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21 - A detailed career interview with 3 x World motorcycle Trials Champion Yrjö Vesterinen |
It's a myth when you think that Montesa won something, so what did Montesa win (Vesty's question) ? In the 60s, they won nothing, in the 70s they won nothing, the first Scottish six days trial was in 1979 with Malcolm Rathmell. Lampkin fell off on Ben Nevis, he had a 5 and it cost him the trial. That was the first reasonably big victory for Montesa because Bultaco started winning with Miller back in 1965 until Miller retired. Gordon Farley did win for Montesa, the British Championship. However it was nothing more than that at the same time Bultaco was winning everything. There was a two year period when Mick Andrews and Ossa in 1971 and 72 won the European Championship and after that it was Bultaco all the way until 1979, they won everything. They might have continued after this, but by the mid - eighties, the bike was dated, it still had the old crankcases and the bike was a heavy beast. It's still around very well though. If you look at the Bultaco history going from 1971, when Miller was European Champion, then there was the two year period of Mick on the Ossa winning then in 73 Martin Lampkin was the European Champion, 1974 Malcolm Rathmell was European Champion after that the European Championship became the World Championship and Bultaco won it continually until 1979. So Bultaco absolutely dominated.
A detailed career interview with 3 x World motorcycle Trials Champion Yrjö Vesterinen photo Iain Lawrie
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A detailed career interview with 3 x World motorcycle Trials Champion Yrjö Vesterinen photo Iain Lawrie
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One man who has always astounded me with the amount of passion he has had for Montesa is Pere Pi.
Yes, of course. When I was with Montesa, Pere Pi was already involved with the Montesa bicycle projects. I remember Pedro very well, he was in the same position as Oriel at Bultaco. He was the team manager and coordinator. I am pretty sure that one or two of the Bultaco buildings still exist. I saw a photo recently of one place where the spare parts were kept and I remember going there before.
What age did you get married?
It was 1983, I was age 30.
Did you use to spend a lot of time down in Spain hanging around the factory developing your bike for them, getting additional parts or practicing down there?
I made a load of reasonably brief visits down there in between trials, I never spent reasonably long periods of time down there, a week at the most, at any one time to be truthful. I never particularly look forward to going to the factory. Quite often, as horrible as it may sound, I left there being quite disappointed. My expectations were always quite a bit higher than they could deliver. I think Sammy Miller said the same. I wasn't their only rider and mine wasn't there only bike and I would never get their 100% attention. They would always do a decent job, but there was always more to be done or more that could have been done that wasn't done.
Yes, of course. When I was with Montesa, Pere Pi was already involved with the Montesa bicycle projects. I remember Pedro very well, he was in the same position as Oriel at Bultaco. He was the team manager and coordinator. I am pretty sure that one or two of the Bultaco buildings still exist. I saw a photo recently of one place where the spare parts were kept and I remember going there before.
What age did you get married?
It was 1983, I was age 30.
Did you use to spend a lot of time down in Spain hanging around the factory developing your bike for them, getting additional parts or practicing down there?
I made a load of reasonably brief visits down there in between trials, I never spent reasonably long periods of time down there, a week at the most, at any one time to be truthful. I never particularly look forward to going to the factory. Quite often, as horrible as it may sound, I left there being quite disappointed. My expectations were always quite a bit higher than they could deliver. I think Sammy Miller said the same. I wasn't their only rider and mine wasn't there only bike and I would never get their 100% attention. They would always do a decent job, but there was always more to be done or more that could have been done that wasn't done.
SSDT and 1983 at Lagnaha and 1981 at Cameron Hill
A detailed career interview with 3 x World motorcycle Trials Champion Yrjö Vesterinen photo Iain Lawrie
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A detailed career interview with 3 x World motorcycle Trials Champion Yrjö Vesterinen photo Iain Lawrie
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You said earlier that you've been a bit disappointed with your 5th place in 1974, but this was your first full year so how can you qualify this disappointment?
I think that was a year when I expected to make more rapid progress, yes, I think I had a reasonable year but I didn't make the progress well. I wanted to break into the top three and that didn't really happen. I think in 1974, towards the end of the year I did get a number of third places from memory. I think I was third in Germany and maybe third in Czech and Switzerland and I don't know, I would need to look.
I think that was a year when I expected to make more rapid progress, yes, I think I had a reasonable year but I didn't make the progress well. I wanted to break into the top three and that didn't really happen. I think in 1974, towards the end of the year I did get a number of third places from memory. I think I was third in Germany and maybe third in Czech and Switzerland and I don't know, I would need to look.