DeCoster

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Comment by Joe Joiner on November 20, 2009 at 1:24am

Can you imagine riding on this rocky track and being behind Rickmans Triumph with no mouth guard or chest protector??? No wonder DeCoster is charging so hard to come to the front !!! DeCoster is about 22 years old here.

Comment by Joe Joiner on November 14, 2009 at 3:29pm

Mark, I saw Ronny Golden at one of the car swap meets, maybe 1-2 years ago and he bought a milling machine vise from me. As you remember, after Ronny quit racing, he and another guy, I think, started Fox Distributing, out of Arlington, distributing all kinds of motorcycle accessories. This was probably in the early-mid 70s. I did hear of him racing maybe super modifieds or something. Knowing Ronny, he was probably real fast at that too. Don't know how lomg that lasted tho. I somehow think that he might be into classic and vintage/antique/hot rod cars now but not sure.

Comment by Mark Moore on November 14, 2009 at 11:55am

Joe, I remember Ronny Golden at Lavon and he was just about unbeatable for a while- I heard he got into car racing after scooters and I hav'nt heard a word about him since.

Comment by Joe Joiner on November 14, 2009 at 3:50am

And yes Mark, the Rickmans were wonderful machines. Don and Derek being very competetive on them in world motocross. The 4 stroke reign in the open class ended with East German Paul Fredrichs World Championship win in 1966, aboard a 360 CZ much as DeCoster is on here. But as this picture is testament of,, the Rickmans continued to campaign their heavier 4 stroke Metisse bikes probably as late as early 68. They then started concentrating their efforts on building bikes for the lighter 2 strokes. Starting with the 66 or 67 Bultaco center exhaust port 250 'Yellow Metisse' scramblers,which were very fast. Local scrambles stars Ronny Golden and Ronny Martin staging many exciting close races on those yellow rocket ships. Then came Montesa motors, Zundapp etc. Rickmans are still such beautiful bikes. I think Joe Edwards has at least 1 very nice Triumph Metisse.

Comment by Joe Joiner on November 14, 2009 at 3:33am

Lightbrown was such a hoot. Always with a big grin on his face, and always with a new joke to tell. If he ever saw me at the races, he would always holler across the track 'Furukawa, ride a Jawa'. He called me last year, I hadn't heard from him in at lease 15 years. When I picked up the phone, he said 'Furakawa....ride a Jawa' I knew exactly who it was. So sad to lose him this year. I still have some pictures of me and you and Lance at the funeral. I'll get a copy to you soon.

Comment by Mark Moore on November 13, 2009 at 6:10pm

Those Rickmans were plenty trick as well back in the day my friend. Light Brown had 2 of them, one was a light blue one that was a 500 Triumph, I think the other was a yellow one and can't remember what motor. He also had a Triumph with a side car that he had at the Green Valley mud race, he completely trashed that thing giving anybody that was willing a ride, and not missing a single mudhole in the process.

Comment by Joe Joiner on November 13, 2009 at 4:27pm

Those were the days my friend, we thought they'd never end, we'd sing and dance forever and a day, we'd do whatever we choose, we'd fight and never lose, those were the days oh yes, those were the days.

Comment by bob moore on November 13, 2009 at 10:58am

Man I wish I could go back in time and be there. The sights , smells, DeCoster on a CZ, too cool

Comment by Joe Joiner on November 11, 2009 at 2:33pm

I think this picture has been posted previously, but thought some might still enjoy seein the man in his earlier days when he was on early CZs. Still had the chrome side panel tank on his bike from the Jawa days. Yeah, DeCoster has been around for awhile. Most often at the top of the podium.