The early 1970s was a significant period for British motocross as a whole new breed of young motocross talent appeared, fresh from the recently established schoolboy motocross circuit. Schoolboy scrambling in those days was in its infancy, with only a handful of clubs in existence. But those clubs provided kids with invaluable track experience and a launch pad into the world of motocross before entering the adult arena.
Among the first of this new generation to reap the benefit from this early learning was a young fresh-faced kid with distinctive fair hair by the name of Graham Noyce. Noyce along with his main adversary throughout their schoolboy days, Neil Hudson, graduated to the adult ranks at the same time.

Noyce got the scrambling bug from his father, who was himself a rider, although according to Graham not a particularly good one. Dad, Tom had gone to a local Corsham schoolboy meeting and decided that it would be a good avenue for his 10-year-old offspring to pursue. Graham’s first event was at Reading, where he took his little BSA Bantam to three mighty impressive third place finishes.

Unlike today, at that time there were no purpose-built machines for schoolboy riders and the BSA that Graham rode was a converted roadster that cost a mere £5. But, as schoolboy racing took off, that situation was soon to change. The Rickman brothers were quick to identify this void in the market and their little 125 Rickman Zundapp was launched. It was a popular choice for the schoolboy racer and both Noyce and Neil Hudson rode these machines during their schoolboy years.

It would be some years later before I actually met Graham and, by then, he had graduated to the adult motocross ranks. What’s more, he was no longer a kid but a strapping six-footer.
At the age of 15, Noyce left school and studied engineering briefly before being snapped up by Don and Derek Rickman to work at their New Milton factory. “Don and Derek were extremely good to me,” Graham recalls. “We never had a contract or anything, but they supplied me with a 250cc Rickman Montesa and I worked in the factory in the development department. My father would give me a lift to the local railway station every day and I would get the train to New Milton, and then ride a bicycle to the Rickman factory. If it was raining sometimes Dave Caines who also worked for the Rickmans would give me a lift from the station.”

After several months on the little Montesa, Graham got the use of a brand new 460cc Husqvarna, the machine being bought by Castrol impresario Harold Wakefield. The engine was removed and fitted into a Rickman frame that Noyce himself had built with assistance from colleague Caines, who did the brazing. The bigger Rickman mount earned the young Hampshireman the reputation of being something of a wild man, as his lean gangly figure struggled to hang on to the awesome power of the big Husky.
After two years under the Rickman banner, Noyce was offered Maico machinery by British importer Bryan Goss. This combination drew much attention as Graham began to rattle the cage of many of the big hitters, giving absolutely no quarter to his more experienced rivals.

After only six months though, the lure of 125 Grand Prix racing saw the 17-year-old defect to Husqvarna machinery, riding for Brian Leask alongside Chris Clarke from nearby Petworth in West Sussex. At the time, a poll of the top British riders concluded that, of the two, Clarke was the more likely to succeed in top level motocross. How wrong were these experts going to turn out to be.
Noyce attended the Husqvarna winter training camp as part of his preparations for the new Grand Prix season, but the Noyce/Husqvarna partnership was brought to a premature end after only a few months when a writ taken out by Goss for breach of contract saw the young Hampshireman back on a Maico for the British Championship round at the Pickwick Lodge circuit, where he scored a surprise second place overall.

End of sample article | Top of page | Buy Classic Dirt Bike