Moto memories

At the start of the Eighties the UK was pretty well served for world champions.

Our picture of reigning 250cc world champion Neil Hudson is from the 1982 500cc British GP when the lad had moved up to the bigger class after concentrating on the 250 title mainly because, for some reason, we don’t have a colour picture of him in action in 1981 on a 250. That Hudson won the 1981 250 title was a remarkable achievement, given his season was dogged by trouble, bad luck and injuries, as he battled his way through the contest. Even at the last meeting of the series there was controversy and attempts to prevent the Englishman from wearing the crown. As Hudson was celebrating there was a protest being filed accusing him of receiving outside help during a multiple pile-up in the early laps. The FIM jury deliberated and threw the protest out and Hudson’s championship remained in place.

It wasn’t his only problem on the day. As he battled his way through the Dutch sand he fell and dropped a place or two but, on remounting, he displayed the calm, neat and tidy riding style that often hid how fast he was actually going. His fourth and sixth places in the two legs gave him fourth place overall and were enough to keep him ahead of Georges Jobe and the two points separating the two riders – Hudson on 235 and Jobe on 233 – meant the crown came to England. With Hudson taking the title it bore out what Motorcycle Weekly’s Chris Myers had predicted nearly three years earlier and proved that, occasionally, nice guys do finish first.