| John Banks | |
|---|---|
 John Banks riding a CCM at the 1975 500cc Dutch Grand Prix | |
| Nationality | British |
| Motocross career | |
| Years active | 1963 – 1977 |
| Teams | Dot, BSA, CCM |
John Banks is a British former professional motocross racer. [1] [2] He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1963 to 1977. A four-time 500cc British national champion, Banks was twice runner-up in the 500cc motocross world championship. [1] [3]
Banks was the son of a successful builder from Bury St Edmunds. [1] [4] His first motorcycle was a Greeves trials motorcycle that he bought from Dave Bickers, the 1960 and 1961 European motocross champion. [1] [4] He then gained a sponsorship from the Dot motorcycle company and in 1963 he placed third at the Swiss Grand Prix just after turning 19. [1] [4] His impressive results led to an offer to ride for the BSA factory racing team in 1966 as a teammate to Jeff Smith. [1] [4] He contested a few rounds of the 1967 500cc motocross world championship scoring a third place at the Luxembourg Grand Prix and, placing 12th in the season final points standing. [4] [5] He won the 1967-1968 BBC Grandstand winter series to claim his first major victory. [4]
Entering the 1968 season, Banks faced strong competition from the defending world champion Paul Friedrichs and his ČZ teammate Roger De Coster as well as the Swedish Husqvarna team riders Bengt Åberg and Åke Jonsson. He won his first individual race victory in the second moto of the Finnish Grand Prix where he relegated Friedrichs to second place. [6] He won his first-ever overall world championship race at the ninth round of the series with a victory at the French Grand Prix and, followed one week later with a victory at the Dutch Grand Prix. [1] [7]
The setting of round 10 at the Belgian Grand Prix was a rugged, narrow track in the forests surrounding the picturesque hilltop Citadel of Namur. First held in 1947, the Namur circuit was known as the Monaco of the motocross grand prix circuit in reference to the prestigious Formula One race. [8] Banks would claim the championship points lead from Jonsson with a second place finish in Belgium as Jonsson suffered mechanical malfunctions. [6] Banks finished third behind Vic Eastwood and Friedrichs at the penultimate round in Luxembourg. [6]
With one race left in the world championship, Banks held a slim points lead over Friedrichs and Jonsson. [9] The final race of the year would be held in Friedrichs' homeland of East Germany and, Communist authorities were eager to help an East German rider on a ČZ motorcycle built in a neighboring Communist country in order to demonstrate the inferiority of western capitalism. [9] The East German Grand Prix was not attended by the majority of western European riders due to the difficulty in procuring visas and traveling behind the Iron Curtain. [9] That gave communist authorities the opportunity to enter several local East German competitors who helped Friedrichs to win the race by continually obstructing Banks' path. [9] Friedrichs' victory in East Germany gave him a slim, one point victory over Banks in the 1968 world championship final standings. [1] [6] [10]
Banks began the 1969 season strongly with second place finishes at the season opening Austrian Grand Prix and in round 3 at the Dutch Grand Prix then, scored consecutive victories at the Czechoslovakian and Russian Grands Prix. [1] [11] [12] After finishing second to De Coster at the Belgian Grand Prix, his luck began to change. [1] He suffered an ignition failure in the West German Grand Prix, had a tire puncture in Luxembourg then, suffered another ignition failure in the French Grand Prix. [1] Finally, at the Swiss Grand Prix he punctured another tire, allowing Bengt Åberg to overtake him to win the 1969 500cc motocross world championship. [1] [11] [13]
Banks suffered a dislocated knee during the 1970 season that forced him to miss the world championships. [1] He returned from his injury to place second behind BSA teammate Dave Nicoll in the 1970 Trans-AMA motocross series, established by the American Motorcyclist Association as a pilot event to help establish motocross in the United States. [14] By the late 1960s, advances in two stroke engine technology meant that the heavier, four stroke machines such as Banks' BSA, were becoming obsolete in the motocross world championships. [3] [15]
In the middle of the 1971 season, BSA announced that they were ceasing operations, leaving Banks unemployed. [1] He would complete the remainder of the season riding as a privateer on a Husqvarna motorcycle. [1] At the end of the world championships, he returned to the United States where, he rode a ČZ motorcycle to once again finished as runner-up in the 1971 Trans-AMA series, this time to Suzuki rider Sylvain Geboers. [1]
He then accepted an offer from designer Eric Cheney to campaign BSA B50 motorcycles in the 1973 FIM Motocross World Championship. [1] [16] Despite the BSA's weight handicap, Banks still managed several top five placings in the world championships against lighter, two stroke motorcycles, including an impressive performance at the 1973 500cc United States Grand Prix in Southern California where, on the hard packed desert terrain, the explosive power delivery of two stroke engines put them at a disadvantage to more tractable power delivery of Banks' BSA. [1] He finished the first moto in third place behind Willy Bauer and Roger De Coster then, finished the second moto in fourth place behind Bauer, Gerrit Wolsink and Jaak van Velthoven. [17]
After two seasons riding for Cheney, in 1975 Banks switched to CCM motorcycles, also powered by BSA engines. [18] He managed some impressive results in 1977 including, a fourth place in Canada and an inspired performance at the 500cc British Grand Prix where he finished the second moto in second place behind Heikki Mikkola on a Yamaha and ahead of fellow countryman Graham Noyce on a Honda. [1] [19] 1977 would be his final season in the motocross world championships.
