On The Pegs July 2020 - Volume 5 - Issue 7 | Page 119

On The Pegs VOL. 4 ISSUE 7 - July 2020 119
of 36 horsepower at 5,800 rpm. The big-bore beast from the factory showed big
potential and had already won the 500cc title in 1960 with Bill Nilsson.
Six events out of 10 were counted for the top of the podium. The season opener
was held at Sittendorf in Austria, a famous 3-kilometer track that has been used
extensively in MX championship races. The circuit was fast and this year it was also
very dusty. 40,000 spectators came to watch, and they were in for a total Swedish
dominance. Out of six riders, five Swedes were among the six top places! Somebody
said it was like a national championship race. In each moto there were 15 laps
to conquer. Tibblin took the holeshot in the first leg and won comfortably. In the
second leg, he crossed the finish line behind the winner, but gained overall victory,
picking up eight valuable points in the championship.
Six weeks later, the contenders rode in Pèrnes-les-Fontaines in France. It was
a repeat of the opener with Tibblin winning and with five Swedes in the six top
places. Two weeks later Tibblin came second behind Gunnar “Smiling” Johansson
in Bremgarten, Switzerland. And a week later in Imola, Italy, Tibblin was again in