Sten Lundin (20 November 1931 – 3 June 2016) was a Swedish professional
motocross
Motocross is a form of off-road motorcycle racing held on enclosed off-road circuits. The sport evolved from motorcycle trials competitions held in the United Kingdom.
History
Motocross first evolved in Britain from motorcycle trials competi ...
racer. Known for his relaxed riding style, he competed in the
1959
Events
January
* January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
,
1961
Events January
* January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union.
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...
), Lundin was part of a contingent of Swedish motorcyclists including; Bill Nilsson, Rolf Tibblin and Torsten Hallman who dominated the sport of motocross in the late 1950s and early 1960s. During an eight-year span from
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
to
1964
Events January
* January 1 – The Federation of Rhodesia and Nyasaland is dissolved.
* January 5 – In the first meeting between leaders of the Roman Catholic and Orthodox churches since the fifteenth century, Pope Paul VI and Patria ...
, he finished third or better in the Motocross World Championships, becoming one of the most accomplished motocross racers of his era.
Motocross career
Early racing career
Lundin was born in
Stockholm
Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...
,
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden, is a Nordic countries, Nordic country located on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. It borders Norway to the west and north, and Finland to the east. At , Sweden is the largest Nordic count ...
, on 20 November 1931. At the age of 21, he entered his first European Motocross Championship event at the
privateer
A privateer is a private person or vessel which engages in commerce raiding under a commission of war. Since robbery under arms was a common aspect of seaborne trade, until the early 19th century all merchant ships carried arms. A sovereign o ...
aboard a BSA motorcycle. He made an immediate impact in his first full season by winning a heat race at the 1955 500cc French Grand Prix ahead of Les Archer Jr. ( Norton). Two weeks later at the 500cc Italian Grand Prix, Lundin scored the first overall victory of his career ahead of Brian Stonebridge (BSA), becoming the second Swedish competitor to win a European Championship race after Bill Nilsson (
1954
Events
January
* January 3 – The Italian broadcaster RAI officially begins transmitting.
* January 7 – Georgetown–IBM experiment: The first public demonstration of a machine translation system is held in New York, at the head ...
500cc Swedish Grand Prix). His victory in Italy also made him the first Swedish competitor to win a motocross Grand Prix race abroad.
Lundin won the season-ending 500cc Dutch Grand Prix to finish the 1955 season ranked third, two points behind European Champion
John Draper
John Thomas Draper (born March 11, 1943), also known as Captain Crunch, Crunch, or Crunchman after a toy boatswain's call whistle once given away in boxes of Cap'n Crunch breakfast cereal that for some years could be used to make free long d ...
(BSA) and one point behind vice-champion, Bill Nilsson (BSA). Lundin and Nilsson were members of the Swedish team of motorcyclists who won the 1955
Motocross des Nations
The Motocross of Nations (MXON), also known by its original French name (''MXDN'') is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the " Olympics of Motocross". The event has been staged since ...
event held in
Randers
Randers () is a city in Randers Municipality, Central Denmark Region on the Jutland peninsula. It is List of cities and towns in Denmark, Denmark's sixth-largest city, with a population of 64,511 ().1956 European Motocross Championship, Lundin was forced to switch motorcycle manufacturers from BSA to
Monark
Monark, also known as Cykelfabriken Monark AB and Monark AB, is a Swedish bicycle, moped and motorcycle manufacturer, established in Varberg, Sweden, in 1908 by the industrialist Birger Svensson. As of 2016, Monark was valued at 11.5 billion kr ...
due to geopolitical world events. In the wake of the 1956 Suez Canal crisis, the BSA factory withdrew from European racing due to fuel rationing in the United Kingdom. Without the support of the BSA factory, a group of Swedish motorcyclists decided to manufacture their own motorcycle using a Swedish-built Albin
four-stroke engine
A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directi ...
that had been designed for military motorcycles during the Second World War. A complete motorcycle using the Albin engine was made by hand by engineers at the Monark factory in
Varberg
Varberg () is a Urban areas in Sweden, locality and the seat of Varberg Municipality, Halland County, Sweden, with 35,782 inhabitants in 2019.
Varberg and all of Halland are well known for their "typical west coast" sandy beaches. In Varberg th ...
, Sweden. The weight of their motorcycle was significantly less than those produced by BSA or FN motorcycle factories. When the FIM upgraded the 500cc European Motocross Championship to World Championship status for the 1957 season, the Monark factory became the first Swedish manufacturer to compete in the new Motocross World Championships with Lundin as their rider.
