Sad news that former European Motocross Champion
Dave Bickers has passed away due to a stroke. Bickers was one of Great Britains
first Motocross legends, and won the European Championship before it was given
World Championship status.
Bickers born on 17 January 1938 passed away on 6
July 2014. Bickers was an English former Grand Prix motocross racer from
Coddenham, Suffolk.
He won two European motocross championships, and
was a member of British motocross teams that won two Motocross des Nations
events as well as two Trophée des Nations events. Bickers was awarded the
Motorcycle News ‘Man of the Year’ award in 1960.
In the early 1960s, Bickers was one of the top
motorcycle racers in the sport of scrambles, which eventually became more
popularly known as motocross.
He began competing in motorcycle scrambles at the
age of sixteen and was so successful that he was rewarded with a sponsorship
from the Dot motorcycle company.
His riding talent got him noticed by Greeves
factory rider, Brian Stonebridge, who then recommended that Bickers be hired by
Greeves in 1958. He won two consecutive 250cc European motocross championships
in 1960 and 1961 for the Greeves factory racing team.
The European championship was considered to be the
world championship at the time, as the sport of motocross had yet to develop
outside of Europe.
Bickers was a member of British teams that won the
Trophée des Nations event in 1961 and in 1962. He also helped British teams win
the Motocross des Nations in 1966 and 1967.
As one of the first European riders to race in the
United States, Bickers helped to introduce Americans to the sport of motocross.
He also competed in the Trans-AMA motocross series in 1971 and 1972.
After retiring from competition, Bickers started a
company manufacturing stunt equipment used in the film industry. He also
appeared as a stunt double for Roger Moore in Octopussy and Escape to Athena
among other film work.
Bickers died after a stroke
on 6 July, 2014.