. He was one of the few riders to ride motocross and Observed Trials as well as dirt flat tracks, TT and road racing.
Dave Ekins is an American off-road motorcycle racer who pioneered the sport of desert racing in the 1950s. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2001.
Gary Jones is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1971 to 1976. Jones is notable for winning the inaugural AMA 250cc motocross national championship in 1972. Jones then successfully defended his national championship in 1973 and 1974, winning three consecutive 250cc motocross national championships while competing on three different brands of motorcycles, a feat which has never been repeated in AMA motocross history. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.
Carl Cranke is an American former motorcycle enduro competitor. He represented the United States in 10 International Six Days Trial (ISDT) in the 1960s and 1970s. He earned seven gold medals and two silver medals in ISDT competition. Cranke was also notable for his tuning abilities with two-stroke engines and was also credited with helping develop Penton motorcycles. He was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 2000.
Richard Burleson is an American former motorcycle enduro racer. He is considered one of the top competitors in AMA history, winning a record eight consecutive Enduro National Championships. His domination of the national enduro series earned him the nickname King Richard. Burleson was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and was named an AMA Legend in 2016.
Billy Uhl is an American former professional motorcycle enduro competitor. He represented the United States in the International Six Day Trials in the 1970s, winning five gold medals.
James Nelson "J. N." Roberts, is an American former professional off-road and enduro motorcycle racer and a film industry stuntman. In the 1960s and early 1970s, he was a dominant motorcycle competitor in American desert racing centered in the Mojave Desert of Southern California. At one point in his desert racing career, Roberts won 27 consecutive desert races, earning him the unofficial nickname of King of the Desert. Roberts was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and, into the Off-road Motorsports Hall of Fame in 2009. He was also inducted into the Hollywood Stuntmen's Hall Of Fame.
Mike Brown is an American former professional motocross racer and Endurocross racer. He was the 2001 AMA 125cc motocross national champion.
Larry Roeseler is an American professional off-road racer. He is notable for having won the prestigious Baja 1000 desert race a record 13 times, the most of any competitor since the race's inception in 1967. His victories made him one of the most accomplished multi-discipline desert racers in off-road racing history.
The "Pure Enduro" series of off-road racing motorcycles ran from 1977 through to 1984 in engine displacements from 175cc through 400cc. All engines were case-reed valve, air-cooled, two-stroke and single-cylinder with plain steel bores. Lubrication was provided via 20:1 pre-mix. These were directly related to the Suzuki RM series range of motocross racers.
Arthur Lampkin is an English former professional motorcycle racer. The oldest son in a Yorkshire motorcycling dynasty, he competed in a variety of off-road motorcycle events such as observed trials, motocross and enduros.
John Penton was an influential figure in the development of off-road motorcycle racing in the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. He was a national champion enduro rider and entrepreneur who went on to develop an enduro motorcycle brand that bore his name. He also founded a successful off-road motorcycle boot and apparel company. Penton was inducted into the AMA Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1998.