Jan de Vries died of a heart attack this Thursday, January 14, 2021 in the town of Purmerend at the age of 77. We express our sincere condolences to the family of the Dutchman, 14-time Grand Prix winner and double 50cc world champion (1971-1973).
1962: Faced with the growing interest of a public who use them daily, the FIM accepts the 50 cc in the world championship.
The German Kreidler, winner of the 1961 European Cup with Hans-Georg Anscheidt, dominates the championship with its 12-speed Florett blocks capable of reaching 160 km/h at 14 rpm thanks to the 000 horsepower provided by its horizontal cylinder engine. We are wrong...
This was without taking into account the Japanese, and in particular Suzuki who, thanks to the defector Ernst Degner, who had passed to the other side of the wall in incredible conditions with the secrets of MZ technology from Walter Kaaden, was crowned in 1962 in front of Anscheidt. The engine of the RM62 very closely resembles an MZ…
Still for Hamamatsu, the New Zealander Hugh Anderson transformed the essay in 1963, before Anscheidt (Kreidler) and degners (Suzuki), and continued its momentum in 1964 in front of the Northern Irishman Ralph Bryans (Honda) and Anscheidt (Kreidler) despite the offensive of Honda which released that year a twin-cylinder given for more than 14 hp.
This engine was perfected in 1965 and established itself with Ralph Bryans in front of his Swiss teammate Luigi Taveri while Suzuki is developing its RK65, also equipped with a water-cooled twin-cylinder developing nearly 18hp at more than 17 rpm which, thanks to its 000-speed gearbox, reaches 12km/h.
The Kreidler and the Derbi are now completely outdated and Suzuki surpasses Honda in 1966 with the result being unequivocal: 3 consecutive titles in 1966, 1967 and 1968 thanks to Anscheidt who changed creameries!
Honda dropped the deal in 1967 but Suzuki continued to develop and released a three-cylinder 19hp at 19 rpm with a 000-speed gearbox in 16!
Faced with this insane (but wonderful) escalation, the FIM said “Stop” and imposed the single-cylinder and a maximum of 6 speeds in the category.
It is in this context that Kreidler, Derbi and other Jamathi reappear at the forefront, allowing Angel Nieto (Derbi) to be titled from 1969 to 1977, only beaten by Jan de Vries (Kreidler) in 1971 and 1973, then Henk van Kessel (Kreidler) in 1974.
After his 14 victories, his two world titles and his title of vice-world champion (in 1972 with the same number of points and victories asAngel grandson) obtained on the famous green and orange Van Veen – Kreidler from the Dutch importer, Jan de Vries continued to work for the latter as a preparer of 50cc racing cars.
Arriving in Grands Prix in 1968, he did not really participate in the golden age of 50cc but his fights with Angel Nieto have entered the legend!
The passion never left him and we could meet him regularly, almost anonymously, during the Moto Légende Cups on the handlebars of his Kreidler.
Today we are sad.
Photo credit:
http://www.elsberg-tuning.dk/
https://www.kreidler.nl/
