From Motorcycle Sport, October 1963: Editorial Friendship Through Sport

Like everybody else interested and connected with the sporting world of motorcycles, we abhor the idea of ‘politics’ entering our sport. Yet, whether we like it or not, the East and West of the politician’s cold war cut across motor cycling. But it has a credit as well as a debit side.

This was especially evident in this year’s event held, of course, in Czechoslovakia. Once the suspicions and mistrust faded, friendships were quickly formed; it was found that, no matter where they came from, all at Spindleruv Miyn had one interest – motor cycling. In that way a rider from Birmingham was no different from one coming from Bratislava or Brest.

So it is frustrating to reveal that, while goodwill like this was being built, somebody closely connected with one of the British entries took it upon himself to denounce, as loudly and bitterly as possible, the correspondent attending on behalf of this journal who, he declared, was unworthy of British nationality because he mixed with Czech friends, used one of their machines to travel the course, and, indeed, committed near-treason because he held good opinions of some of the foreign machinery.

While it is good and fine to be proud of the products and engineering of one’s country, surely this is sheer narrowmindedness? It is lack of understanding, and failing to hold an open mind, that sows the seeds of mistrust and suspicion that we would surely all like to see absent from the world we live in as well as from our own sport.

As Czechoslovakia is a communist country the event was planned, financed (it ‘cost’ nearly one million pounds) and directed by the civil servants of government departments.

But, as all will agree who were there, the event was not run by soldiers, civil servants or politicians; the marshalls, machine examiners, time-keepers and other helpers were all sportsmen to the core with a complete absence of red tape, petty officialdom and high-handedness in carrying out their duties.

For the past two years, freedom-loving politicians in the West have stopped the East German MZ factory from competing in the I.S.D.T. So, as MZs can only take part in events held on their side of the wall, it is fitting for them to win the Trophy with machines which, at the special tests showed, were superior to all.

We have in this issue only time and space to give day-to-day details of this year’s International Six Days’ Trial.

Next month, however, we hope to go more deeply into what, these days, this event consists of –together with photographs, and an exhaustive analysis of performances.