Namur

This is one of my favourite Jack Burnicle photos from my book, ‘The Inside Line: Racing the 500cc World Motocross Championship’. The year is 1986, and the track - as I’m sure you all know – is Namur in Belgium.

I like this picture firstly because I simply haven’t seen many photos of the riders on the start line at Namur. There are many first turn shots but this one with the riders at the gate just looks so spectacular.

The building behind isn’t ‘The Citadel’, incidentally. The Roman-looking terraced structure is actually called the ‘Stade des Jeux’ (Stadium of Games). The name ‘Citadel’ refers to the entire hilltop fortress in the centre of Namur, around which this racetrack was located.

Riders of note in this image include Mike Larsson, #53, Kurt Nicoll, #5, Eric Geboers prepping his start rut next to Kurt, Leif Persson, #10, David Thorpe, #1 and Andre Malherbe, #2 with Georges Jobe #4 also doing some start gate preparation. Hakan Carlqvist is #11, and Mervyn Anstie #15.

Everyone is wearing their Camel bibs. Camel stumped up extra prize money at the races that they sponsored, but you had to race with the bib to be eligible!

And that’s me, number 14 on the far right, with what looks like my goggles in my teeth! This was my very first race start at Namur. (Although I rode there in ‘85 I didn’t qualify.)

I can remember lining up at this race. Although I had qualified fastest in my group on Saturday, I only managed 19th in timed training on a heavily-watered and treacherous Sunday morning track, and so didn’t have a particularly good gate pick (which was a recurrent theme throughout my GP career). But I still got a decent start and finished eighth in this moto.

Only ten years before this I had never even heard of motocross (or was even interested in motorcycles!) When I did start racing in 1977, I wasn’t very good, and I had no expectations of success. But somehow – almost unbelievably in my mind – there I am, nine years later, on a full factory bike, about to start a 500GP at the most famous track in the world.

I have to pinch myself sometimes and wonder, “How the hell did that happen?”

I’m certain that I didn’t appreciate at the time just what a privilege, and just how cool it was to be lining up to race at Namur. And so, the main reason I like this photo is because it’s a life record for myself. I look back now with a great deal of pride that I was so fortunate enough to be sat on the start gate with those other great riders.

If you’re interested in my book, which is the story of that journey, you can learn more at robandrewsmx.com