ISDT 1964: newly discovered event photos.

13 Sunday Nov 2016

Posted by Highwayman in Enduro, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Mezinárodní Šestidenní Soutěž, Międzynarodowa Motocyklowa Sześciodniówka, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

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BSA, East Germany, Erfurt, Greeves, ISDT 1964, Steve McQueen

I am grateful as always to our Euro reporter SB who has provided these amazing snaps for our 200th blog post taken at the ISDT 1964 including some of the British team machines. I do not know the origin of these images and as soon as I know I will arrange a full credit.

Photo – GB Trophy Team #222 J Sandiford’s BSA 350cc ISDT 1964 (Speedtracktales Archive)

Check below for the rest of the images which are going to produce a bit of a bountiful harvest for the fans of Greeves bikes with plenty of action from this event possibly made most famous by the presence on the US Trophy Team of one Steve McQueen, whose team mate Dave Ekins can be found here. Continue reading →

ISDT 1964: Painting of Steve McQueen at Erfurt by Jürgen Valdeig

18 Saturday Jun 2016

Posted by Highwayman in Art, Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Media, Mezinárodní Šestidenní Soutěž, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

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Erfurt, ISDT 1964, Steve McQueen

Sorry its been a while time waits for no-one and I’ve been struggling to keep up with a lot of things. Just checking through some old emails and I think I missed this one from our German contact SB who shares this image with us featuring the king of cool Steve McQueen.

image – painting of McQueen on start in Erfurt ISDT1964

Jürgen Valdeig is an artist (art painter). He lives in Erfurt. Mr. Valdeig had contact with Dave Ekins, a team member of USA-Silvervase in ISDT 1964. Ekins helped the artist Jürgen Valdeig in the scientific research.

Dave wrote:

“Dear Juergen,
Beautiful work! How kind of you to give me credit on the International Six Days Trial 1964- September page in Calendar 2014….. Wouldn`t it be great if we could meet in person someday.
Your friend,

Dave Ekins Los Angeles, Januar 2014″.

The website of Jürgen Valdeig was partly written in English.

http://www.valdeig-fineart.de/

Mapping the ISDT : 1964, Erfurt – East Germany

22 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Enduro, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Map, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

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Erfurt, ISDT 1964, map

2014 sees the 50th anniversary of the holding of the ISDT 1964 in Erfurt, East Germany. The event is one which gets a lot of attention and is number one International when it comes to enquiries and hits on our web search.

image – route of day 1 ISDT 1964 (Google Earth)

Thanks to the help of our contributor STB who has sent the route maps for the event which we will add to the ‘mapping the ISDT project’ this winter. Keep watching this page to see how it progresses.

Continue reading →

ISDT 1964: Happy Birthday Steve McQueen 24 March 1930

24 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by Highwayman in Enduro, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Motorcycling, Photography, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

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Barbour, international, ISDT 1964, Steve McQueen, Triumph

The pages connected to the ISDT 1964 produce heavy traffic for the site.

Photo of Steve McQueen ISDT 1964(Courtesy FIM / Paris Match)

Never more so in Hollywood did an actor maintain a loyal fanatical following as Steve. Not because he was particularly cookie or that his Shakespearean appearances were milestones. Its because for all the hype most stars get nobody knows who the heck they are off set. They lock themselves away at night in Beverley Hills and do what? we don’t know but Steve… he was a racer he raced anything if it had a motor, he collected it if it had a motor, he hung out with guys who dug motors. Steve was a Petrolhead and so much so he allowed his passion for motors flow into his work. The passion he had for his stuff makes his films stand out. It’s a bizzare coincidence that his birthday falls within a day of the anniversary of the break out in the real great escape, the film he piloted one of his beloved Triumphs to do many of his own stunts in the film not just relying on the great Bud Ekins to do his stunts and one of his hallmark pieces.

Continue reading →

The price of fame: Steve McQueen and the ISDT

23 Wednesday Jan 2013

Posted by Highwayman in Book, Enduro, Europe, Gelände Sport, Germany, International Six Day Trial, Internationale Sechs Tagefahrt, ISDT, Media, Motorcycling, Motorsport, Photography, Places, Regolarità, Sei Giorni Motociclistica Internazionale, Six Jours Internationaux

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Barbour, international, ISDT 1964, Steve McQueen

Steve McQueen‘s ‘star’ shines as brightly as ever these days, and the man is still relevant some 30 years after he left us. You will see his image on the pages of glossy lifestyle magazines promoting sunglasses, wristwatches, jackets and motorcars. Steve’s fan base is global and we know this from experience: when great McQueen property is offered, the telephones light up from Japan to Australia, from Britain to the United States.

While many of his contemporaries slip into obscurity, why does McQueen continue to hold our interest? Well, he starred in some of the most memorable movies of the Twentieth Century, he was an accomplished racecar driver, he was a great shot, he flew vintage aeroplanes, and he was also something of a hit with the ladies. McQueen could ride a motorcycle too; in fact he was bloody good — so good that together with pals Bud and Dave Ekins, Cliff Coleman and John Steen he represented the United States of America at the 1964 International Six Day Trials (ISDT).

the ISDT 1964 would take place in the Communist Eastern bloc during the height of the Cold War. On September 5, 1964 in a packed hall in Erfurt, East Germany complete with a large picture of Walter Ulbricht the then leader of the German Democratic Republic, McQueen — in what has been reported as one of the proudest moments of his life — carried the ‘Stars and Stripes’ for the US team at the opening ceremony.

I’ve got a box full of my old outdated racing licenses probably worth a grand total of £0.00 but Steve’s license a folded piece of card the size of a cigarette packet, Steve’s sold for US$ 42,700 …. the price and value of fame eh!