Classic Motocross des Nations 2008

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Santa's whole story

Santa Claus joins Team Finland for Classic Motocross des Nations!

The latest rumor has it that this year Classic Motocross Team Finland
is getting a really tough reinforcement for the Classic Motocross des
Nations competition. According to elves Santa Claus himself has
expressed his interest to participate in the competition. As everybody
knows, Santa lives in Korvatunturi in Eastern Finnish Lapland, and wants
now to help his countrymen.

At first the whole idea could seem to be far-fetched, but due to his
comprehensive life experience Santa wasn't born yesterday as a
motocrosser. And thanks to his age, he can choose the class he wants
to participate in. In this website we'll report weekly Santa's preparation
for the competition.

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After yet another very busy Christmas season Santa has finally time to relax.
It's time to read some magazines that he hasn't had time to look at earlier.
From Huimapyörä, the magazine of Finnish Veteran Motorcycle Club, he
reads about Classic Motocross Team Finland's achievements last year in
Sweden. Only one bronze medal... In our home-court we should do better
than that, ponders Santa.
huimis

Santa got an idea: ”Maybe I should dig up my old riding boots and go help
the boys!” But then he thinks over: ”It’s been some years since I’ve ridden.
And I’m almost 600 years old. But… what you learn when you are old, then
you really can do it”, says Santa with a smile on his face. And after all, it
was only some 30 years ago when Santa (riding under another name to
keep the secret) won easily World Championship races with his red and silver
bikes. He did have shorter beard then.
hyppy

But Santa doesn’t have any bike for the race. The elves remembered the
bike that Handy-Elf made for Janne-boy. Janne didn’t get it on Christmas
because he was naughty to his little-sister. Maybe Santa could use that!
taos

A glance in the mirror tells Santa that his belly has got a little bit bigger.
Mrs. Claus' porridge has been all too tasty! And while surfing in the Internet,
Santa has forgotten to exercise. If you are out of shape it won't help, no
matter how good your driving skills are Santa thinks. He has to train his body
in good shape before summer!
tuhti

Santa notices that the bike Handy-Elf has made is more suitable for
Iron Butt ride. It's not worth going to motocross course with that. So the
elves dash with their nimble feet for the storehouse. There they find parts
of which they decide to build Santa a proper bike.
osia

During the next few days busy hammering can be heard from the
Santa's Workshop. A sharp-eared could even hear some swearing when
old Grumpy hit his thumb with a hammer. But what a bike they pushed
out the workshop. And hey presto, quickly Santa is training motocross
riding again!
jana

After having some fun on sandpit Santa began to revive his Ice
racing skills. How nice it was to ride to one's heart's content!
Santa forgets his worries, and for a while Matti and Tiina and
other children are not spinning in his mind. Only the bike, the
course and the fascination of speed!
vanamo

The word's leading motocross magazine revealed Santa's plan

after - according to unconfirmed rumors - getting a hint from

German tourists. The unexpected advantage of the Finns is now

gone, but in many households underpants were washed when

the magazine hit the newsstands...
mwm

Santa started riding motocross in the early 1960s
although he was then, according to public opinion,
rather old for that. But for Santa, it's true, a good
500 years is nothing much. He is just getting at his best!

For a while Santa considered which bike to purchase,
but in the end the choice was easy because a red
Husqvarna goes together with the image of Santa like
the red nose with Rudolph. He decided to fetch the bike
straight from the factory since he knew Ruben well - like
he knows everyone in the world. "Which one to choose?",
Santa wonders in the middle of the vast selection.
factory

It took some races even for a gifted rider like Santa before

it was time to celebrate his first victory in World Championship
series. And the nicest thing here was that he won in front of
home audience in Ruskeasanta, and on a old 3-geared spare bike!

The elves thought Santa's Husqvarna was the finest toy on earth,
and doubted if they could make better even themselves! They
struggled to be photographed on the bike so much that Santa
had to drive them away all the time.

joukkue

One day Santa saw freestyle stunts on television. He thought that
nac-nac, superman and of course a volt would be a nice extra in
Heinola next fall. No one feels like racing just for victory, audience
must be taken into consideration one hundred-percent, thought
Santa and decided to try the same that the lads on telly.

