The story behind this Malherbe pic?

One Last Comeback
Edited Date/Time 3/20/2018 5:50am
This was posted to Andre's Facebook.Not sure what the deal is.

For those that don't know he is one of the sport's greatest riders. Honda factory. 500cc world champ in 1980, 1981 and 1984. Bitter rival to Brad Lackey and one Roger DeCoster.

He was seriously injured racing Dakar after his moto career. Good to see him having some fun.


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stillwelding
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stillwelding 9/19/2014 8:24am
9/19/2014 8:24am
I remember that bike. Here's a couple of shots I took of Andre at the 1980 Motocross de Nations, Farleigh Castle, England.
Can't believe it was 34 years ago, this month. F*&k, am I old. I too would like to know more about this photo shoot.



JeepnMike
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JeepnMike 9/19/2014 8:27am
9/19/2014 8:27am
I was always confused as a kid as to how to pronounce his last name. I am embarassed to admit, I had no idea he got hurt like that.
UpTiTe
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UpTiTe 9/19/2014 9:18am
9/19/2014 9:18am
I hated that guy until I met him at Oneal in 83, he was a cool dude. He even invited me to go riding with them that week and I told him ok and that I was going to smoke him on my 125. He laughed and said ok. I didn't end up going, but he was a decent dude.

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One Last Comeback 9/19/2014 9:52am
9/19/2014 9:52am
UpTiTe wrote:
I hated that guy until I met him at Oneal in 83, he was a cool dude. He even invited me to go riding with them...
I hated that guy until I met him at Oneal in 83, he was a cool dude. He even invited me to go riding with them that week and I told him ok and that I was going to smoke him on my 125. He laughed and said ok. I didn't end up going, but he was a decent dude.
He was really villainized in the US moto press at the time. I remember disliking him very much also. He was sort of the big bad guy. He comes from the days when GP riders were big musclemen. Over the years I realized it was more nationalistic rivalry.

And JeepinMike I believe it's "Mal-erbe" as the pronunciation.
mxnick
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mxnick 9/19/2014 10:05am
9/19/2014 10:05am
Wasnt there some famous photo of him (or someone) at Foxhills doing a double that no one thought was a double? I could be wrong, but that might be it. It was a pretty famous deal back in 82 or whatever.
Xeno
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Xeno 9/19/2014 10:05am
9/19/2014 10:05am
If I could go back in time, a 500cc GP in the early '80s would be on my short list. Maybe the day Lackey clinched the title.
Xeno
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Xeno 9/19/2014 10:06am
9/19/2014 10:06am
Those are awesome photos, Stillwelding!
UpTiTe
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UpTiTe 9/19/2014 10:13am
9/19/2014 10:13am
mxnick wrote:
Wasnt there some famous photo of him (or someone) at Foxhills doing a double that no one thought was a double? I could be wrong, but...
Wasnt there some famous photo of him (or someone) at Foxhills doing a double that no one thought was a double? I could be wrong, but that might be it. It was a pretty famous deal back in 82 or whatever.
I'm pretty sure that was Jobe.
bongobongo 9/19/2014 10:14am
9/19/2014 10:14am Edited Date/Time 9/19/2014 10:25am
the guy on the honda is jean claude laquaye.
Laquaye raced Gp's in the 70-80 ties.

They know eachother from they were kids. He helps Malherbe with everything.

Not many people know thet Malherbe raced the French formula 3 championship after he retired from motocross (1987)
In 1988 he had the possibility to return to motocross with Honda HRC but the Dakar crash changed things ....
Sparky_27
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Sparky_27 9/19/2014 10:15am
9/19/2014 10:15am
mxnick wrote:
Wasnt there some famous photo of him (or someone) at Foxhills doing a double that no one thought was a double? I could be wrong, but...
Wasnt there some famous photo of him (or someone) at Foxhills doing a double that no one thought was a double? I could be wrong, but that might be it. It was a pretty famous deal back in 82 or whatever.
It was Hawkstone Park & it was George Jobe who done the double!!
One Last Comeback 9/19/2014 10:28am
9/19/2014 10:28am Edited Date/Time 9/19/2014 10:32am


Malherbe was the one getting jumped over.




Damn! said Geboers overjumped it and broke his tib/fib on impact. For the day that was a completely insane jump.


