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  • Isdt 1968

    In the same vein as the already published book about the 1970 event, Marcello Grigorov is about to send the '68 version to print. When I get the website address, I will update this thread, but we are promised 326 pages of text, tables and pics, some from me (including the back cover!) PLUS an English translation, not by me!
    As my cover pic files exceed the limit by a factor of 100....I will try to resize and publish later.

  • #2
    ISDT1968, by Roberto Biza and Marcello Grigorov.

    Following the precedent and style of Javier Benito’s book “ISDT1970”, this book tells the story of the International Six-Days Trial of 1968, based at San Pellegrino Terme, Italy.

    Held firstly in Carlisle, England, in 1913, the ISDT was dubbed the “Olympics of Motorcycling” as it was a true test of man and machine across a wide range of surfaces and gradients against a time schedule that could be truly punishing. The event was held in different countries, mainly around Europe until 1980, since when, renamed as the International Six-Days Enduro, it has gone world-wide.

    1968 saw the East German Team, mounted on very special MZ machines looking for their sixth consecutive win in the 6-man Trophy Team contest. Circumstances and fate combined to deny them this win, initially when the local fuel was blamed for seizures, but ultimately when a crash destroyed a bike and very nearly it’s rider. The rocky route and the time schedules favoured the ultra-lightweight machines, and it was the West German Team on Zundapps of between 50cc to 125cc, that took the top honours, while most of the bigger machinery fell by the wayside. The severity of the route can be told in the first day results, where we see no less than 13 retirements from the British contingent alone.

    This book contains results, maps, drawings and statistics, interviews and background information, the result of many years of research.

    The book, in Italian but complete with the full English translation, and it will be presented at the ISDE2013 in Sardinia where will be on sale during the event in the paddock at the Registro Hercules stand, and on the internet later on.

    ISDT1968
    Roberto Biza and Marcello Grigorov
    MG Publishing by Marcello Grigorov
    ISBN 978-2-8399-1295-2
    336 pages with more than 370 photographs, many not previously published.
    See website www.isdt1968.eu for further details.

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    • #3
      I have just taken delivery of this magnificent work, and I am very impressed by it. I can't actually give a price at present, but it will be somewhere near £65 plus P+P. Each volume weighs about 2.5 kilos, so I will not be carrying too many round the Dirt Bike Show tomorrow, but will have a few there for the Press and pre-orders.
      I've also had an e-mail from the guy who is organising the SACU fund raising effort for next year's ISDT team. He wants one as part of the Grand Raffle, so I expect he will want discount!

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      • #4
        I had an interesting chat with Arthur Browning yesterday at the Dirt Bike show. I showed him the pic of him changing a puncture. Sure as daylight, No 71, Greeves Challenger, but instantly, he said "I was on MX tyres not Trials", as that's what the picture shows.
        As he was the "spares man" for the 4 Challengers in the Trophy Team, I'm wondering if he may have had to donate his wheels elsewhere and ended up using these trials tyres, being the only ones left?
        Plot thickens in that a few pages on, there is a nice full page pic of Dennis Jones on UPA 22F, well, not on but working on, being watche by the Team Management, and guess what....22F has a front Trials tyre!
        Would have been easy to change 71 to 121.......
        Last edited by Brian Catt; 02/11/2013, 01:23 PM.

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        • #5
          Old stars at Dirt Bike Show

          There is a pic in OBM this month of some of the other off road 'super stars' of the 60's / 70's, Bryan (Badger) Goss; John Banks; Alan Clough; Jeff Smith & Dave Bickers. all old men now, who were at the Dirt Bike Show for the launch of Ian Berry's book Motocross on Air. I wonder what appeal this book (like the ISDT book) has with the younger enthusiast, most of us who saw these old boys perform are like them getting old (& fewer) too.
          By the way, what happened to the ISDT (or ISDE) is it still run?

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          • #6
            ISDE is run and is a huge event now. This year it was held in Sardinia and you will be able to watch a vast amount of footage, or is it now MegaByterage, of the event, a lot of it provided by FIMTV. Somewhere over 600 riders took part from over 20 countries. Next year it will be in South America, 2015 much nearer home in Czecho. I would like to get to that one, not sure about S. America.
            The timing systems and results displays are now very much updated, so you can follow the event in real time, not like days of old, where you sometimes waited until next morning before you knew what happened.
            By the way, the Dirt Bike Show started Thursday and runs to Sunday, the pics of the old boys was taken at a rival event. I'm sure the new Ian Berry Book will sell very well, I just hope we can sell a good number of the '68 book.
            I have unearthed another query as to bike number 1 at this event. It was a veteren Italian Rider Charles Blumer who entered as a 250 Greeves. The bike did not start on the ramp due to the rain overnight......BUT in the book another machine is suggested. I will get clarification on this.
            Last edited by Brian Catt; 02/11/2013, 02:55 PM.

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            • #7
              The ISDE

              So is there any UK interest in the ISDE these days ie Teams etc, also is it ever likely to return to UK shores (the IoM presumably) as I cant see 'racing on the roads & tracks' allowed on mainland Britain. Although having said that The Tour de France cycle race seems to get sactioned, I suppose it up to how much money is available, & would there be a return on it?

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              • #8
                Yes, we had a Trophy Team of 6, a Junior Team of 4, quite a number of Club Teams, but no Ladies Team. This contest was won by the Aussie girls. Our best placing was the 3rd in the Juniors, with the Trophy boys taking 6th.

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