Below are sections of a report that appeared in Motor Cycle News on September 29th 1982.A WHISKERED spark plug robbed Derrick Edmondson of a gold medal after an epic ride in last week's 57th International Six Days Enduro, at Povazska Bystrica, Czechoslovakia. Top Briton for the second time in three years, he forced his water-cooled Yamaha to 11th place in the keenly contested 2SO class and won the first of the silvers. His gold went west on Thursday's special moto cross test when torrential rain made conditions the worst of a tough event. 'I feel sick about it after being clean all week," he said.Only five of the 25 Britons were among the I15 finishers from a line-up of 307 competitors.Welsh clubman Steve Plain, competing in the ISDE for the first time, rode brilliantly to win a silver with fifth place In the 175 class.The other three received bronze medals. They were Neil Buttery, with Edmondson the only remaining member of our Vase team, Andre Zembrzuski, sole survivor of our Trophy squad, and Brad Jones, like Plain a member of a Welsh club team.None of the 14 teams In the Trophy contest, in which Czechoslovakia beat the USA, escaped major disaster. And only two of the 15 Vase teams. East Germany and Finland, were Intact at Saturday's finish.A total of only 30 gold medals was the lowest since 1965 when Britain ran the event in the Isle of Man. The other heroes of the FIM?s great international team contest won 41 silvers and 47bronzes.Day 1ITALY out of the Trophy! After winning the top team prize three years running, losing Augusto Taiocchi (KTM) on Monday's first stage was a major shock.The sump plug of his four-stroke had not been properly secured. It vibrated loose, out went the oil, and the engine locked up. Arrivederci matey! So Italy slumped to ninth of 14 countries in the Trophy fight one better than East Germany after Bernd Lammell (Simson) crashed and detuned his good looks.Surprise of the secondary Vase battle was the exclusion of Bernhard Brinkmann (KTM). The West German missed a stamp check between time controls.Going all out for a home double, the Czechs were in command of a contest where a rider's retirement saddles his team with a daily dose of 15,000 points.Punctuality at time checks, with 60 point penalties per minute late or early, and breakneck speed at moto cross and acceleration special tests for bonus points, is the basis of a complex formula.With our best enduro men in a Vase team, seventh out of 15 countries was an encouraging, debut for Edmondson, Roberton, Buttery and May. Baulked on the greasy rocks of a fearsome trouble spot, Mayo was the only member of the team to lose his clean sheet. He was six minutes late.The Britons were earlier credited with sixth place. Correction of a computer error affecting East German Steffen Mauersberger (Simson) dropped them a peg.Apart from a couple of stiff climbs, the going was not too tough. But 41 retirements included two British Trophy men. Nigel Finnegan (Yamaha) exceeded his hour allowance after two engine seizures. John Cordry (SWM) smashed his clutch case. Battered and bruised after being used for wheel grip when he fell off on the worst hill,Keith Hall (Cagiva) left the Army MCA club trio a man short. CampbellChatham (KTM) was stretchered off the hill after collapsing from exhaustion. The 19-year-old-from Pencaitland, Scotland (home village of the late Jock Taylor) was later seriously ill andunderwentan appendicitis operation.
Click for Day 2 and 3
Report of ISDE Event in Czechosolvakia 1982.
Welsh Six-Day Team History.
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