But it happens also for the best! Santa fell over and, even though
he himself survived with only minor scratches, the bike was just
scrap metal.
crash

"Where on earth have You bruised yourself like that", Mrs. Claus
wondered when she saw bloody scratches on Santa's face. Poor
Santa could not make up a believable story and had to tell the
truth. Mrs. Claus was furious about Santa's plan. "Didn't we already
agree in Ruskeasanta that it's enough with these activities!",
Mrs. Claus thundered waving her rolling pin in the middle of baking tart.
"It's no use thinking that You'll be riding motocross ever again,
that's a sure thing!"
muori

Disheartened Santa decides to go and heat up the sauna, and also to have a few tankards of homebrewed beer. The elves who can hear all are, of course, aware about the situation. Santa is their idol number one and it would not be suitable for him to throw his riding gloves to the corner right away when Mrs. Claus roars a bit. Even though Santa is little frightening when he has a bad moment, Happy decides to take the risk and go to tell Santa a tale - a little known Christmas fact - "Why there is a little angel on top of the Christmas tree":

Not long ago and far away, Santa was getting ready for his annual trip... but there were problems everywhere. Four of his elves were sick, and the trainee elves did not produce the toys as fast as the regular ones, so Santa was beginning to feel the pressure of being behind schedule.

Then Mrs. Claus told Santa that her mom was coming to visit. This stressed Santa even more. When he went to harness the reindeer, he found that three of them were about to give birth and two had jumped the fence and were out, heaven knows where. More stress. Then when he began to load the sleigh, one of the boards cracked and the toy bag fell to the ground and scattered the toys. So, frustrated, Santa went into the house for a cup of coffee and a shot of whiskey. When he went to the cupboard, he found out the elves had hidden the liquor and there was nothing to drink. In his frustration he dropped the coffee pot and it broke into hundreds of little pieces all over the kitchen floor.

He went to get the broom and found that mice had eaten the straw it was made from.

Just then the doorbell rang and Santa cussed his way to the door. He opened the door and there was a little angel with a great big Christmas tree. The angel said: "Where would you like to put this tree, Santa?"

And that, my friends, is how the little angel came to be on top of the Christmas tree.
tuoppi

Happy's tale cheers Santa up so much that he decides not give a damn about Mrs. Claus' thundering. "I am still the King of Korvatunturi!", he shouts with renewed strength given by homebrewed beer. The elves rush right away to show Santa a bike they had found under a spruce. This will be even better than the previous one!

The bike is very inadequate but elves add mudguards, tank, saddle and number plates. Santa praises the quality of their work. With this bike he'll get going again!
eimootttoria

Now he has got a bike, but even though Santa is as strong as ten reindeers, he can't go very fast by pushing. Something ought to be made up...
tyonto

Then Santa remembers his trusted Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, with which he'll reach every corner of the world in a split second. Let's harness Rudolph to pull the Rickman Métisse frame and the fame of Finnish Classic motocross will be saved once more! No matter how much horsepower others have in their engines, Santa would fly past with his one reindeerpower machine!
pukinlento

Oh gosh! Elf Clause, from the Lawyer's office of Korvatunturi, had
studied the regulations of ECMO and spoiled Santa's excellent plan.
Rudolph's technical features didn't meet the rules. Even though how
hard Elf Clause tried to twist and bend the rules, he couldn't find a
loophole big enough to squeeze a reindeer through it.
pykalisto

It's so hard this motocrosser's career! Santa is beginning to get fed
up when as talented rider as he can't find a mount to ride. He decides to call Pärnänen's Garage. If the elves can't get something done, he'll always get help from there. Pärnänen advised him to get a Zündapp. "Hmm, Zündapp" Santa wondered...
pkor

Well, why not. If they in Pärnänen's Garage recommend Zündapp it definitely ought to be purchased. The elves all around the world dashed hippityhop for the windows to peek if they could find such a miraculous machine. For a few days Santa had to bite his nails nervously, but then Wolfgang announced that the right machine had been found in Germany. And soon the elves were back again at assembly work in Santa's workshop.
moottori

Santa notices that the Zundapp hasn’t got the power needed and decides to find a bigger and more powerfull engine. What is happening to this world if one can’t trust to advices given by Pärnänen!
hyytyy