During his motorcycle racing career, Banks won four British 500cc motocross championships, four BBC Grandstand trophy titles, two World of Sport championships, was named East Anglian Sports Personality of the Year, and was twice the runner-up in the 500cc motocross world championship. [1] His son, Mark Banks won the 1988 125cc British motocross national championship and, his grandson Elliot Banks Browne won the 2012 MX2 British national championship. [4] [20]
Jim Pomeroy was an American professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1972 to 1973 and in the Motocross World Championships from 1973 to 1976, before returning to compete in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1977 to 1978.
Joël Robert was a Belgian professional motocross racer. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1962 to 1976 when the sport experienced a surge in popularity worldwide. A six-time world champion, Robert dominated the 250cc class for almost a decade when, he placed either first or second every year between 1964 and 1972 including, five consecutive world championships. In 1964, he was named the recipient of the Belgian National Sports Merit Award. He won a total of 50 Grand Prix races over his career, a record which stood for nearly 30 years.
Roger De Coster is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Motorsport Director of KTM and Husqvarna North America. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1966 to 1980, most prominently as a member of the Suzuki factory racing team where he won five FIM 500cc Motocross World Championships.
Heikki Antero Mikkola is a Finnish former professional motocross racer and motocross team manager. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1967 to 1979, most prominently as a member of the Husqvarna factory racing team where he became the first competitor to win both the 250cc and 500cc world championships.
Brad Lackey is an American former professional motocross racer. He competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 1970 to 1972 and, in the Motocross World Championships from 1973 to 1982. Lackey was notable for becoming the first and only American to win the 500cc motocross world championship in 1982. Nicknamed "Bad Brad", Lackey was inducted into the Motorcycle Hall of Fame in 1999 and, in 2013 he was inducted into the Motorsports Hall of Fame of America.
Torsten Hallman is a Swedish former professional motocross racer and business entrepreneur. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1959 to 1971, most prominently as a member of the Husqvarna factory racing team where he won four 250cc Motocross World Championships.
Joël Smets is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current Racing Sports Director for KTM motorcycles. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1989 to 2005. Smets is notable for being a five-time motocross world champion, six-time Belgian national champion and was Belgian Sportsman of the year in 2000. His 57 career Grand Prix victories ranks him fourth overall among motocross world championship competitors.
Åke Jonsson is a Swedish former professional motocross racer. He was one of the top riders in the Motocross World Championships during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Jonsson came close to winning the world championship title in 1968, 1970 and in 1971 when he led the championship going into the final round when, a mechanical failure ruined his bid.
Jacky Martens is a Belgian former professional motocross racer and current race team manager. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1979 to 1997. Martens is notable for winning the 1993 F.I.M. 500cc motocross world championship.
Arne Kring is a Swedish former professional motocross racer. He was a top contender in the F.I.M. 500cc Motocross World Championship from 1963 to 1975.
David Geoffrey Bickers was an English professional motocross racer from Coddenham, Suffolk. He competed in the Motocross World Championships from 1959 to 1969. Bickers won two European motocross championships, and was a member of British motocross teams that won two Motocross des Nations events as well as two Trophée des Nations events. Bickers was awarded the Motorcycle News 'Man of the Year' award in 1960.
The 1973 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 17th F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.
The 1974 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 18th FIM Motocross Racing World Championship season.
The 1975 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 19th F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.
The 1976 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 20th F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.
The 1977 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 21st F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.
The 1979 FIM Motocross World Championship was the 23rd F.I.M. Motocross Racing World Championship season.
The 1962 Motocross World Championship was the 6th edition of the Motocross World Championship organized by the FIM and reserved for 500cc and 250cc motorcycles.
The 1963 Motocross World Championship was the 7th edition of the Motocross World Championship organized by the FIM and reserved for 500cc and 250cc motorcycles.
The 1965 Motocross World Championship was the 9th edition of the Motocross World Championship organized by the FIM and reserved for 500cc and 250cc motorcycles.
Works rider, four-time British 500cc champion, four BBC Grandstand trophy titles, two World of Sport championships, East Anglian Sports Personality of the Year, and twice runner-up in the world.
The final round of the series was held in Friedrichs' homeland of East Germany, he was riding a factory ČZ made in the neighboring Communist country of Czechoslovakia, and the Soviet authorities were desperate for Friedrichs to win again and thereby prove the inferiority of capitalism.
Among them was John Banks who had twice been runner-up in the world championship and, after a brief foray onto CZ 2 strokes he agreed to ride for Cheney in the 1973 season.