Mr . Broadslide GOOD OLD TIMES BLOG
words KENNETH OLAUSSON photos courtesy of HUSQVARNA
He joined Husqvarna in the early 1930s having made a name in two-wheel sport . Gunnar Barthelsson had a special talent for broad-sliding and won some of his greatest victories on gravel .
Previously , Gunnar had ridden for the Belgian FN brand , but in the beginning of the 1930s , he connected with Husqvarna where in 1931 he took an overwhelming second place after the triumphant Ivar Skeppstedt . They met in the final at the famous horserace track Solvalla in Stockholm . Gunnar was a mere five seconds behind the winner in the five-kilometre race on gravel . Both riders had an outstanding riding-style going
around the long , high-speed corners with their machines sliding sideways to the great delight of the 15,000-spectator crowd .
And in the 1932 Klevaliden hill climb , Gunnar set a record of 40.66 sec , breaking the old Klevaliden record of 52.4 seconds . This everlasting record equalled an average of 90 km / h !
In 1933 , Gunnar Barthelsson proved himself as a competent rider when he ousted the competition by winning at Solvalla . He led both his heats on the ultra-fast 700cc Husqvarna machine . Barthelsson had an average speed of 108 km / h , and his winning time was two minutes 46.6 seconds . A year later it was time for another
ON THE PEGS // PAGE 160