Santa marches to his house and digs up the left-over chocolates of last Christmas. Oh boy how good they taste! Gladly Santa empties a box after another and thinks hard how to solve this big problem with the bike.
suklaa

Suddenly Santa remembers a drawing that little Esa has sent with a letter of his Christmas wishes, and rushes to search for it. This is how his race bike should be like!

piirros

Santa rushes to telephone to call his old pal Torsten Hallman up. "Hej på dig" greets Santa who can speak, at least adequately, every language in the World, even Swedish! Torsten apologizes for not having his old Husqvarna any more. Anyway he invites Santa for a visit so they can take a little look at training issues.

In a flash Santa is in Uppsala soaking up like a sponge Torsten's advice about the right racing lines and the right training program.

totte

Videos from Ruskeasanta 1965
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QNlZdzOq2f8 and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4UUWd163n7g

The racing season has already begun in Europe but Santa is still without a bike. In order to keep in the right mood Santa decides at least to visit the races as a way of passing time. How gently dry dust touches nostrils! (see closely, Santa is among the spectators..)

Theeuwissen

In the pits Santa takes notice of a very quick looking device. Cheney-Yamaha, a very rare machine indeed which only a few possess! Should he phone Mrs. Claus for a permission to buy this bike?

jammu

Calling Mrs Santa wasn’t a good idea. Santa heard some hard words on the phone when she made it absolutely clear that they have seen enough of different kind of gadgets in Korvatunturi. No more is needed! After the race Santa asked Vic Eastwood for a test ride. That suited fine because Vic remembered well how Santa brought him a wooden car when he was just a little boy. That car was his favourite toy for many years. And so went Santa to the track: BSA Victor 500 turned nicely to corners under Santa’s command. Oh boy how good it felt to ride again!

Original picture provided by Justin Norek

vic

When leaving for home Santa was so excited that he forgot to buy some souvenirs for Mrs. Claus. He knew that now the fat is on the fire if he couldn't find something quickly! So Santa dashed to his neighbor Jacob and asked if he could borrow Jacob's Husqvarna. I'll go shopping quickly in the village. For sure from there I'll find something suitable to save the situation, Santa supposed while he went like the wind over fells and past the surprised looking reindeer herders.

In the nearby shop Santa bumped into Romppainen, his old rival competitor. Romppainen cursed because he, at the age of 70, can't get a competition license anymore. Or he can get it but only by paying a premium worth millions... Santa is shocked when he realizes that, although he is youthful, the date of birth in his reindeer leather birth certificate is gloomy to read. How big would his premium be! Even though Santa's nerves are as hard as reindeer's hoof he must sit down for a while. Then he gets it out that with the 478 gigacarat diamond he got as a return present from the son of the Sultan of Baduan he can pay the premium for a temporary license.

timantti

Santa came home and Mrs. Claus was happy with the souvenirs she got. And now things started to get going otherwise, too! While Santa was on his travels, the elves had built a new engine. If that don't fly what does! The elves told Santa that this 490 cc five-valve, three-stroke engine has got torque like a tank and power as much as five Rudolphs. And in it's spark plug you can see northern lights flashing!

kone

Santa wanted to test the new engine right away. It was put to the nearest bike in hand and off he went. And it worked really fine! “Now things begin to be in order”, thought Santa happily.

puna

The bike felt so good that it has to be a victory for me! Santa started to dream about the ladies kissing him in the prize giving ceremony…

voitto

Santa got the Finnish team so inspired that they got medals in every class: 60+ was third, 50+ second and 40+ won! Santa, who had taken the shape of Timo Järvinen, rode in the 50+ class (the number 21 in the picture, this picture is not manipulated). Because Santa is more used to give than take, it was decided to give the victory to our friends, the Swedish team. But only with a single point so everyone can see than the Finns could have won it they would have liked to do so… But on the start of the second heat there were some nasty children who pushed Santa down in the first corner. They will regret that next Christmas!

Santa watched the sidecars at the paddock. He decided that next Christmas he will leave Rudolp to home and will make the journey on a Yamaha-Wasp. There has been so little snow during last years that the sledge doesn’t slide anyway.Thank you all for the Heinola race and see you on Christmas. Remember to be nice!

end