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© François Gragnon/Paris Match/Scoop 1964 From left to right: J.Ray Sayer (GBR), Dave Nicoll (GBR), Steve McQueen (USA), Bud Ekins (USA) behind Steve, Cliff Coleman (USA), Roy Peplow (GBR) and John Giles (GBR). ///
DAVE NICOLL Former 500cc Motocross rider, and well-known today as FIM Motocross Grand Prix Race Director, Dave Nicoll was a 20 year old Motocross rider in 1964 when he went to Erfurt as member of the British Vase team.
“In 1964, I was just 20. I did a test session with the British team and I was selected for the Vase team for UK. I went to the event by myself, with a pick-up truck. The Sunday before the Six Days started I did an International Motocross event in West Germany. It was a “start money” job, so I had some money on the way to the Six Days as this event was purely expenses, without any prize money. I must say that Erfurt was easy for me - a year later at the Isle of Man it was a nightmare - honestly Erfurt was fine for a Motocross rider. I was actually starting three or four numbers behind Steve McQueen, and I caught him up every day and passed him. There was a guy called Johnny Giles in the British Trophy team and I used to follow him. Honestly, I was just riding around. At night we were putting the bikes into the parc fermé and did some work, adjusting the chain, changing the tyres. It was like this every day, and I finished third in the 500cc class. I then did the Isle of Man in the Vase Team again, and from day 40
one I was in trouble, I got lost, a cable broke, I had a puncture... Finally on Thursday the engine packed up and it was over. I was quite happy with it. But Erfurt was fine. Actually when I got there, there was this usual procedure, paperwork for entries, and there was a huge crowd around this American, and I had never heard of him. I asked somebody who he was, he said Steve McQueen, and I said: “Who is he ?” He said: “A film star”, and I did not know him. As always, English speaking people get together, and the English team and the American team were very close, and he was just one of us. Bud Ekins was the head of the team, he was the one everybody knew and Steve was with him. All the week we were together, like on this picture published by Paris-Match. We would sit down together, have a beer and a cigarette and discussing what had happened during the day, the usual things…I remember once I had no cigarette left so he went up and brought me a pack of cigarettes!... Steve was a typical American “flat-out” style I would say. They had colourful gear in those days, compared with us. He was a good rider, by no means a winner but he could ride a motorbike. During the Six Days he could do our speed going through the forest, but he couldn’t do our speed in special tests because he was no top in Motocross, but he was a “real” off-road rider. He was also good mechanic; in those days everybody had to work on the bikes. He was one of us; he mixed in; he was doing everything we did, except to go that little bit faster, you know. In 1970 I think, when I was in the US I went to a barbecue at Bud Ekins’ place and he was there so we had a chat about Erfurt. It was the last time we met.” by Marc Pétrier Special thanks to Dave Ekins, Roger de Coster, Dave Nicoll and Oriol Puig Bulto for their contribution. Sources: 40 Summers ago – Hollywood behind the Iron Curtain (Rin Tanaka, Sean Kelly); Unforgettable Steve McQueen (Tag Heuer); Paris-Match (edition of September 19, 1964). FIM M AGA ZINE . 6 9 / / / S E PT E M BER O C TO B ER 2 0 0 9