Participants: Ilse Altrath (Recklinghausen), Jopy Deijs-van Dinter (Holland), Johanna Eitel (Geilenkirchen), Anke-Eve Goldmann (Wiesbaden), Ivette Gadras (St. Maritime near La Rochelle in France), Norah Gill (Birmingham), Ingrid Schwarz (Bingen) and Ellen Wetzig (Frankfurt).
Mary Black wrote this for The Motorcycle Magazine in GB.
Girls Go Dicing
Few they may be, but the girls of the Women’s International Motorcycle Association make up for their lack of numbers by sheer energy.
This year, for instance, the annual meeting of the continental section was held near Hockenheim, Germany, and the highlight of the weekend was the road race which the girls traditionally hold among themselves. Since the German Grand Prix had been held at Hockenheim a week previously, the organising club and the local police were persuaded to supply timing equipment, marshals and even the official German G.P. chequered flag. Solo and sidecar races were arranged and, proudly reports Anke-Eve Goldmann, “none of the ladies fell off!” Britain was represented by Mrs Norah Gill of the South Birmingham Club, who was credited with the best 250cc lap – at 60.64 mph – with a standard Ariel Arrow. And that, on a wet track is a really excellent showing.
Inge Rogge wrote this for Das Motorrad:
This is what sportsmanship looks like!
On Whitsunday, at 11:00 a.m., the Hockenheimring came alive: barriers cordoned off all access roads, red barrier flags waved, timing marshals got into position at the start and finish. Race manager Erwin Fuchs from the Baden Motorsport Club unwrapped the signal flags and there were even police there to cordon off. Then it started. Five solo machines were sent on a journey of four fast laps. With high water flags behind them, they roared over the track, swept round the east curve and dusted through the city curve, so that the barricades, who are used to such things, opened their mouths and noses!
Eight girls from the 35 of the WIMA in Europe were invited by their “Captain” Jopy to the annual meeting of the WIMA. Ivette from La Rochelle on the French Atlantic coast covered the longest distance (1142 km). The motorsport club Mauer near Heidelberg – we know it from its great off-road events – had reserved an entire hotel for them, gave them a wonderful welcome and spared no time or effort in organizing everything that could be organized there. The Badischer Motorsportclub reached into their club pocket and donated the costs for the racetrack, insurance and barrier measures – and dear lords of creation, that was very good for all of us, including those of us who weren’t actively there as spectators! How nice is the feeling that we girls were also able to create a motorcycle home in this way! (By the evening of Whit Monday, a real, old motorbike master and his son, instead of a Whitsun celebration, dismantled the engine for a total of DM 18 for Jopy in Zuzenhausen, fetched spare parts from far away and got the elephant running again!) Excuse me, you hard-boiled fellows, for secretly wiping away a tear of emotion.
On Monday, Ilse won a Fox Hunt organized by MSC Mauer, and there were even wonderful honorary prizes. I’ve been on a lot of motorcycle adventures before, but the 1961 WIMA meeting in particular impressed me. They came from France, from England, from Holland – they came to have fun, to see each other and to be happy, no club cheating, no gossip – so completely, completely different – just happy. Not even a solemn speech! No advertisement. That’s what I call a sporting spirit!
I would like to make one last remark: if anyone ever turns up their noses at us girls and women who enjoy riding motorcycles by ourselves, then let me know their address. I’ll send them a letter and pictures of the WIMA meeting in 1961, and of my friends from Europe with their machines. It’s nothing crazy – it’s wonderful, just joie de vivre! Does a girl look different on a mountain, on a sailing ship, on an aeroplane? There you are. It was one of the best days of the year for me!