Lundin rode the Monark to victory in the 1957 Belgian and Luxembourg Grand Prix events and ended the season ranked third in the inaugural 500cc World Championship behind Bill Nilsson (
Crescent
A crescent shape (, ) is a symbol or emblem used to represent the lunar phase (as it appears in the northern hemisphere) in the first quarter (the "sickle moon"), or by extension a symbol representing the Moon itself.
In Hindu iconography, Hind ...
When the Monark race team manager unexpectedly died during the 1960 season, Monark management made the decision to withdraw from Grand Prix racing. As compensation, Monark management allowed Lundin keep his race bike. Lundin painted the Monark motorcycle green and renamed it a Lito after his new sponsor's lithography business. He won the first three Grand Prix races of the 1961 season and led the championship from start to finish. He dominated the opposition by finishing on the
podium
A podium (: podiums or podia) is a platform used to raise something to a short distance above its surroundings. In architecture a building can rest on a large podium. Podiums can also be used to raise people, for instance the conductor of a ...
in ten out of eleven rounds including six Grand Prix victories. His rival Nilsson (Husqvarna) was once again his top competitor for the title. Lundin helped the Swedish team win the 1961 Motocross des Nations event held in Schijndel, Holland.
The Swedish domination of the Motocross World Championships continued in
1962
The year saw the Cuban Missile Crisis, which is often considered the closest the world came to a Nuclear warfare, nuclear confrontation during the Cold War.
Events January
* January 1 – Samoa, Western Samoa becomes independent from Ne ...
with the top five competitors in the 500cc class coming from Sweden.Rolf Tibblin (Husqvarna) won five Grand Prix races to win his first world championship, with Lundin dropping to third place behind his Lito teammate, Gunnar Johansson. Lundin was a member of the victorious Swedish team that won the 1962 Motocross des Nations even in Wohlen, Switzerland.
Lundin started the 1963 season strongly with victories in the first two races of the season, however Tibblin (Husqvarna) successfully defended his World Championship, taking five victories out of twelve races to become the first competitor to win back-to-back 500cc World Championships. Lundin won another Grand Prix in Luxembourg and ended the season ranked second behind Tibblin. He was the top individual points scorer at the 1963 Motocross des Nations event in Knutsdorp, Sweden however, the Swedish team finished second to the British team led by Jeff Smith and Don Rickman.
A significant moment in motocross history occurred during the 1963 season when ÄŒZ factory rider Vlastimil Valek rode a 263cc
two-stroke engine
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a f ...
powered motorcycle to win the first moto of the 500cc Czechoslovakian Motocross Grand Prix ahead of a field of top-class, four stroke motorcycles. The victory marked a turning point in motocross history as, it was the first win by a two-stroke powered motorcycle in the premier division of the Motocross World Championships.
The 1964 500cc Motocross World Championship was dominated by Jeff Smith (BSA) and Rolf Tibblin (Husqvarna) however, Lundin would be the only competitor to upset the status quo by winning the West German Grand Prix. He scored consistently all year to finish the season ranked third behind the eventual World Champion Smith and runner-up Tibblin. Lundin then switched to riding a
Matchless
Matchless is one of the oldest marques of British motorcycles, manufactured in Plumstead, London, between 1899 and 1966. A wide range of models were produced under the Matchless name, ranging from small two-strokes to 750 cc Four-stroke cy ...
motorcycle in the 1965 season. He won his final world championship event with a victory at the
1965
Events January–February
* January 14 – The First Minister of Northern Ireland and the Taoiseach of the Republic of Ireland meet for the first time in 43 years.
* January 20
** Lyndon B. Johnson is Second inauguration of Lynd ...
500cc Austrian Grand Prix. Lundin competed in his final World Championship race at the
By the mid 1960s the heavier four-stroke motorcycles were being rendered obsolete by advances in
two-stroke engine
A two-stroke (or two-stroke cycle) engine is a type of internal combustion engine that completes a Thermodynamic power cycle, power cycle with two strokes of the piston, one up and one down, in one revolution of the crankshaft in contrast to a f ...
technology which made apparent the importance of lightness and agility in motocross racing. ÄŒZ factory team rider Paul Friedrichs dominated the 1966 season by winning seven out of fourteen Grand Prix events, marking the first time a motorcycle powered by a two-stroke engine had won the premier 500cc division since the inception of the Motocross World Championships in
1957
Events January
* January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany.
* January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch.
* January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...
.
Lundin believed that lighter motorcycles diminished the physical challenge of motocross and could ruin the sport, so he continued to advocate for the heavier
four-stroke engine
A four-stroke (also four-cycle) engine is an internal combustion (IC) engine in which the piston completes four separate strokes while turning the crankshaft. A stroke refers to the full travel of the piston along the cylinder, in either directi ...
d motorcycles. In an effort to preserve the larger four-stroke engined motorcycles, the FIM created an experimental class for machines of 501cc to 750cc engine displacement capacity. Lundin rode his Lito to win the inaugural 1967 FIM 750cc Motocross European Cup however, the race series was abandoned after the 1969 season due to the increasing popularity of the easier-to-ride lightweight two-stroke motorcycles.