KlootZak
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KlootZak 9/19/2014 10:34am
9/19/2014 10:34am Edited Date/Time 9/19/2014 10:34am
JeepnMike wrote:
I was always confused as a kid as to how to pronounce his last name. I am embarassed to admit, I had no idea he got...
I was always confused as a kid as to how to pronounce his last name. I am embarassed to admit, I had no idea he got hurt like that.
No offence but Americans can't even announce Musquin correctly so never mind Malherbe Tongue Just say André

A bit like this: https://translate.google.be/?hl=en&tab=wT#fr/nl/Malherbe but you have to drop the "e" at the end
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jeffro503 9/19/2014 11:40am
9/19/2014 11:40am
bongobongo wrote:
[img]https://p.vitalmx.com/photos/forums/2014/09/19/65594/s1200_malherbe.jpg[/img]


Phil Larson was hucking that damn thing if I remember right.

Phil was my first real hero out here in the NW. Him and his younger brother Mike used to do a lot of racing around here during the winter. Between those guys , Eric Eaton , Scotty Tyler , Jimmy Anderson , Eric Hall and a mess of others.....Woodland MX looked like a damn national race! Great memories there!

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bongobongo 9/19/2014 11:57am
9/19/2014 11:57am
i think one of the larson's came over to europe to race gp's, got injured and was replaced by his brother?
mumbles
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mumbles 9/19/2014 12:04pm
9/19/2014 12:04pm
Andrea was a class act. I got to talk to him in 1985 and 86 at Namur. He was one of the best ever.





SouthwestMfg
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SouthwestMfg 9/19/2014 12:05pm
9/19/2014 12:05pm
That's the shot above, Phil (jr.) I believe jumped it first. Three americans raced several GP's toward the end of the 84 season. Phil Larson, Eric Eaton and Eric McKenna. A very good friend of mine (RIP) put that team / trip together. A French company called Moto-Cross Marketing sponsored the whole deal. Phil and Eric Eaton in the tent.



I think Malherbe was a bit like the way Americans perceive French riders still, some like them some hate them, like Scott's coments (above). Andre was definitely a pheanom when Honda signed him.
SouthwestMfg
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SouthwestMfg 9/19/2014 12:13pm
9/19/2014 12:13pm
bongobongo wrote:
i think one of the larson's came over to europe to race gp's, got injured and was replaced by his brother?
Yes, my frien Jan Houtermans got a bike lined up from the Italian Maico distributor and bought a van in Holland. Maico factory did not think Phil Larson was talented enough to warrant bikes from the factory. They ran top ten in points from the first race on, yes Maico started paying better attention to them right away, bikes etc. Phil broke his leg a little past mid season, what do you do, you call up his brother Mike and put him on a plane. I'll post a photo up of Mike at the Citadel (Namur) running 3rd ahead of Andre, he ran ahead of him for most of the moto until the crank broke. Mikes hard lesson on why you don't rev a 500 so hard (like a 250).

TBT a day late for Andre - still good, more photos !
robkinuk
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robkinuk 9/19/2014 12:19pm
9/19/2014 12:19pm Edited Date/Time 9/19/2014 12:20pm


Georges Jobe accepting my painting of him from my client Alan Bott. This was the day before he was going in to hospital to start chemo treatment for his Leukaemia that sadly took his life.
Alan and I will never forget the 3 hours we spent at his home, drinking Juliper Beer and talking about the old days!
Godspeed Georges!


Andre and Eric were great champion's.

jeffro503
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jeffro503 9/19/2014 12:22pm
9/19/2014 12:22pm
This is some great old info I didn't know. I know some Vet guys up here in the NW that still know both Mike and Phil. I hadn't ever heard about Mike replacing Phil after he broke his leg. I'll tell you what.....Mike was smaller than Phil by quite a ways....and he was scary freaking fast on a 500cc bike! Seen him race it locally and at Washougal during the national......I was seriously scared for his health!

If you have some old pics of some of the NW riders , please post them up.

Btw....didn't mean to derail the Andre' thread.
stantdm
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stantdm 9/19/2014 12:33pm
9/19/2014 12:33pm
I am glad to see this thread. I have often wondered what happened to him after the accident that left him paralyzed. I guess we didn't read the MX press too much as we always thought he was a pretty good guy.
wired4speed 9/19/2014 12:56pm
9/19/2014 12:56pm
I remember my first attempt at painting a motocross racer was Andre Malherbe on a Honda. I drew the painting free hand and it looked sharp. After I painted it and stepped back the bike was not in proportion to Andre's body and Andre looked like he was racing a CR80. I still liked the paining, hung it on my wall and it's probably stored in the Attic to this day.

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