By now, however, dust had become a big problem round the soft, sandy circuit. False starts at the MX des nations, which was almost inevitably dominated by newly crowned World Champion Jeff Smith, messed up Eurovision's planned television coverage. The British 500 GP of 1965 witnessed a fifth and final victory for Smith, who led home Mark Eastwood's Dad Vic for a BSA one-two in the first heat. Smith's World title rival Rolf Tibblin, now mounted on a 360cc two-stroke CZ, beat Smithy in the second moto to point a telling finger at the future. And a highlight of the weekend was a demonstration lap by American singing legend Roy Orbison, riding Dave Bickers' works CZ. Unfortunately, the Big O bailed off in the notorious bombhole, broke an ankle and appeared live on 'Saturday Night at the London Palladium' that evening with his foot in a plaster cast!

As well as drawing a veil over Roy Orbison's brief motocross career, 1965 also marked the last 500 GP to be held at Hawkstone Park for ten years. But after the loss of Dodington Park, near Bristol, the Salop Motor Club stepped in to take over once more in 1975. On a blazing hot July weekend 15000 fans braved billowing dust clouds to whip up frenzied support for teenaged tearaway Graham Noyce, competing in his first 500 GP on a five-speed 400cc Maico. Riding with wild abandon, the blonde bombshell broke through to second place behind reigning World Champion and 'Flying Finn' Heikki Mikkola (Husqvarna), who was celebrating his 30th birthday! For thirty mesmerising minutes Noyce fought with Jaak van Velthoven's monoshock factory Yamaha until he caught a flailing foot in the Maico's back wheel. Exhausted, the 18 year-old dropped back to finish a brave tenth behind Brad Lackey's Husqvarna.

Mikkola's first race win hoisted him back into the title lead after Belgian rival Roger de Coster pulled out unhappy about the dusty conditions. And de Coster's Suzuki team-mate, Dutchman Gerrit Wolsink, waded past van Velthoven to snatch second. Already a remarkable weekend, that 1975 British GP featured Honda's first official European works outing! The fabled red 'fire engine', ridden by US-based Dutchman Pierre Karsmakers, had already scored second places in the American and Canadian rounds, but swallowed a lungful of Shropshire sand in the first race and retired. The bikes had been flown directly from Japan and the bearded Karsmakers used a spare motor to finish fifth in a gripping second moto. Mikkola led from Wolsink, de Coster and British Open Champion Vic Allan (Bultaco). Noyce crashed. Then in a closing crescendo of contrasting fortunes, Mikkola's Husky began to slow, it's air filter choked with sand. The fantastic Finn fought on but de Coster and Wolsink overpowered him in the final minutes and, as Heikki struggled on to his final lap, the smoking Husqvarna gasped to a halt half-way up the famous hill. After frantically trying to kick in the airbox, Mikkola made two further despairing assaults on the climb before de Coster took the chequered flag.

That crucial moment in Hawkstone Park's history proved pivotal in the World series. With four rounds remaining, de Coster regained a lead he would never relinquish. But overall victory went to his team-mate, Gerrit Wolsink, who voiced his angry disapproval of the dusty conditions. So while the 500 GPs took their disenchanted leave for the next nine years, the 125 and 250cc world championships moved in!

1976 featured the first visit of the fledgling 125 class, current Honda UK boss and Midlands favourite Roger Harvey leading privateer on a Husqvarna. 'Harv' placed top six despite joining the exclusive 'downhill club' on the final lap of race two when he endoed down the scary descent from the verandah. Tiny World Champion Gaston Rahier swept his Suzuki to victory ahead of Czech challenger Jiri Churavy (CZ). Both men beat another novel Honda entry as US 125 champion Mary Smith tried, unsuccessfully, to win both American and World titles in the same year. Marty managed a third place in race one but lost his chain in race two, when Russian Pavel Rulev (CZ) mounted the rostrum. That day also saw Zdnek Velky throw his CZ a record-smashing 90 feet across the Girling Leap as, without a chicane at the bottom of Hawkstone Hill, the tiddlers attacked the incline on full bore. Unfortunately, Velky's ebullience broke his CZ's frame!

The Eastern Bloc turned out in force a year later for Hawkstone's first ever 250cc grand prix and emerged victorious. Russian Gennady Moiseev, on his way to a second World crown, rampaged to a double win ahead of his KTM team-mate Vladimir Kavinov. In fact, the Austrian factory almost ruled the rostrum, Frenchman Jean-Jacques Bruno third in race one and the great Andre Malherbe grabbing second place in race two ahead of lanky German Hans Maisch (Maico, of course; he was the boss's son, after all!).

After a two year hiatus, Tony Johnson tempted back the friendly 250 GPs in 1980 and again a man en route to a World title, 19 year-old Georges Jobe (Suzuki), won overall despite Dutch sandmaster Kees van der Ven (Maico) taking race one. In 1981, a second-race engine seizure halted Jobe after he had chased home van der Ven in the first moto. Englishman Neil Hudson (Yamaha), enmeshed in an epic World championship joust with Jobe, finished third in race one then beat van der Ven and American Mike Guerra (Husqvarna) in race two. This was the year the killer whoops were first built on the loop round to the bombhole and Hudson's team manager Heikki Mikkola stood alongside them indicating a forceful, clenched fist 'full bore' to the heroic Englishman, who had little option but to comply!

Georges Jobe refuses even to acknowledge he was at Hawkstone Park in 1982, he had such an awful day! But a duel of the century between his title rivals van der Ven and Danny LaPorte (Yamaha) saw the glamorous Californian take overall honours on a tiebreaker after some astonishing moves, like launching side-by-side into the bombhole, both on the inside line! LaPorte went on to be World Champion that year and Ulsterman Dave Watson, his Yamaha team-mate, upheld British spirit with a dashing third in race one.

Jobe returned once more in 1983 and shared the rostrum with LaPorte and van der Ven, 'Danny the Door' snatching another verdict on a tiebreaker but losing his crown to the equally dashing Belgian.

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