Motocross career overview
Lundin won 25 individual heat races and 24 Grand Prix victories during his world championship racing career. Along with his two 500cc World Championships (
1959
Events
January
* January 1 – Cuba: Fulgencio Batista flees Havana when the forces of Fidel Castro advance.
* January 2 – Soviet lunar probe Luna 1 is the first human-made object to attain escape velocity from Earth. It reaches the ...
,
1961
Events January
* January 1 – Monetary reform in the Soviet Union, 1961, Monetary reform in the Soviet Union.
* January 3
** United States President Dwight D. Eisenhower announces that the United States has severed diplomatic and cons ...
), he was a three-time 500cc Swedish motocross national champion (1955, 1958, 1961). Lundin was named a member of the Swedish
Motocross des Nations
The Motocross of Nations (MXON), also known by its original French name (''MXDN'') is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the " Olympics of Motocross". The event has been staged since ...
team for 11 consecutive years between 1955 and 1965. He took part in four Swedish Motocross des Nations victories (1955, 1958, 1961, 1962) and was the top individual points scorer at the 1963 Motocross des Nations event.
Riihimäki
Riihimäki (; ) is a town and municipality in the south of Finland, about north of Helsinki and southeast of Tampere. An important railway junction is located in Riihimäki, since railway tracks from Riihimäki lead to Helsinki, Tampere and La ...
. During his rally racing career he participated in several international rallies, including the 1965
RAC Rally
Wales Rally GB was the most recent iteration of the United Kingdom's premier international motor rally, which ran under various names since the first event held in 1932. It was consistently a round of the FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) cal ...
Co-driver
A co-driver is the navigator of a rally car in the sport of rallying, who sits in the front passenger seat. The co-driver's job is to navigate, commonly by reading off a set of pacenotes to the driver (what lies ahead, where to turn, the severity ...
Lindberg Hans to finish eighth overall along with a
stage
Stage, stages, or staging may refer to:
Arts and media Acting
* Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions
* Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage"
* ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...
victory. In 1966, his last year as a racing driver, he took part in the Rallye dei Fiori in the Italian Alps driving a
Renault 8
The Renault 8 (Renault R8 until 1964) is a rear-engined, rear-wheel drive small family car produced by the French manufacturer Renault in the 1960s and early 1970s. It also formed the basis for the larger Renault 10, introduced in 1965.
The ...
.
Later career
After retiring from motorsports competition, Lundin was employed as the Service Manager at former world champion Torsten Hallman's Yamaha distributor in Sweden. In 1977 when four-stroke racing machines were rare, Lundin collaborated with Hallman and former 500cc World Champion Bengt Ã…berg in developing a highly modified four-stroke Yamaha XT500, which Ã…berg raced in the 1977 FIM Motocross World Championship season. Ã…berg rode the bike to a victory in the first moto of the 1977 500cc Luxembourg Grand Prix and ended the season ranked 9th in the final world championship standings.
In retirement, Lundin attended
historic motorsport
Historic motorsport or vintage motorsport, is motorsport with vehicles limited to a particular era. Only safety precautions are modernized in these hobbyist races. A historical event can be of various types of motorsport disciplines, from road ...
events with his Lito motorcycle. He died on 3 June 2016 at the age of 84 after a short illness.
Awards and honors
In 1961 Lundin and
motorcycle speedway
Motorcycle speedway, usually referred to simply as speedway, is a motorcycle sport involving four and sometimes up to six riders competing over four clockwise, anti-clockwise laps of an oval circuit. The motorcycles are specialist machines that ...
competitor
Ove Fundin
Ove Fundin (born 23 May 1933) is a Swedish former professional motorcycle speedway rider. He competed in the Speedway World Championships from 1951 to 1970. Fundin is notable for winning the Speedway World Ch ...
were awarded the
Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal
The Svenska Dagbladet Gold Medal (, but usually simply called ''Bragdguldet'', "The Feat Gold") is an annual award "for the most significant Sweden, Swedish sports achievement of the year". It has been awarded by a jury led by the Swedish morning ...
for accomplishing the most significant Swedish sports achievement of the year. The presentation marked the first time that the award had recognized motorcycling sports.
In honor of Lundin's contributions to Swedish motorcycling, in 2002 the Swedish postal service issued a stamp within the Sverige Motocross series that depicted Lundin riding his Monark motorcycle.